Federal court rulings challenge Trump immigration policies
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
Several court rulings in recent days have challenged a range of policies implemented by the Trump administration since taking office as part of its war on immigrants.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/immi-m02.html
The Viral Blame Game: Xenophobia, Attribution and Coronavirus
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
Moralising the way diseases and viruses are transferred is a very human, and particularly nasty trait. "We don't need this kind of riff-raff on our shores," screamed The New York Times in 1892 in response to Russian Jewish immigrants arriving at Ellis Island by boat. (The occupants hosted lice which, in turn, led to typhus.)…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/the-viral-blame-game-xenophobia-attribution-and-coronavirus-2/
Rally in defence of Julian Assange held in Zurich
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
In Zurich, Marianne Arens spoke on behalf of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party–SGP) and called for the mobilisation of the working class in Assange's defence.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/zuri-m02.html
Jeremy Corbyn's criminal silence during Julian Assange's extradition hearing
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
Corbyn said nothing when he could have raised Assange's fate in Parliament every single day, informing millions of the fundamental violation of his democratic rights.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/corb-m02.html
Brisbane rally calls for freedom for Assange and Manning
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
Participants applauded and cheered the speakers as they denounced the Australian government's complicity in the abuses of Assange's basic legal rights.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/bris-m02.html
Contra-supporting CNN pundit Ana Navarro lobbied for corrupt right-wing Latin American governments
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-02
Bernie-bashing "Never Trump conservative" CNN pundit Ana Navarro lobbied for El Salvador's right-wing government, whose president was imprisoned for corruption,…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/01/contras-cnn-ana-navarro-lobbying-corruption/
Class: The Little Word the Elites Want You to Forget
Chris Hedges | truthdig.com | 2020-03-02
Our oligarchic rulers are determined to ban all discussion of class warfare, which is why they are trying to block the nomination of Sanders.
truthdig.com/articles/class-the-little-word-the-elites-want-you-to-forget/
Remembering the Heroism of Activist Berta Cáceres Four Years After Her Assassination: an Interview With Her Daughter
Vijay Prashad | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
On July 15, 2013, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), led by Berta Cáceres Flores, went to protest the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River. This river, in western Honduras, is considered to be sacred by the indigenous Lenca community. No one from the company that wanted…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/remembering-the-heroism-of-activist-berta-caceres-four-years-after-her-assassination-an-interview-with-her-daughter/
Afghanistan peace deal begins to unravel as Kabul rejects prisoner swap
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
The signing of the accord is an unmistakable admission by Washington that the nearly 19-year-long war it has waged in Afghanistan has produced a debacle.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/afgh-m02.html
Fighting Modi with a Poem
L. Ali Khan | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
Some poems capture the tyranny of the time. Sab Yaad Rakha Jaiga (All you do will be remembered), an Urdu/Hindi poem protesting the viciousness that the Modi Hindutva has unleashed in various parts of India is circulating in the social media. The author, Aamir Aziz, a young Muslim poet, lives in Delhi or Kashmir, or…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/fighting-modi-with-a-poem/
Saying Government-Funded Healthcare's Too Costly is Nuts…Unless You Think the US Uniquely Can't Do It
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
The new corporate media and conservative Democratic argument against front-runner Bernie Sanders' eminently logical proposal for creating a single-payer government health insurance program that he calls "Medicare for All" is that it would destroy the huge health insurance industry and put 1.8 million insurance industry employees out on the street. That is about the stupidest…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/saying-government-funded-healthcares-too-costly-is-nutsunless-you-think-the-us-uniquely-cant-do-it/
