(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). No Zoom fatigue on Ringo Starr's star-studded, peace-loving "Zoom In" salon.com The former Beatle's new EP features his All Starr band, plus guest vocals from Paul McCartney, Lenny Kravitz & more…
(2021-03-19). Scores of schools 'reportedly occupied' by security forces in Myanmar, as Guterres condemns continuing brutality. news.un.org Security forces in Myanmar have reportedly occupied more than 60 schools and university campuses across the country, marking a further escalation of the crisis, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday. In a statement issued later in the day, the UN Secretary-General condemned the "continuing brutal violence" being directed at peaceful protesters as the death toll mounts.
(2021-03-19). US will not recognise Syria presidency vote without UN supervision. middleeasteye.net 
US will not recognise Syria presidency vote without UN supervision | Acting deputy ambassador to UN says ongoing peace process has been hindered by President Bashar al-Assad's 'refusal to engage in good faith' | Fri, 03/19/2021 – 14: 51 | The US and its allies have been hesitant to normalise relations with the Assad government (AFP) | The United States has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that it will n…
(2021-03-19). Sharpeville massacre: A turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle. workers.org 
The following article first appeared on the front page of the April 1, 1960, issue of Workers World. The original headline was "South African revolution has begun! General strike wins first victory! The mass murder of Africans was a boomerang; South African dictatorship faces abyss!" The article was written by . . . |
(2021-03-19). "The Sum of Us": Heather McGhee on How Racism Undercuts the American Dream for Everyone. democracynow.org 
Amid a national reckoning with structural racism and the dangers of white supremacy, author Heather McGhee's new book details how racism in the United States hurts not just people of color but also white people. In "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together," McGhee details how zero-sum thinking has worsened inequality and robbed people of all stripes of the public goods and support they need to thrive. We speak with McGhee about the cost of racism, Republican voter suppression efforts and what people can accomplish when they come together in solidarity across racial lines. "Fundam…
(2021-03-19). "Jim Crow in New Clothes": In First Senate Speech, Raphael Warnock Slams GOP Assault on Voting Rights. democracynow.org 
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, whose election in January helped bring the chamber under Democratic control, used his first speech on the floor of the Senate this week to assail Republican efforts to restrict voting rights. He called the raft of voter suppression bills being introduced in states across the country "Jim Crow in new clothes," denounced false claims of voter fraud spread by Donald Trump and others, and called on Congress to pass the For the People Act, also known as H.R. 1, a sweeping voting reform bill that would greatly expand access to the ballot. "Make no mistake: This is democracy in reverse,"
(2021-03-19). TALKING SOCIALISM | Catching up with AOC. dsausa.org 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her way to speak at NYC's Women's March. [Photo by Corey Torpie] | Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, best known as AOC, is DSA's foremost socialist superstar. Her June 2018 primary win—a 29-year-old taqueria bartender defeating the third most powerful Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives—inspired up to 10,000 people to join DSA. : | The Netflix documentary
(2021-03-19). Nuclear Fuel Buried 108 Feet From the Sea. counterpunch.org 
"The most toxic substance on Earth is separated from exposure to society by Ω" of steel encased in a canister." (Blanch) That eye-opener comes from renowned nuclear expert Paul Blanch in reference to spent fuel rods removed from San Onofre Nuclear Generation Plant buried near the sea on California's southern coastline 50 miles north of
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). There are so many lessons to learn from Kerala. mronline.org 
MR Online
(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). Life in a Wounded and Wounding Land. counterpunch.org 
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 the sports pages
(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). 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). Ten years since beginning of failed regime-change operation against Syria. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-19). Outrage over child detention center reopened over toxic dump. workers.org 
Plans to reopen a migrant detention facility on top of toxic military waste in Homestead, Fla., have sparked anger. Located just south of Miami, the closed facility was the largest center for unaccompanied migrant children — with 3,200 beds — before it was shut down in 2019 due to national . . . |
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). The Iraq War: 18 Years Later. counterpunch.org 
'You sit in your room, and you talk to the wall You're feeling small but still have a ball And you can't explain what's anyway in vain And you paint your face and dress in black Wear your shades and still can't express The way you feel about a lousy fill And you dance until
(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). 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
(2021-03-19). The Paris Commune of 1871, banks and debt. mronline.org 
150 years ago, on 18 March 1871, the Paris Commune was born. | Newswire…
(2021-03-19). Ten years since beginning of failed regime-change operation against Syria. mronline.org The initial coalition against Syria has collapsed, with Turkey frustrated over the U.S.' sustained support for the Kurds and the Arabs pivoting back to Syria. | Newswire…
(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). 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). How Chesa Boudin is pursuing his promise to reduce incarceration. 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). 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). Linked struggles: Trans liberation, women's liberation — WW commentary. workers.org 
It's just two and a half months into 2021, and already over 25 blatantly anti-trans bills have been introduced in 28 state legislatures. In total, 91 bills are proposed in those states that, in some way, shape or form, attack trans people — some directly, some indirectly, but the destructive . . . |
(2021-03-19). "Jim Crow in New Clothes": In First Senate Speech, Raphael Warnock Slams GOP Assault on Voting Rights. democracynow.org 
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, whose election in January helped bring the chamber under Democratic control, used his first speech on the floor of the Senate this week to assail Republican efforts to restrict voting rights. He called the raft of voter suppression bills being introduced in states across the country "Jim Crow in new clothes," denounced false claims of voter fraud spread by Donald Trump and others, and called on Congress to pass the For the People Act, also known as H.R. 1, a sweeping voting reform bill that would greatly expand access to the ballot. "Make no mistake: This is democracy in reverse,"
(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). There are so many lessons to learn from Kerala. mronline.org Indian farmers and agricultural workers have crossed the hundred-day mark of their protest against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They will not withdraw until the government repeals laws that deliver the advantages of agriculture to large corporate houses. | Newswire…
(2021-03-19). The Paris Commune of 1871, banks and debt. mronline.org MR Online
(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). 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). 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). A Green New Deal Means a Labor New Deal. dsausa.org 
What does an "all hands" moment for DSA look like? Perhaps the campaign to pass the PRO Act, the first major campaign of 2021.
(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). 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). How Chesa Boudin is pursuing his promise to reduce incarceration. mronline.org After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA's policies have kept people out of jails and prisons. | Newswire…