(2021-04-18). Biden to reverse Trump's White Supremacist, Sadistic near-ban on Refugees, but US still Lags, Sweden, Germany other OECD Countries. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — About one quarter of one percent (0.25 percent) of the US population consists of refugees — some 838,000. This minuscule number was too much for the white supremacist Trump administration, which drastically cut back refugee admissions from an average of 70,000 to 80,000 per year earlier in this century to …
(2021-04-18). There Is No Substitute For The Rank And File. popularresistance.org The Bessemer Amazon unionization effort was full of potential. It held the promise of a union bringing together the Black Lives Matter movement and a struggle for labor rights in order to take on one of the biggest, most odious corporations in the country. Maybe a Southern state would set off a movement again, like West Virginia and Oklahoma kicked off the teachers' spring. | Alongside Left Voice comrades, I decided to go to Bessemer, Alabama the week before voting ended. As I prepared to go, I had a weird feeling. I kept looking at interviews and I saw just two Amazon workers, over and over and over. They were g…
(2021-04-18). On Contact: Securing Democracy With Glenn Greenwald. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to the US journalist Glenn Greenwald about how his reporting exposed the corruption that is rife among Brazil's political, judicial, and economic elite. | Greenwald was able to show, through a trove of documents, how President Jair Bolsonaro and his crypto-fascist party manipulated the legal system with the connivance of federal anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro, and were able to discredit and eliminate Bolsonaro's political rival, former two-term president Luiz Inacio 'Lula' da Silva, the leader of the Workers' Party. | These revelations, dubbed the Secret Brazil Archive…
(2021-04-18). The Supreme Court Is Also to Blame for Daunte Wright's Death. zcomm.org Wright's blood is on the hands not only of Potter but also of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has legally sanctioned this type of racial profiling…
(2021-04-18). House and Senate Democrats Plan Bill to Add Four Justices to Supreme Court. zcomm.org The Constitution allows Congress to set the number of Supreme Court justices…
(2021-04-18). Powerful Buddhist Monk Throws Weight Behind Legal Challenge To China-Funded Colombo Port City Project. eurasiareview.com Government says Sri Lanka needs the project and assures that the envisaged legal structure will be under Lankan control.: | The politically influential head of the Abayarama temple in Colombo, Ven. Muruththetuwe Ananda Thero, has thrown his weight behind petitions in the Sri Lankan Supreme Court against the China-funded US$ 1.4 billion Colombo Port City (CPC) project. | The CPC is now at the crucial stage of getting a separate legal structure meant to get foreign investors. | Ven. Ananda Thero told a press conference on April 15 that his organization "Rata Rakina Jana Handa" had supported President Got…
(2021-04-18). Ken Burns' and Lynn Novick's "Hemingway" counterpunch.org 
Why a Hemingway Doc Now? War and peace, fascism, anti-fascism, communism and anti-communism loomed large in the life and work of Ernest Hemingway. An ambulance driver in World War I who was badly wounded, he covered WWII as a journalist and reported on the defeat of Hitler and his henchmen. Also, he went to Spain
(2021-04-18). Khaled Barakat: Freeing the prisoners requires a new revolutionary path for Palestinian struggle. samidoun.net 
On Palestinian Prisoners' Day, 17 April 2021, the Samidoun Arabic website conducted an interview with Palestinian writer Khaled Barakat, below (Arabic at the link): Question: How do you assess the current state of international solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners' movement? What are the immediate tasks and priorities for the Palestinian diaspora and exile community regarding the cause of Palestinian prisoners in the occupation prisons? Barakat: The international solidarity movement with the Palestinian prisoners' struggle is not separate or isolated from the tasks and reality of the Palestinian and Arab pop…
(2021-04-18). Israel and Greece sign record defence deal. middleeasteye.net 
Israel and Greece sign record defence deal | Announcement followed meeting in Cyprus on Friday of the UAE, Greek, Cypriot and Israeli foreign ministers, who agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries | Sun, 04/18/2021 – 19: 09 | Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz says partnership between two countries will 'deepen on the defence, economic and political levels' | Israel and Gree…
(2021-04-18). Racist rhymes: Academic wants 'Baa baa black sheep' and 'Jingle Bells' replaced with songs of 'acceptance and social justice'. rt.com 