Iran's Coronavirus Outbreak Bizarrely Resembles the Black Death
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
When the very first coronavirus reports emerged, I had a suspicion that Iran would be a target of the world's anger. The spread of Covid-19 to the Middle East was as inevitable as history because the Muslim pilgrim routes have always acted as a channel for pestilence. But however honest or dishonest Iran's response to the virus…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/irans-coronavirus-outbreak-bizarrely-resembles-the-black-death/
Venezuela Embassy Protectors on Trial
Roger Harris | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
US Government Suppresses Information on Illegal Regime Change Activities Judicial proceedings are taking place in DC federal court where the judge has ruled inadmissible the question whether the democratically elected Nicolás Maduro or the Trump-chosen Juan Guaidó is the legitimate president of Venezuela. Like an emperor of yore appointing regents of vassal states, US President…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/venezuela-embassy-protectors-on-trial/
Erdogan to visit Moscow on March 5, Ankara confirms, as Turkey-Syria conflict escalates
rt.com | 2020-03-02
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, following a worrying rise in violence between Turkish forces and Russia's Syrian allies. | Ankara has confirmed that Erdogan will make the trip to Moscow on March 5. The Kremlin had announced on Sunday that it was hoping to arrange a meeting between Erdogan and Putin in an effort to resolve the situation in Syria's Idlib region. The visit is expected to last for one day only. | Last week, 34 Turkish troops were reportedly killed by Syrian air strikes, prompting a military response from Ankara. Russia s…
rt.com/news/482085-erdogan-putin-meeting-moscow-idlib/
Idlib war escalates as Turkey announces military operations against Syria
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
Turkey shot down two Syrian jets after a Syrian air strike claimed the lives of 34 Turkish soldiers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/turk-m02.html
Did Turkey Just Sacrifice Their Own Troops to Protect Al-Qaeda?
Matthew J. L. Ehret | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-02
After 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian army offensive on February 27 amidst the current Russia-backed campaign to liberate Idlib, Erdogan responded by laying the blame entirely on Russia and Syria
Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias joins state commission running Spanish intelligence
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
Iglesias is sworn to secrecy as he oversees an organization with a long history of brutal repression and targeted assassinations of militant workers and left-wing groups.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/pode-m02.html
Two US deaths reported amid signs coronavirus has been spreading unchecked for several weeks
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
The negligence on the part of the Trump administration–in light of what medical professionals have been warning–is unconscionable.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/coro-m02.html
Pyongyang launches TWO projectiles towards Sea of Japan, South Korean military says
rt.com | 2020-03-02
North Korea has reportedly test-fired two projectiles that fell into the Sea of Japan, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported early on Monday. The type of missile is so far unknown. | The projectiles were reportedly fired from a missile launch site in North Korea's eastern coastal town of Wonsan. | Also on rt.com | | North Korea launches two unidentified projectiles toward Sea of Japan
As Nuke Plant Demolition Begins, Catastrophe May Be Looming
Michael Steinberg | indybay.org | 2020-03-02
As demolition of Socal's San Onofre nuke plant begins, Watchdogs warn a disaster may be looming.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/29/18831208.php
Why 'You' Is So Terrifying
Erin Schwartz | thenation.com | 2020-03-02
Why 'You' Is So Terrifying…
thenation.com/article/culture/you-netflix-tv-review/
Above-average temperatures 'likely in many parts of the world in coming months'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-02
Many parts of the world are likely to see above-average temperatures over the next few months
Is Medicare for All Bad for Union-Negotiated Healthcare?
Mark Dudzic | zcomm.org | 2020-03-02
The argument that Medicare for All will hurt workers because it abolishes hard-earned healthcare benefits of unionized workers has repeatedly been used against Sanders and Warren. But does the criticism have any basis?
