(2021-04-21). AFL-CIO hails Chauvin verdict, but police unions still an issue for organized labor. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (PAI)—A jury's conviction of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin on all three counts in George Floyd's killing—including one that could send Chauvin to prison for decades—delivered justice to Floyd's family, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says. But at the same time, he warned, it's not the end of the story. Reconstructing the U.S. away from …
(2021-04-21). Headlines for April 21, 2021. democracynow.org Jury Finds Derek Chauvin Guilty on All Counts for Murdering George Floyd, Police Shoot Dead 16-Year-Old Ma'Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio, Judge Denies Dismissal of Prison Sentence for Officer Who Shot and Killed Walter Scott in 2015, India Faces COVID "Storm"; AMLO Gets COVID Vaccine; U.S. Warns Against Travel to 80% of Globe, Johnson & Johnson Resumes European Rollout After Regulator Says Benefits Outweigh Blood Clot Risk, AOC and Sen. Markey Reintroduce Green New Deal as Biden Sets Ambitious Emissions Target, Idriss Déby's Son Named Interim Leader Following Chadian President's Death, Journalists in Over 100 Cou…
(2021-04-21). 'The fire has started!' in Alabama — Amazon, mine workers. workers.org 
April 18 — Miners at Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood, Ala., struck April 1 and are still picketing as of this writing. On April 9 they voted 1,006 to 45 to reject a contract that would have restored only $1.50 of a $6-an-hour pay cut workers took in 2016 — . . . |
(2021-04-21). Building Workplace Power In The Communities. popularresistance.org As organized labor grapples with the consequences of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union's landslide defeat at the Amazon mega-warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, one potential direction for the labor movement lies in the types of power- and base-building activities of Black worker centers. | That African American workers need to amass the power to better their conditions is beyond dispute. The American working class is in serious trouble, and Black workers most particularly. The median net wealth of Black families is just $24,100 (lower than any other racial group in America today), while that of white…
(2021-04-21). The Questionable Government Practice of "Escheatment" projectcensored.org In the 1990s Walter Schramm, a Delaware resident, invested in Amazon stock. As the stock's value grew, Schramm left his Amazon investment alone only to learn in 2015 that it…
(2021-04-21). Xinjiang Native Speaks Out: "Western Media Jeopardizing Uyghurs Interests" orinocotribune.com Dan Cohen speaks with Gordon Gao, an ethnic minority and native of Xinjiang native on the realities of life in Xinjiang, Western media coverage and US-China tensions. | WASHINGTON — Dan Cohen speaks with Gordon Gao, Director of Strategic Research at Tsinghua University Endowment Fund in Beijing and a native of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Gao discusses growing up as a Mongolian ethnic minority in XUAR, and how the propaganda war against China hurts Uyghur interests, but will ultimately backfire on the United States. Gao and Coden also discuss the U.S.-China artificial intelligence…
(2021-04-21). ACLU Demands Improved COVID-19 Protections for Florida Detainees. projectcensored.org The American Civil Law Union (ACLU) of Florida and Disability Rights Florida co-filed a class action lawsuit against the Sheriff of Broward County after receiving complaints of the county's lack…
(2021-04-21). The Saudi Lobby Moves From K Street to Main Street. counterpunch.org Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S., was on the hot seat. In early March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, oil prices collapsed and a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, leaving American oil and gas companies feeling the pain. As oil prices plummeted, Republican
(2021-04-21). Fratelli Tutti And The Great Reset — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Pope Francis on 3 Oct 2020 released at a ceremony at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi his latest encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti. | Less than four months previously, Klaus Schwab and his co-author Thierry Malleret launched Covid-19: The Great Reset at Davos, under the auspices of the World Economic Forum (WEF). | In some ways their authors might appear to share a common worldview. Schwab ¥s 2020 Manifesto, The Universal Purpose of a Company, is studded with phrases borrowed from the social doctrine of the church. Regarding Covid, The Great Reset writes that the storm will accelerate disturbing trends t…
(2021-04-21). System Fail # 8: The Ghosts of Democracy. dissidentvoice.org Discussion about sexual assault (including against minors), torture; scenes of police brutality, murder. In this episode, Dee Dos takes a look at recent developments in the social war in Greece, including the COVID-19 lockdown, the #MeToo movement and the hunger strike waged by 17th of November member Dimitris Koufontinas. We also include an interview with …