Most people don't think 'Jingle Bells' is a racist song, but most people aren't Kate Pollard, a lecturer in music education determined to root out any trace of unwokeness from the classroom. | Pollard lectures in music education at the University of Nevada-Reno. Like many in higher education, she's embraced the doctrine of Critical Race Theory, a set of beliefs that sees the history of the US as a tale of "white supremacy," and requires white people to apologize for their own "privilege" and work to "deconstruct" their own "whiteness." | For Pollard, doing this work involves making sure America's youngsters ne…
(2021-04-18). Breonna Taylor's mother condemns Black Lives Matter chapter as 'FRAUD,' says her family's name has been used to raise money. rt.com 
The mother of Breonna Taylor, one of the leading martyrs of the Black Lives Matter movement, has branded the Louisville, Kentucky BLM chapter as a "fraud" and accused opportunistic activists of exploiting her name for profit. | "I have never personally dealt with BLM Louisville and personally have found them to be fraud," Tamika Palmer said on Wednesday in a since-deleted Facebook post. She added that "I've watched y'all raise money on behalf of Breonna's family who has never done a damn thing for us — nor have we needed it or asked, so talk about fraud." | Breonna Taylor's Mom. She, I fully support. BLM…
(2021-04-18). The "Real" Apartheid: "There's no Such Thing as a Palestinian Person" juancole.com ( Middle East Monitor) — "This is the real apartheid," Jewish American lawyer Brooke Goldstein tweeted last week. "The fact that Jews can't enter into 'Palestinian territory'," she claimed, "I reject that some places are dangerous for me to enter because I AM A JEW." Goldstein accompanied her tweet with a photo of a large …
(2021-04-18). Sunday 4/25: Enough is Enough! Community March & Rally for Black Lives in San Jose. indybay.org Downtown San Jose: Meet up at Plaza De Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo De San Antonio, then March to San Jose City Hall, 200 200 E. Santa Clara Street for Rally | Masks and Social Distancing Required; Peaceful Protest…
(2021-04-18). US President Joe Biden's Shameful Push for War with China and Russia. dissidentvoice.org One of the most delightful things about Americans is that they have absolutely no historical memory. — Zhou Enlai In the autumn of 1862, the governments of France and Great Britain proposed to Russia, in a formal but not in an official way, the joint recognition by European powers of the independence of the Confederate …
(2021-04-18). Why Xinjiang Is Emerging As The Epicenter Of The US Cold War On China. popularresistance.org On March 22, 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken authorized sanctions against Wang Junzheng, the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), and Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSB). These sanctions, Blinken said, have been put in place against Wang Junzheng and Chen Mingguo because they are accused of being party to "genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang." The US Treasury Department followed suit with its own sanctions. | Both Wang Junzheng and Chen Mingguo responded by condemning these sanctions th…
(2021-04-18). Sunday 4/25: Rohingya Genocide and the Military Coup in Myanmar Teach-in. indybay.org Online event (FREE)…
(2021-04-18). The Myth of Peace in the Middle East: Deconstructing the Naturalization Narrative. orinocotribune.com This critical essay deconstructs the political narrative surrounding the naturalization agreements that have occurred between some Arab countries and Israel, formally known as the Abrahamic Accords or Jared Kushner's plan for peace in the Middle East. It offers unique perspectives and analysis of these accords and their true geopolitical intentions. Primarily, it argues how the peace promised by these newly established ties remains just a myth as it explores the true objectives behind them. Interestingly enough, it also highlights the true goals behind the U.S mediation in these Accords. | The Palestinian-Israeli…
(2021-04-18). Iran Says It's Identified Suspect Behind 'Explosion' At Natanz Nuclear Site. eurasiareview.com Iran's intelligence service has named a suspect in the 'explosion' that damaged the Natanz power plant last week. It says the culprit, identified as a man from a town near the nuclear facility, has already fled the country. | "Reza Karimi, the perpetrator of this sabotage… has been identified" by the intelligence ministry, Iranian state television announced on Saturday. | Karimi was described in the report as a 43-year-old male who was born in the town of Kashan, not far from the Natanz facility. | Tehran had earlier blamed the incident on its arch-rival Israel and promised to retaliate. The Jewish state, wh…
(2021-04-18). VIDEO: Al-Aqsa Mosque in Ramadan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 18 (MNA) — Despite Zionist regime restrictions, a large number of Muslim Palestinians say their morning prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
