Daily Archives: May 14, 2021

2021-05-14: News Headlines

Jessica Buxbaum (2021-05-14). Facebook, Social Media Giants Admit to Silencing Palestinian Voices Online. mintpressnews.com OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM — In a video posted on activist organization Jewish Voice for Peace's Twitter account, Muna El-Kurd explained why social media is so vital for the Palestinian cause. | "We rely on the honorable people standing in solidarity with us, people who tweet #SaveSheikhJarrah everyday," Muna El-Kurd said. "Even a short tweet or post is a treasure." | #SaveSheikhJarrah everyday… Even a short tweet or post is a treasure." | — Muna El-Kurd, Palestinian home defender | Quote tweet this with #SaveSheikhJ…

Thomas Knapp (2021-05-14). Peace in Palestine? Not if American Politicians Can Help It. counterpunch.org On April 22, more than 300 American lawmakers publicly pledged their unconditional loyalty to a foreign power. In a letter to the chair and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, the members of Congress cautioned against "reducing funding or adding conditions on" US welfare checks (totaling $3.8 billion annually) to Israel. The letter name-checks

news.un (2021-05-14). Rights experts call for probe into violent crackdown on Colombia protests. news.un.org Independent human rights experts appointed by the UN and the Organization of American States (OAS) have called for the Colombian Government to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the violent crackdown on recent peaceful protests in the country.

Editorial Team (2021-05-14). Sussex Police: serving Capitalism locally. challenge-magazine.org Brighton and East Sussex Branch, Young Communist League | YCL Brighton & East Sussex Branch expose the longstanding and institutional racism, sexism and brutality of Sussex Police. | On Saturday 13th March YCL members attended the Sarah Everard vigil along with 150 other people held at Valley Gardens. Mirroring the events at the vigil held in Clapham Common the same day, multiple police vans pulled up and officers began trying to disperse the crowd. Shocking footage was posted on social media showing police harassing and threatening members of the public. Despite the event proceeding safely and peacefully pr…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-05-14). Colombians continue to resist as national strike completes 15 days. peoplesdispatch.org Enduring brutal police and military repression, hundreds of thousands of Colombians continue to remain on the streets against neoliberalism and violence, for life, peace, justice and democracy…

Susan Price (2021-05-14). Creating a desert and calling it peace: Turkey's water war against Rojava. greenleft.org.au Turkey's system of huge dams is not just about irrigation and generating hydro-electric power, writes Sarah Glynn. It is a source of political power over the whole region.

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-14). US Delays UN Security Council Meeting on Gaza Violence. news.antiwar.com After The US suggested that the meeting should be held next Tuesday, but after a compromise, the Security Council agreed to discuss the matte…

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-14). Biden: Israel's Gaza Bombardment Is Not a 'Significant Overreaction'. news.antiwar.com As Israeli bombs are pounding Gaza, the US is standing firmly behind its ally. President Biden on Thursday "I have my intelligence community, the Defense Department, as well as the State Department … in contact with all of their counterparts, not only in Israel, but in the region, and one of the things I have seen thus far is there has not been a significant overreaction," Biden said. | Israel's bomb…

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-14). Republicans Want Biden to End Iran Talks Over Gaza Violence. news.antiwar.com Republican Iran hawks are jumping on the ongoing violence in Gaza and using it to argue for President Biden to end the ongoing negotiations with Iran in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal. | On Thursday, "We call on you to immediately end negotiations with Iran, and make clear that sanctions relief will not be provided," <...