zcomm.org/znetarticle/is-medicare-for-all-bad-for-union-negotiated-healthcare/
San Francisco Chinatown Rally: "The Virus is Our Enemy, Not China"
Fight the Disease, Not the People | indybay.org | 2020-03-02
Although there has been only one death from the coronavirus in the U.S., the nation's Chinatowns are seeing a large decline in customers as fear about the viral outbreak spreads. On February 29, hundreds rallied in Portsmouth Square, the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, to decry anti-Chinese racism and show support for Wuhan.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/01/18831215.php
Photo Shows Pence Team Trying to Pray Away Coronavirus
Michael Stone | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-02
Bad Medicine: Symbolic of the moral and intellectual decay at the White House, a photo shows Vice President Mike Pence and his team trying to pray away the coronavirus. | On social media, conservative Christians cheered at the embarrassing photo showing …
globalresearch.ca/photo-shows-pence-team-trying-pray-away-coronavirus/5705225
China closes 1st 'pop-up' coronavirus hospital, built in 10 days, after last group of recovered patients discharged
rt.com | 2020-03-02
Authorities in Wuhan have closed the city's first makeshift hospital after discharging the last batch of 34 recovered coronavirus patients, as the rate of infection in the city has dropped dramatically. | Wuhan was the site of the original outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, and the city's response, building a new hospital in less than two weeks to handle Covid-19 patients, was seen as a modern marvel with the total number of hospital beds in the city eventually going from 5,000 to 23,000. | The hospital's last patients were given the all clear late Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV, amid a shar…
rt.com/news/482093-china-closes-first-wuhan-hospital/
Coronavirus sinks stock markets as first death reported in U.S
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-02
San José, CA – By Friday, February 28, the U.S. stock markets had their worst week since the financial crisis in 2008. Stocks closed down 15% on average from their record highs just the week before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had lost 1000 points during the day but ended down 350 points on hopes that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates at their next meeting in mid-March. | Over the weekend the first death from the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, was reported in the state of Washington. The death was one of four cases on the West Coast which could not be traced to any international travel. From the…
fightbacknews.org/2020/3/1/coronavirus-sinks-stock-markets-first-death-reported-us
A progressive agenda for COVID-19 pandemic preparedness
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-02
Minneapolis, MN – As COVID-19 spreads in the United States, the potential exists for the corporate health care system to be overwhelmed. American capitalism has developed a health care system well-equipped with fancy technologies and expensive medical devices, but poorly-equipped to do basic public health. There is no profit in the basics of health care and disease prevention. | COVID-19 is the disease caused by a new type of coronavirus circulating the world. The virus, SARS-CoV-2, passed from bats to mammals to people in Wuhan China in December 2019. | For about a month the virus remained isolated in China. Chi…
fightbacknews.org/2020/3/1/progressive-agenda-covid-19-pandemic-preparedness
Coronavirus accelerates job cutting in New Zealand
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
As the world economy slows and the COVID-19 virus disrupts travel and supply chains, New Zealand workers are being laid off in a range of industries.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/nzvi-m02.html
ENTIRE regional govt of Italy's Lombardy region to be screened for coronavirus after official tests positive for illness
rt.com | 2020-03-02
Members of the local government in Lombardy, Italy will undergo medical screening, after tests revealed that a regional councilor tested positive for coronavirus. Italy has reported hundreds of new cases of the deadly illness. | Lombardy's regional governor, Attilio Fontana, has reportedly quarantined himself after his government councilor for economic development was found to be carrying the virus. All members of the local government will now be required to be tested for the illness. Necessary procedures keeping with established protocols will be activated, depending on the results, the regional government sa…
rt.com/news/482094-coronavirus-lombardy-italy-govt-test/
Shale drillers need a miracle to keep production from falling
rt.com | 2020-03-02
With West Texas Intermediate falling below $45 a barrel after the latest burst in coronavirus panic, US shale oil and gas producers are feeling growing heat. | Except for the Permian, where production of both oil and gas is still growing, the US shale patch is retrenching. And the Permian may soon follow suit. | In its latest Drilling Productivity Report, released earlier this month, the Energy Information Administration said oil production had declined across six of the seven major shale plays in the country, by some 21,000 bpd. In the Permian, however, production rose by 39,000 bpd, tipping the total into a…
rt.com/business/482077-shale-gas-production-fall/
Embarrassing Moments from Trump's Visit to India
Mel Gurtov | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