(2021-04-18). Ethiopian Survivors Retell Horrors Of Last Month's 'Houthi Holocaust'. eurasiareview.com By Ephrem Kossaify | When Abdel Karim Ibrahim Mohammed, 23, fled the recent violence consuming Ethiopia's Oromia region, he never imagined he would fall into the hands of Yemen's Houthis. | In fact, like many of his compatriots desperate to escape conflict-ridden Ethiopia, he had not even heard of the Iran-backed militia, which seized control of Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2015. | When he first set out on his dangerous voyage across the Red Sea, Abdel Karim had envisioned an arduous overland crossing to one of the Arab Gulf states where opportunity and prosperity awaited him. | Events had taken a frightening turn…
(2021-04-18). Syrian Refugees In Germany Want Citizenship And Political Representation — Analysis. eurasiareview.com Even though Syrian refugees have been integrated relatively faster in Germany, social integration continues to be a challenge in the labour market.: | By Anchal Vohra* | Tareq Alaows, a Syrian who studied law and international affairs in Damascus, ended up as a refugee in Germany. Along with hundreds of thousands of others, Alaows protested against the Syrian government and called for an end to political repression, better education, and economic opportunities. But along with 5.5 million compatriots, he had to flee his home country. | Like the million-plus Syrian refugees in Europe, Alaows had hoped fo…
(2021-04-18). Tallahassee joins statewide protests against repressive law. fightbacknews.org Tallahassee, FL – On April 10, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) held a rally at the Leon County Courthouse as part of a statewide day of action coordinated by organizations from the Florida Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression. Activists rallied to call on the Florida Senate to reject HB1/SB484, a repressive bill designed to limit protest and dissent in Florida. Dozens of activists showed up to hear organizers with TCAC, the Dream Defenders, and More Than A Name speak about how the need for continued struggle in the face of state repression. | Trish Brown of the Tally 19 spoke on HB1…
(2021-04-18). Mumia Abu-Jamal is Scheduled for Open-Heart Surgery. zcomm.org Racism Remains the Greatest Medical Threat to Mumia's Health…
(2021-04-18). The courage of Billie Holiday. greenleft.org.au Barry Healy reviews a new film depicting jazz singer Billie Holiday's extraordinary courage in facing up to racism in the United States.
(2021-04-18). Justice for Adam Toledo! Power to Communities to Stop Police Murder! fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression demands justice for Adam Toledo, who was just 13 years old when he was gunned down by a Chicago police officer on March 29, 2021. Adam was a child and he did not deserve to die. As the newly released COPA video shows, Adam had his hands up and was complying when he was executed in cold blood. We must identify the officer who killed Adam and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. We must end the madness of a polic…
(2021-04-18). The Clarian Call Of The People Of Burma — OpEd. eurasiareview.com When will the free world listen to the clarion call of the people of Burma, who have made 730 supreme sacrifices, 3,152 detained and over 870 arrest warrants issued, not to mention the 40 children killed (as according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners)? The entire country of 55 million plus people are ardently appealing to the arsenals of democratic countries, knowing full well that the leading authoritarian countries are pouring more oil on this burning inferno, not only by using their veto powers at the UN Security Council but also by supplying more lethal heavy weapons to use it on its o…
(2021-04-17). The Military Origins of Facebook. orinocotribune.com 
By Whitney Webb — Apr 12, 2021 | Facebook's growing role in the ever-expanding surveillance and "pre-crime" apparatus of the national security state demands new scrutiny of the company's origins and its products as they relate to a former, controversial DARPA-run surveillance program that was essentially analogous to what is currently the world's largest social network. | In mid-February, Daniel Baker, a US veteran described by the media as "anti-Trump, anti-government, anti-white supremacists, and anti-police," was charged by a Florida grand jury with two counts of "transmitting a communication in interst…
(2021-04-17). The Hawks Who Want War with Iran Are Working Overtime. globalresearch.ca Last week's cyberattack on an Iranian nuclear facility, reportedly by Israeli …
(2021-04-17). HR 2590 Rep McCollum's Bill Protecting Palestinians. indybay.org As she did in the 115th and 116th Congress, on April 15, 2021, Dem. Rep. of Minnesota, Betty McCollum introduced HR 2590, the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act which "prohibits Israel from using U.S. taxpayer dollars in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem for: the military detention, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention; to support the seizure and destruction of Palestinian property and homes in violation of international humanitarian law; or, to extend any assistance or support for Israel's u…