(2021-04-21). UK Plot to Steal Venezuelan Gold Revealed. orinocotribune.com A conspiracy that took place in 2019 involving the former Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, and UK Minister of State for the Americas, Alan Duncan, with the intention of retaining the gold belonging to Venezuela held in the Bank of England (BofE), has been uncovered. | The information was disclosed by Bloomberg journalist Javier Blas, who recounted how, in a telephone conversation with Carney, Duncan presented him with legal arguments for denying that President Nicolás Maduro was the rightful president of Venezuela, and thus seizing the $2 billion worth of Venezuelan gold reserves in the Bank of Engla…
(2021-04-21). Venezuela's Attorney General Requests Extradition of Leopoldo López from Spain. orinocotribune.com Venezuela's Public Ministry initiated a formal request to the kingdom of Spain to return Leopoldo López to Venezuela through an extradition process. This statement was made before the 5th Execution Court of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas, which sent the file to the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, according to its accounts. | The extradition request is related to López's alleged participation in Operation Gideón, a project aimed at overthrowing the government of President Nicolás Maduro, a judicial source said. This plan was launched on May 3, 2020, but…
(2021-04-21). Towards a Marxist theatre. mronline.org 
With the onset of the pandemic, the second Black Lives Matter movement, and the economic crisis, theatre as an art form and an industry is in a period of crisis and rebuilding. | April 21, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-21). A Brief Constitutional Argument for Police Abolition. realprogressives.org 
The very existence of police is a violation of the most literal interpretation of the Second through Fifth Amendments. In addition, police serve to violate the First through Eighth Amendments systematically and consistently in function. | ______________________________ | FIRST AMENDMENT | Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. | SECOND AMENDMENT | A well-regulated Militia, being ne…
(2021-04-21). Caracas-Moscow: Conviasa's New Non-Stop Commercial Passenger Flight. orinocotribune.com 
Venezuela's National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) reported this Monday, April 18, through a statement, that during this week of radical quarantine defined by the National Executive, commercial air routes to various international destinations continue, including the Russian Federation as a new destination. The Russian embassy reported this first on March 25, when it announced the resumption of the direct route between Caracas and Moscow with a frequency of two flights per week. | The long-range route was approved by the Putin government and will be serviced by the Venezuelan state-owned airline, Conviasa.
(2021-04-21). PDVSA's Monómeros in Colombia may be Overproducing Urea for Pablo Escobar's 'Partners'. orinocotribune.com 
Venezuelan opposition deputy José Brito, president of the Special Committee appointed to investigate the events perpetrated by previous National Assembly board during the 2016-2020 term, determined that advanced investigations indicate that the Venezuelan company Monómeros, belonging to stated-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), is used for the benefit of Colombian drug trafficking. | Monómeros, based in Colombia, and CITGO, based in the US, are among the assets seized by the United States government in collusion with former Venezuelan deputy Juan Guaidó in their failed 2019 attempt to oust the legitimate gover…
(2021-04-21). Biden isn't Ending the Afghanistan War, he's Privatizing it: Special Forces, Pentagon Contractors, Intelligence Operatives will Remain. orinocotribune.com 
By Jeremy Kuzmarov — Apr 16, 2021 | Over 18,000 Pentagon contractors remain in Afghanistan, while official troops number 2,500. Joe Biden will withdraw this smaller group of soldiers while leaving behind US Special Forces, mercenaries, and intelligence operatives — privatizing and downscaling the war, but not ending it. | On April 14, President Joe Biden announced that he would end the U.S.'s longest war and withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan on the 20th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. | Over 6,000 NATO troops will also be withdrawn by that time. | "War in Afghanistan was…
(2021-04-21). Vietnam at The Movies, 2020-21. counterpunch.org 
So, what do you think is going on? My friend was asking about the spate of new films about the war in Vietnam and the opposition to it. Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods story of four veterans who return to Vietnam to dig for treasure and the body of their "fifth," both left buried there,
(2021-04-21). Washington is Spoiling for a new Cold War with China, but this Ambition needs a Reality Check. juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com ) — Like his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden is committed to a distinctly anti-China global strategy and has sworn that China will not "become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world, and the most powerful country in the world… on my watch." In the topsy-turvy universe created by …
(2021-04-21). Communist Party of Cuba concludes 8th Party Congress with new elected leadership. peoplesdispatch.org 
During the four day congress, delegates discussed the key challenges facing the island-nation and who will be in charge of taking the country forward.