Donald Trump abroad never ceases to entertain with his ignorance and misstatements. As India's leaders learned from Trump's previous visits to Saudi Arabia and China, all it takes is pomp and circumstance to get this president's favorable remarks. Here are a few gems from his just-concluded visit:…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/embarrassing-moments-from-trumps-visit-to-india/
'He's celebrating like he scored!' Fired-up Marcelo goes wild after tackling Messi as Real down Barcelona in El Clasico (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-03-02
Real Madrid defender Marcelo was so pumped up at halting the charge of Lionel Messi during the crucial El Clasico encounter on Sunday that the veteran Brazilian full-back celebrated as wildly as if he had scored. | With Real leading 1-0 at the Bernabeu thanks to a deflected 71st-minute goal from teenage sensation Vinicius Jr, Marcelo ensured the scoreline remained that way with a crucial last-ditch intervention to stop Messi as the Argentine bore down on the Real Madrid goal. | Marcelo, 31, raced back to poke the ball away from the Barca ace before teammate Raphael Varane mopped up the danger. | Marcelo with t…
rt.com/sport/482089-marcelo-celebrates-tackle-messi/
XR Flash Mob Dance and Action 2-28-2020
AutumnSun | indybay.org | 2020-03-02
"TELL JPMORGAN TO STOP FUNDING CLIMATE DESTRUCTION!" | "Chase is by far the worst banker of fossil fuels and fossil fuel expansion by far a wide margin!"
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/29/18831165.php
First U.S. Union-Authorized Climate Strike?
Jeremy Brecher | zcomm.org | 2020-03-02
On Thursday February 27 thousands of Minneapolis cleaning workers walked off their jobs and struck their downtown commercial high-rises. Among their key demands was that their employers take action on climate change…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/first-u-s-union-authorized-climate-strike/
Jenny Offill's Novel of Climate Dread
Tony Tulathimutte | thenation.com | 2020-03-02
Jenny Offill's Novel of Climate Dread…
thenation.com/article/culture/jenny-offill-weather-book-review/
Indigenous Rights Are Human Rights! RCMP Out of Wet'suwet'en!
Alison Bodine | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
In the dark early morning on February 6, 2020, the RCMP violently raided Wet'suwet'en territory in Northern British Columbia, Canada.
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/indigenous-rights-are-human-rights-rcmp-out-of-wetsuweten/
Muslim Haters Flock Together
Eric Margolis | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-02
President Donald Trump's 36-hour whirlwind visit to India this past week was designed to show Americans just how adored abroad their president really is. | Unluckily for Trump, his campaign stop at this behemoth nation of 1.3 or 1.4 billion proved …
globalresearch.ca/muslim-haters-flock-together/5705234
Trudeau Enables Corporate Canada to Exploit Ethiopia's Minerals
Yves Engler | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-02
The Federal government wants Canadian corporations to profit from Ethiopia's minerals. | During his recent trip to the Horn of Africa country Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced negotiations on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). As I detailed in …
globalresearch.ca/trudeau-enables-corporate-canada-exploit-ethiopia-minerals/5705214
Islamabad to ask UK to extradite 'absconder' ex-PM Sharif for 'faking' medical condition
rt.com | 2020-03-02
The Pakistani government has said it will ask the British authorities to deport billionaire ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, sentenced to seven years for corruption, accusing him of faking medical problems to secure bail on health grounds. | Islamabad announced on Sunday that the former Pakistani PM is an "absconder" who has failed to uphold the terms and conditions of the bail that had been granted to him on medical grounds. | Sharif traveled to London in November, purportedly to receive medical treatment, after he was granted bail. However, Sharif has yet to be admitted to a hospital in the UK, indicating that he "faked"
rt.com/news/482073-sharif-deportation-pakistan-request/
Record fall in key China production index
wsws.org | 2020-03-02
China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced over the weekend that the manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 35.7 in February, down from 50 in January, hitting an all-time low.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/02/chin-m02.html
Environmental Collusion is Corruption
Sam Stearns | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
When I was a kid growing up in a coal mining community and regularly visiting the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, my heroes were the guys in green uniforms who rode around in green trucks maintaining recreation areas: the U. S. Forest Service. I thought their mission was to keep the places I loved…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/environmental-collusion-is-corruption/
Toxic Agriculture and the Gates Foundation
Colin Todhunter | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 and has $46.8 billion in assets (December 2018). It is the largest charitable foundation in the world and distributes more aid for global health than any government. One of the foundation's stated goals is to globally enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty. The Gates Foundation…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/toxic-agriculture-and-the-gates-foundation/
Noah, New and Improved: the Endangered Species Act Under Trump
Steven Krichbaum | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
So now the Trump administration has got a stranglehold on the Endangered Species Act and is going to "modernize" extinction and "update" endangerment
A Bourgeois Hero Would Be Something To See!