(2021-04-17). Confirmed! Lula Totally Acquitted, Can Run for President Again. orinocotribune.com With a vote of eight judges in favor and three against, Brazilian leader Luis Inazio Lula da Silva received confirmation of his complete acquittal on the charges laid against him regarding alleged acts of corruption in the infamous Lava Jato case. | With this decision by a majority of the plenary session of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the court determined that the 13th Court of Curitiba, through which they issued the sentence, is incompetent to rule on the case. | For this reason, the sentences imposed by this body, through Judge Sergio Moro, were annulled, and if any of the…
(2021-04-17). Germany's Supreme Court overturns Berlin rent cap. wsws.org By overturning Berlin's rent cap, the Supreme Court has given the green light to the unrestrained enrichment of real estate speculators.
(2021-04-17). Supreme Court confirms annulment of all charges against Lula. mronline.org 
Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday ratified the decision adopted by one of its judges, who annulled the sentences handed down in the first place against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. | April 17, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-17). Pseudonymity and Genocide. dissidentvoice.org 
Nearly 10,000 residents dance in local Dolan Maxrap folk style in Awat county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on 9 October 2018. Photo: China News Service In February, I asked, "Does the West Repeating Claims of China Committing Genocide in Xinjiang Reify It?" China is continually being raked over the coals by western governments …
(2021-04-17). Honoring WWII heroes is RACIST? WNBA & Nike cancel jersey commemorating female army pilots because no black women were allowed. rt.com 
An effort by the WNBA's Dallas Wings to honor women pilots who helped the US military during World War II has been canceled as offensive, after critics noted black people hadn't been allowed to join the female flying force. | The Dallas team's new 'Rebel Edition' jersey, which Nike introduced earlier this month as part of a collection of new Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) uniforms, was meant to pay tribute to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). The WASPs helped the war effort amid a manpower shortage by testing and delivering planes for the Army Air Forces. However, Nike, the WNBA, and t…
(2021-04-17). Iran identifies suspect behind 'EXPLOSION' at Natanz nuclear site, says he's fled the country. rt.com 
Iran's intelligence service has named a suspect in the 'explosion' that damaged the Natanz power plant last week. It says the culprit, identified as a man from a town near the nuclear facility, has already fled the country. | "Reza Karimi, the perpetrator of this sabotage… has been identified" by the intelligence ministry, Iranian state television announced on Saturday. | Karimi was described in the report as a 43-year-old male who was born in the town of Kashan, not far from the Natanz facility. | Tehran had earlier blamed the incident on its arch-rival Israel and promised to retaliate. The Jewish state, wh…
(2021-04-17). Iran names man accused of Natanz nuclear plant attack. middleeasteye.net 
Iran names man accused of Natanz nuclear plant attack | Intelligence ministry says Reza Karimi fled Iran before the 11 April attack, which it blames on Israel | Sat, 04/17/2021 – 10: 56 | Damage to a warehouse at the Natanz nuclear facility after a previous explosion (AFP) | The man Tehran accuses of being behind the recent explosion at its main Natanz nuclear plant has been named by Irani…
(2021-04-17). Hamas says 'Gaza still fights on' as Israel strikes enclave for second night. middleeasteye.net 
Hamas says 'Gaza still fights on' as Israel strikes enclave for second night | Israel said it launched air strikes against targets in the besieged strip after a rocket attack from the Palestinian side | Sat, 04/17/2021 – 15: 53 | Witnesses and security sources said the strikes hit two "training sites" in southern Gaza and another target in central Gaza (AFP) | A Hamas spokesman said on Sat…
(2021-04-17). [Correspondence] Institutional racism and national lockdowns. thelancet.com Reading Soham Bandyopadhyay's Correspondence,1 we find it unfortunate that lockdown measures are viewed with religious and racist sentiments amid a pandemic. Bandyopadhyay seems to have unilaterally misinterpreted the UK Government's advice on returning home for Christmas, which to many people in the UK simply means a holiday period. It would be incorrect to drag minority ethnic and religious beliefs into this policy.