(2021-04-21). Statement supporting the Syrian people. workers.org 
The following introduction and statement was issued by the United National Antiwar Coalition April 14: Pro-Western Syrian exiles have initiated a statement supported by a number of "progressive" individuals and organizations. The statement is titled,"Erasing people through disinformation: Syria and the 'anti-imperialism' of fools." In this statement, which supports the . . . |
(2021-04-21). Selected Articles: The Lockdown Paradigm Is Collapsing. globalresearch.ca 
By These warrior cops may get paid by the citizenry, but they don't work…
(2021-04-21). Personal Dispute Sparked Heavy Clashes Between Government Forces, SDF In Syria's Al-Qamishli (Videos). southfront.org 
Screen grab from a video released by the Hawar News Agency (ANHA). | Late on April 20, heavy clashes broke out between the pro-government Syrian National Defense Forces (NDF) and Asayish, the security wing of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeastern Syrian city of al-Qamishli. | Asayish claimed that NDF forces attacked one of its checkpoints near the Tayy district in the city. An officer known as Ahmad Hajji was killed and four others were injured in the incident. Asayish responded by launching a lar…
(2021-04-21). Military Situation In Syria On April 21, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 21, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 39 times: 23 — in Idlib province, 12 — in Latakia province, 4 — in Hama province | On April 20, a SAA armored military vehicle was targeted by an IED blast in the north of Daraa. No casualties were reported | On April 20, an IED blast targeted trucks carrying logistical aid for the US Coalition passing from the al-Omar field road | On April 21, clashes betwe…
(2021-04-21). U.S. Falling Behind China And Russia In Terms Of Nuclear Arsenal: STRATCOM. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Chinese nuclear capability is improving at an incredible pace, and could soon be useable in actual conflict, Adm. Charles Richard, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command warned. | He told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he had just ordered all briefs on Beijing's nuclear weapons contain no intelligence information vetted more than one month earlier "because it's probably out of date" that quickly. | Richard testified that China is capable of accurately deployi…
(2021-04-21). U.K. Conservative Party government report: 'Institutional racism' doesn't exist. peoplesworld.org 
LONDON—United Nations experts slammed the recent race report commissioned by Boris Johnson's Conservative Party government in the U.K., warning that it attempts to "normalize white supremacy." The U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said it "categorically rejects and condemns" the findings of Johnson's Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED). CRED's …
(2021-04-21). Military Situation In Iraq On April 21, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 20, ISIS attacked PMU positions in north of Khanaqin area | On April 21, a soldier was killed and 3 others were wounded in an explosion targeting an army patrol in Jalawla district | On April 20, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on two Iraqi army posts in the village of Al-Hitawiyin in the Al-Azim region | On April 20, the PMU carried out a security operation south of Samarra | On April 20, Kurdistan Security Service reportedly captured 22 terrorists…
(2021-04-21). Selective Service Repeal Act introduced in Congress. peoplesworld.org 
The Selective Service Repeal Act of 2021 (H.R. 2509 and S. 1139) was introduced in Congress on April 14 with bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. If passed, it would end draft registration and abolish the Selective Service System altogether. "No young person, regardless of gender, should be subject to a military …
(2021-04-21). Greta Thunberg's Quest to 'Listen to the Science'. progressive.org This stirring series about the Swedish campaigner against global warming is guaranteed to raise your temperature.