Fight Back (2021-05-14). Minnesota Al Nakba protest and march: Say no to US aid to Israel! fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota Anti-War Committee and American Muslims for Palestine MN will be holding a rally and march on May 15, at 2 p.m., 4301 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, in order to commemorate Al Nakba and highlight the role that the U.S. plays in endorsing and funding the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine. This action follows up on the march of over 1000 people on Tuesday, May 11, in front of Senator Klobuchar's office. | Over the past week Israeli settlers have attempted a forced ethnic displacement of over 500 Palestinians living in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, worship…

Liz Theoharis (2021-05-14). Mother's Day Tears: The Fierce Prophetic Vision of Poor Women. juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com) — One hundred and fifty years ago, in the bloody wake of the Civil War, the abolitionist Julia Ward Howe issued a "Mother's Day Proclamation." The world, she wrote, could no longer bear such terrible violence and death. She called on women across the country to "rise up through the ashes and devastation" …

Eds. (2021-05-14). U.S. Customs to Indian travellers: Don't carry cow dung in your luggage. mronline.org In India, doctors recently had to issue a warning against the practice of using cow dung in the belief it will ward off COVID-19, saying there is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness and that it risks spreading other diseases. | May 14, 2021…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-05-14). Held to Ransom: Colonial Pipeline and the Vulnerabilities of Critical Infrastructure. counterpunch.org It should be making officials in the White House tremble. Critical infrastructure supplying 45% of the East Coast's diesel, gasoline and jet fuel, left at the mercy of a ransomware operation executed on May 6. In the process, 100 GB of data of Colonial Pipeline was seized and encrypted on computers and servers. The next

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2021-05-14). Consumer Health: Staying active and exercising with osteoporosis. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, which makes this a good time to learn more about this bone disease, which affects approximately 10 million Americans, according to the Office on Women's Health. Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses, such as bending over …

WSWS (2021-05-14). Israel's war crimes and the hypocrisy of "human rights" imperialism. wsws.org Washington's response to the death and repression wrought by the Israeli state against the Palestinians is an object lesson in the absolute cynicism of "human rights" imperialism.

Helen Lewis (2021-05-14). How Capitalism Drives Cancel Culture. zcomm.org Beware splashy corporate gestures when they leave existing power structures intact…

WSWS (2021-05-14). Mounting death toll as Israel's war on Gaza escalates. wsws.org Sixteen thousand army reservists have been called up and ground forces sent to the border in preparation for a ground invasion…

Randy Shields (2021-05-14). The Jakarta Method Never Ended. dissidentvoice.org Prepare to read Vincent Bevins's The Jakarta Method in one sitting because it's impossible to put down. The book is a summation of the US government assisting the Indonesian military in killing approximately one million civilians from October 1965 through March 1966. While the Vietnam War got most of the headlines, in Indonesia the world's …

Inge Fryklund (2021-05-14). Can DeCentralization Reduce Post-War Conflict in Afghanistan? counterpunch.org What will become of Afghanistan after the U.S. withdraws its forces by September 11? The U.S. government appears to be resigned to a Taliban takeover, and hopes only for a kinder, gentler version of the fundamentalist Sunni theocracy that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. This, of course, still leaves non-Pashtun Sunni ethnicities, the Shia

Sarah Cords (2021-05-14). A Drone Whistleblower's Quest for Justice. progressive.org Daniel Hale, a former intelligence analyst, leaked documents that showed the destructiveness of drone warfare; now, he won't even be able to defend himself in court.

Jeffrey St. Clair (2021-05-14). Roaming Charges: How Bio-Warfare Came to Colombia. counterpunch.org There's a theory that Israel controls US politics, that the most powerful war-making state the world has ever known is a mere puppet of Israel, institutionally incapable of asserting its own agenda in the Middle East. This is a convenient myth for both parties, since it makes Israel seem more powerful than it is and it tends to exculpate the US from direct complicity in ergregious human rights abuses. But in fact the US finances Israel. It is dependent on us. Its crimes are ours. We paid for them.