Kim C. Domenico | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
Progress is reaction. Civilization is its discontents.
The Poverty Line is Too Damn Low
Shawn Fremstad | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced that it is seeking public comment on producing "additional measures of poverty." While the request has received little to no attention in the media, it offers an important opportunity to tell the government to adopt a modern poverty measure that reflects what it really takes to make ends…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/the-poverty-line-is-too-damn-low/
Over 117,000 migrants leave Turkey to reach Europe
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-02
The number of irregular migrants leaving Turkey for Europe has reached 117,677 on Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter.The migrants are leaving Turkey through northwestern Edirne province bordering Greece and Bulgaria.Thousands of migrants flocked to Edirne's Pazarkule border crossing to Greece after Turkish officials announced Friday they would no longer try to stop irregular migrants from reaching Europe.It followed an attack by Syrian regime forces on Turkish troops in the Idlib de-escalation zone, which martyred 34 soldiers last week. Turkish soldiers are working to protect local c…
yenisafak.com/en/news/over-117000-migrants-leave-turkey-to-reach-europe-3513130
Turkey neutralizes 32 YPG/PKK terrorists in N. Syria
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-02
Turkish security forces neutralized 32 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, the National Defense Ministry said on Monday.The terrorists attempted to infiltrate into the southern area of Operation Peace Spring, Turkey's anti-terror offensive in northern Syria, the Turkish ministry said on Twitter.Operation Peace Spring was launched last October to eliminate terrorist YPG/PKK east of the Euphrates River to secure Turkey's borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria's territorial integrity.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered o…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-neutralizes-32-ypg-pkk-terrorists-in-n-syria-3513127
Assad regime committed war crimes attacking medical sites: UN
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-02
Syria's Assad regime committed war crimes attacking medical facilities around the Idlib de-escalation zone, the United Nations Commission into Syria said on Monday."In attacking medical facilities, pro-government forces repeatedly committed the war crime of deliberately attacking protected objects and intentionally attacking medical personnel," said the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria at the launch of its newest report.The commission also said it has "reasonable grounds" to believe that Russian aircraft participated in bombing incidents around July and August last year."The Russian Air Force did not direct the…
yenisafak.com/en/world/assad-regime-committed-war-crimes-attacking-medical-sites-un-3513138
Turkey refrains from targeting civilians: US expert
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-02
Unlike Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, Turkey does not target civilians in Syria, said an American foreign policy expert on Monday."Assad's soldiers now move around in ambulances in order to camouflage themselves from the Turks, who have achieved total air superiority in Idlib," Michael Doran, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, said in a tweet."We learn from this, obviously, that the Turks refrain from attacking ambulances," added Doran, who specialises in the Middle East.Doran shared a video, which went viral on social media, showing Assad regime soldiers moving in an ambulance in northwestern Syria to avoi…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-refrains-from-targeting-civilians-us-expert-3513125