(2021-04-21). The Director of National Intelligence's Hypocritical Annual Threat Assessment. scheerpost.com DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando] By Maj. Danny Sjursen / AntiWar Make no mistake: much policy indecency is permitted and enabled by vacuously vague bureaucratic reports peddling in platitudes. For further evidence bolstering this increasingly open-and-shut case, see Exhibit number 3,472, or so: last week's release of the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community — the latest… |
(2021-04-21). Afghanistan's Green Future? ips-dc.org Everyone has a different Doomsday scenario for Afghanistan once U.S. and NATO troops withdraw by September 11. | The Taliban will take over and reimpose their repressive social agenda. Al-Qaeda will multiply rapidly and again become a global threat. Rival warlords will split apart the country. Another wave of Afghan refugees will overwhelm Europe. | And then there's the scenario in which China basically takes over the country, or at least the most sought-after parts of the country: the resources that lie beneath Afghan soil. | "Afghanistan is one of the richest mining regions in the world, holding untapped minera…
(2021-04-21). China's Record First Quarter Fuels Strong Expansion In 2021 — Analysis. eurasiareview.com China's first quarter record performance will accelerate momentum in China and support recovery in the US and global economic prospects — as long as unwarranted geopolitical tensions remain in check. | A year ago, China's first quarter plunge was -6.8 percent, due to the pandemic effect. In the West, it was widely seen as the "end of China's growth story." | Instead, in early February 2020 I predicted
(2021-04-21). Venezuela Secures Deal with UN's World Food Programme to Supply Food to 1.5 Million Children. venezuelanalysis.com The deal was welcomed by a wide array of political actors, including opposition leader Juan Guaidó and US officials.
(2021-04-21). European Drug Regulator Slaps Safety Warning on J&J Jab Due to Blood-Clot Links. globalresearch.ca While Europe grapples with its own vaccine safety scandal, the EMA, …
(2021-04-21). Saving the planet by disempowering the elites. indybay.org Humanity is at the final crossroads of becoming aware of the drama of the ecological and peace crisis in which it finds itself. The book "The Eco-Catastrophe" is a wake-up call to take note of the seriousness of the situation, to accept the Herculean tasks ahead, to understand the growth ideology of global capitalism and its structural lack of peace as a cancerous evil.
(2021-04-21). UN Security Council Open Debate: Chinese FM calls for peaceful approach to international issues. ecns.cn Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on the international community to uphold the United Nations Charter and not to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. He spoke on Monday via video, at a UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate.
(2021-04-21). A century of oppression: The Kurds and the Turkish state. zcomm.org t would be wrong, though, to see the Kurds merely as victims. They have resisted their oppressors, sometimes by armed struggle, at other times by peaceful mass mobilisation…
(2021-04-21). The Middle East: Geopolitical Battleground. zcomm.org If serious peace prospects are to emerge in coming years, it will result from Palestinian resistance, augmented by a growing international solidarity movement…
(2021-04-21). Commit to restoring the planet, UN chief says in message for International Mother Earth Day. news.un.org UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for commitment to restoring the planet, and to making peace with nature, in his message to mark International Mother Earth Day, celebrated annually on 22 April.