Nashelly Chavez (2021-05-14). Santa Rosa Police Department underscores changes since summer 2020 protests. indybay.org The outcome of the 2020 BLM movement on Santa Rosa Police department. There has now been changes that have been made within the police department involving stricter rules for less-lethal munitions and long-range sound system for orders. Awareness of human right violations that were done with the use of tear gas and the less-lethal munitions. In need of better communication of protocols in handling situations like that better.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2021-05-14). Mayo Clinic playing key role in helping injured Minnesotans safely return to work. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — An effort supported by Mayo Clinic to help more injured Minnesotans be able to return to work has received a major boost. The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the state of Minnesota $19.5 million to expand an innovative program that seeks to help workers suffering from injury or illness stay in the …

Staff (2021-05-14). Israel Isn't Entitled to "Self-Defense" Against the People Under Its Occupation. truthout.org As Israel continues to pummel the Palestinian people with bombs and artillery shot into Gaza from troops amassed along its borders in preparation for a ground invasion, the Biden administration has reaffirmed its unwavering support for Israel's war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinians. | Israel could not commit its crimes without the

Staff (2021-05-14). Headlines for May 14, 2021. democracynow.org Palestinian Civilian Death Toll Mounts as Israel Pounds Gaza with Airstrikes and Heavy Artillery, Eight Killed in Israel by Palestinian Rocket Fire as Military Chief Threatens "Gaza Will Burn", President Biden Says Israel's Bombing and Shelling of Gaza Not a "Significant Overreaction", India to Make Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Available Amid Devastating COVID-19 Toll, Japan Expands Coronavirus Emergency as Doctors Join Call to Cancel Summer Olympics, CDC Says Fully Vaccinated U.S. Residents Can Go Maskless in Most Settings, Hackers Post Personal Data of D.C. Police Officers Following Ransomware Attack, Active-Duty…

WSWS (2021-05-14). Thousands protest against New Zealand government's anti-immigrant policies. wsws.org The protests are a sign of growing anger towards the Labour Party-led government's brutal and discriminatory border policies, which are aimed at whipping up nationalism and xenophobia.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2021-05-14). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Know the warning signs of stroke. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org On average, someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted, depriving the brain of oxygen. It's important to recognize the warning signs of stroke, because prompt treatment can minimize brain damage. Every moment is crucial. "Strokes commonly occur in …

Staff (2021-05-14). This Isn't a Civil War, It Is Settler-Colonial Violence. truthout.org Earlier this week, massive protests erupted in '48 Palestinian towns and cities. '48 Palestinians (known as "citizens" of Israel) had mobilized to protest the threat of expulsion facing Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem, and in protest of Israel's attack on al-Aqsa Mosque. | As Israel escalated its violence against the families in Sheikh Jarrah, worshipers in al-Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan and in Gaza, '48 Palestinian protests escalated as well. Palestinians came out in their masse…

Staff (2021-05-14). Hanan Ashrawi & Rashid Khalidi: U.S. Backing Has Given Israel License to Kill & Maim Palestinians. democracynow.org Palestinian scholar Hanan Ashrawi says Israel's latest assault on Gaza is turning life in the besieged territory into "sheer hell," aided by U.S. military and diplomatic support. "Israel has total license to use unbridled power to kill and destroy and maim and get away with it," Ashrawi says. We also speak with Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, who says President Joe Biden's continued defense of Israeli actions reflects long-standing erasure and dehumanization of Palestinians. "One wonders what proportion you have to have of Arab deaths, of Palestinian deaths, ov…

Shane Quinn (2021-05-14). History of World War II: Operation Barbarossa. The Roots of Its Failure. globalresearch.ca Operation Barbarossa, whose …

David Swanson (2021-05-14). Chile and Colombia to Move Money Out of Militaries. warisacrime.org By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, May 15, 2021 While the proposal for a global ceasefire during a disease pandemic has done the opposite of catching on, there are a few small signs of sanity and even of successful activism. While most big military spenders (including the super-mega-biggest one) have increased or kept their spending …

news.un (2021-05-14). 'Stand up against hate' towards LGBTI people, UN human rights chief urges. news.un.org Humiliation and intolerance remain "a stark reality" for many gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people around the world, the UN human rights chief has said, in her message for the upcoming International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

David Swanson (2021-05-14). For Okinawa, Rahm Would Be a Knee on the Neck. warisacrime.org If you don't know much about Japan (and neither does Rahm Emanuel, the reported nominee for U.S. ambassador) a few relevant facts are these: 1) It's right next to China which much of the U.S. government is eager for some sort of fight with. 2) Its Constitution (imposed by the U.S.) bans war, and the …