(2021-04-17). [Perspectives] Mary Susan Malahlela: practising medicine under apartheid. thelancet.com Until well into the 20th century, the only way Black South Africans could train as doctors was to travel abroad. This was an expensive option and there were few scholarships, so the numbers remained small. Not until 1941 did South African medical schools agree to admit a small minority of students of Indian or African ancestry. One of the first through the doors at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg was Mary Susan Malahlela. In 1947, she became the first Black woman to qualify in South Africa.
(2021-04-17). Data breach exposes financial support from police officers for fascist shooter Rittenhouse. wsws.org The hacked contents of the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo's servers have revealed that police officers and public officials donated money to fascist and right-wing campaigns, such as the fundraiser for the teenage Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse.
(2021-04-17). Spanish historian sued for slander over research on fascist repression. wsws.org The lawsuit against historian Fernando Mikelarena for his research into fascist repression during the Spanish Civil War marks a new assault on historical truth.
(2021-04-17). Media Allegations of Genocide in Xinjiang. globalresearch.ca In February, I asked, " …
(2021-04-17). Around the World in 8 Minutes: Protests erupt demanding justice for Daunte Wright in the US. peoplesdispatch.org In this episode, we take you the United States where massive protests have been taking place following the brutal police murder of Daunte Wright, increasing violence on Palestinians by extremist Israeli settlers as well as the 8th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba.
(2021-04-17). Israeli General Claims Iran Has Been Waiting for Natanz Attack 'for 20 Years' – Report. sputniknews.com Tehran has accused Israel of being behind the incident at its uranium enrichment plant, identifying it as an act of nuclear terrorism. Israel, as usual, has neither denied nor confirmed the accusation. However, US media have reported, citing sources, that Tel-Aviv was behind the nuclear blackout.
(2021-04-17). Dahlan Plays The Long Game — OpEd. eurasiareview.com The forthcoming Palestinian elections have generated a good deal of speculation. Among the many players, one rather enigmatic figure is Mohammed Dahlan. Long believed to harbor the ambition of succeeding Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority, he is currently facing a political dilemma. | "Dahlan is a convicted criminal," said a PA official recently, "and as such he won't be allowed to participate in the elections. If he enters Ramallah, he will be immediately arrested and thrown into prison." | Long viewed by Abbas as a major adversary and rival, a series of personal disputes led the PA presi…
(2021-04-17). Portland Protesters Set Fire at Apple Store, Vandalise Local Businesses – Photos, Videos. sputniknews.com After a certain pause in mass protests since last summer, when demonstrations against police brutality and racism swept the city, sometimes violently, in response to the death of Black man George Floyd in police custody, violence has resumed, largely because of recent officer-involved shootings.
(2021-04-17). [Correspondence] Institutional racism and national lockdowns — Author's reply. thelancet.com I thank Richard Armitage, and Ajay Hegde and Shubha Rao for their replies to my Correspondence.1 First, it is undeniable that more people in the UK celebrate Christmas by comparison with Diwali, Eid, or other cultural festivals. However, there was never a question of comparing the importance of one festivity to another. The issue was the implementation of a thoughtless policy—a policy that simply aimed to fulfil a promise made in July, 2020, of a minimally disrupted Christmas without full consideration of the current context2 or the unique effects of such a heavy-handed approach on certain communities.
(2021-04-17). Labour disclosure "shows antisemitism was weaponised against Corbyn", activists say. dissidentvoice.org A group of Labour activists fighting through the courts to discover why they and others were investigated or expelled from the UK's Labour Party for antisemitism say they have flushed out proof of bad faith from their accusers. The group, who call themselves Labour Activists for Justice (LA4J), say the new disclosure confirms their claim …