(2021-04-21). Battle for Yemen's Maarib Derailing US Peace Efforts. news.antiwar.com US efforts to try to get a ceasefire and some peace talks going in Yemen The US has been pushing for a ceasefire since March, and is keen to no longer be involved in that war. The Saudis have at least been open to a settlement, and the Houthis seemingly were too. Then fighting in Maarib escalated to the point that the Houthis seemed to have a real chanc…
(2021-04-21). SINCO: The Digital Project That Interconnects the People's Power in Venezuela. orinocotribune.com By Mauricio Montes — Apr 19, 2021 | The Communal Integration System, SINCO, is an electronic government platform developed for direct and collective communication of social organizations in Venezuela. It is the Venezuelan experience based on the creation of Cybersyn in Chile, in 1972, when Salvador Allende defined a new State and a new government for that nation based on the ideal of the Chilean revolution. | Cybersyn or SINCO project is recognized as an antecedent of today's Internet; however, the invention of the British expert in management, known as the father of cybernetics, Stafford Beer, put at the se…
(2021-04-21). US Strategic Command Chief Calls for Nuclear Upgrade Aimed at China and Russia. news.antiwar.com On April 20 Admiral Charles Richard, commander of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee alongside his colleague General James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command SPACECOM), in both open and closed hearings. Richard described his command, which consists of 150,000 service members from all branches of the armed forces, as …
(2021-04-21). Iran's Rouhani Says 60% to 70% of Issues Resolved in Vienna Talks. news.antiwar.com Iranian President Hasan Rouhani spoke positively of the indirect talks with the US that have been ongoing in Vienna aimed at reviving the JCPOA and "The negotiations have achieved 60 to 70 percent progress," Rouhani said on Tuesday. "If the Americans act honestly, we will reach a conclusion in little time." | Diplomats representing Iran and the remaining participants of the JCPOA — China, Russia, the UK, France, and Germany — met in Vienna on Tuesday…
(2021-04-21). US and Israel at Odds Over Iran Talks. news.antiwar.com Tensions are rising between the Israeli government and the Biden administration over talks that have been ongoing in Vienna aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, The US and Israel have been holding strategic talks on Iran policy through a forum headed by each country's national security advisor. Israeli officials told Axios that during recent talks, Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat felt the US is not showing "sufficient consider…
(2021-04-21). Report: Israel Backing Down on Some Iran Nuclear Deal Demands. news.antiwar.com According to a report from Israeli TV, The report said Israel is now pushing for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to have more powers in Iran. Israel's Mossad chief Yossi Cohan, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, and Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi are expected to travel to Washington next week to lob…
(2021-04-21). China's Xi Warns Against 'Unilateralism' Amid US Tensions. news.antiwar.com On Tuesday, "The destiny and future of the world should be decided by all nations, and rules set up just by one or several countries should not be imposed on others," Xi said at the annual Boao Forum for Asia. "The whole world should not be led by unilateralism of individual countries." | The US frequently accuse…
(2021-04-21). Germany: NATO Troops Could Be Out of Afghanistan By July 4. news.antiwar.com On Wednesday, "The Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul are currently considering whether to shorten the withdrawal period," said German Defense Ministry spokesman David Helmbold, referring to the NATO coalition. "The 4th of July is now being considered as a pullout date." | Earlier th…
(2021-04-21). Biden's Yemen Envoy Claims He Doesn't Know if the US Is Still Supporting Saudi Military Operations. news.antiwar.com Tim Lenderking was appointed by President Biden as a special envoy to find a diplomatic solution to the war in Yemen. But on Wednesday, "I'm not totally in that information loop, congressman, so I can't really speak to that," Lenderking said when asked by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) if the US is currently supporting Saudi military operations in Yemen. "I do think that we need to ma…
(2021-04-21). Google's Union-Busting Methods Revealed. projectcensored.org Leaked files from IRI Consultants, a union avoidance firm, obtained by Vice's Motherboard show the disturbing lengths to which companies will go in order to derail workplace organizing. The leaked records include a spreadsheet of anecdotal personal information the company had gathered about the employees of one client, Conifer Health Solutions, who hired IRI Consultants to thwart a union drive at two hospitals the company owns in Seattle. The document included data about employees' private lives including descriptions of workers as: 'lazy', 'impressionable', 'money oriented', and 'a single mother'. IRI Consultant…