Editor2 (2021-05-14). Zionism's Alliance with Luis Almagro the Yanacona. orinocotribune.com By Pablo Joffre Leal — May 11, 2021 | The policy of "public diplomacy" that the Zionist government has ordered, as part of the process of cleaning up the image of its regime, implies buying support from international organizations, governments, parliamentarians, and opinion leaders. | These are usually well rewarded for this shameless support in favor of an entity that commits war crimes and crimes against humanity. In this context and as part of his political conversion process from progressivism and solidarity with the peoples, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Uruguay…

_____ (2021-05-14). South America's 'Business Friendly' Bloodbath. popularresistance.org International Business and Banking support for the most repressive regimes in Latin America is even more evident than it was during the original cold war. Now, Wall Street ºs three main men in South America all face charges of crimes against humanity, even genocide, at the International Criminal Court. | Whilst the anglosphere regularly attacks governments of the left in Latin America on human rights grounds, it is its pliant business friendly U.S. regional allies; Brazil ºs Bolsonaro, Chile ºs Piñera, and Colombia ºs Duque, who face being sent before the Hague. | All three countries face cruc…

Anonymous007 (2021-05-14). The Year Of Open Letters: Retired US Generals And Admirals Warn Democracy Is Dying. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | If 2020 was the year of Black Lives Matter protests, and left-wing victories, 2021 is the year of open letters. | Following France, it is now the United States' turn. | On May 12th, Flag Officers 4 America

Anonymous669 (2021-05-14). Gaza Conflict Spillover: Israeli Army Struck Syrian-Lebanese Border. southfront.org Israel's first two F-35 stealth fighter jets on their maiden flight as part of the Israeli Air Force on December 13, 2016. (Israel Defense Forces) | Early on May 14, an Israeli warplane targeted a vehicle near a Syrian town located next to the border with Lebanon, according to Lebanese and Israeli sources. | The vehicle, a pickup, was targeted near the Syrian town of al-Juntliyah in western Homs. Israeli sources claimed that the vehicle was about to move a weapons shipment from the Syrian town, where Hezbollah is known to be p…

Pam Martens, Russ Martens (2021-05-14). Elon Musk Abruptly Stops Accepting Bitcoin to Pay for Tesla Cars. Did He Learn that Bitcoin Uses More Electricity Per Year than Sweden or Malaysia? counterpunch.org After just 49 days of wedded bliss, Elon Musk is divorcing Tesla from accepting payment for its cars in Bitcoin. It was just March 24 that Musk first Tweeted that Tesla would start accepting payment for its cars in Bitcoin. What caused the abrupt flip-flop? Elon Musk claims he wants to move the world toward

Anonymous669 (2021-05-14). Israeli Military Raises Gaza To The Ground. Another Tower Fell (Photos, Videos). southfront.org An Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jet. © Amir Cohen / Reuters | The Israeli military counties to strike what it claims to be "legitimate military targets" in the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket fire. | On May 14, Israeli warplanes wiped out another tower in Gaza city which used to host a branch of the Production Bank. In an attempt to justify the attack, the Israeli Air Force claimed that the bank was supporting the Hamas Movement. | ◊û◊ò◊ï◊°◊ô ◊ß&loz…

Staff (2021-05-14). Watch Rep. Rashida Tlaib Blast U.S. Aid for Israel & Attack on Gaza in Dramatic House Floor Speech. democracynow.org As the death toll in Gaza reaches at least 119 amid Israel's escalation of its aerial assault, Congressmember Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the first Palestinian American woman elected to Congress, delivered a powerful speech on the House floor Thursday to denounce the violence and attempted erasure of the Palestinian people. "I am the only Palestinian American member of Congress now," Tlaib said. "I am a reminder to colleagues that Palestinians do indeed exist."

teleSUR (2021-05-13). INDEPAZ Confirms Murder Of Another Social Leader In Colombia. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Institute for Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ) on Wednesday reported the murder of women's rights defender Cecilia Valderrama in the Chaparral municipality, Tolima Department. | RELATED: | The leader of the El Escobal Women's Association (ASMUES) was found dead with signs of violence in a pasture on Wednesday. | Her neighbors last saw her on Tuesday at 18h00 local time, when she left her residence to a nearby road to wait fo…

teleSUR (2021-05-13). Colombian Police Crack Down On Protests In Bogota And Popayan. telesurenglish.net Colombians denounced that the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (ESMAD) attacked peaceful demonstrations that took place in Bogota and Popayan on Wednesday night. | RELATED: | Videos posted on social media show police shooting and throwing tear gas canisters at citizens. Local media have not yet reported any deaths due to police brutality, but witnesses say several people were injured or arbitrarily arrested. | During the clashes, Bogota's mayor Claudia…

Ron Jacobs (2021-05-13). I Went Down to the Demonstration to Get My Fair Share of Abuse. counterpunch.org On May 4, 1972, the Paris Peace Talks were suspended when the northern Vietnamese negotiating team refused to back down from its demands. In the wake of the talks' suspension, President Nixon told the US head negotiator (and consummate war criminal) Henry Kissinger, "The bastards have never been bombed like they're going to be bombed

Andy Kroll (2021-05-13). Mother's Day Tears. tomdispatch.com One hundred and fifty years ago, in the bloody wake of the Civil War, the abolitionist Julia Ward Howe issued a "Mother's Day Proclamation." The world, she wrote, could no longer bear such terrible violence and death. She called on women across the country to "rise up through the ashes and devastation" and come together in the cause of peace. Forty years later, her daughter Anna Jarvis created Mother's Day. In the midst of another national trauma, with the latest Mother's Day just past, perhaps it's an auspicious moment to celebrate not just mothers, but women more generally. I think about countless women like my…

Jason Ditz (2021-05-13). As Afghan Ceasefire Takes Hold, Locals Hope for Peace Deal. news.antiwar.com At midnight Wednesday night, the ceasefire in Afghanistan took effect. Both the Taliban and Afghan government have The Eid holiday marks the end of Ramadan, and locals are The Afghan government has formalized that offer in rec…

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-13). US Hands Over Kandahar Airfield to Afghan Forces as Drawdown Continues. news.antiwar.com The US has handed over Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan to the Afghan military, "The handover of Kandahar Airfield was coordinated, both with senior leaders in [the Afghan government] and with our Afghan partners in the 205th Corps," Col. Sonny Legget, a spokesman for the US and NATO coalition, said on Thursday. | An u…

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-13). US Nuclear-Capable Bomber Fires Mach-8 Hypersonic Missile in Simulated Arctic Drill. news.antiwar.com In reporting on the nearly-completed Northern Edge 21 war games in Alaska and in the waters surrounding it, U.S. Air Force disclosed that a B-52H Stratofortress nuclear-capable bomber flew from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to the massive Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex to engage in a test of a new hypersonic missile. The …

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-13). Armenia Appeals to CSTO After Armed Incursions by Azerbaijan. news.antiwar.com Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan informed an emergency session of his nation's Security Council today that the government has requested assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a security body of six former Soviet republics including Russia. He reported that yesterday morning Azerbaijani troops crossed into the province of Syunik in southern Armenia and …

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-13). Armenia Appeals to CSTO After Azerbaijan Stages Armed Incursions. news.antiwar.com Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan informed an emergency session of his nation's Security Council today that the government has requested assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a security body of six former Soviet republics including Russia. He reported that yesterday morning Azerbaijani troops crossed into the province of Syunik in southern Armenia and …

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-13). Pentagon Not Clear on Regional Troop Presence Plans After Afghanistan Pullout. news.antiwar.com Since President Biden announced his plans to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan, US military officials have said they plan to keep assets in the region so the US could maintain the ability to bomb targets in the country. But it's not clear where US forces could be deployed. | David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs, "T…

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