(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). South African students intensify protests against historical debt. peoplesdispatch.org Students' protests in South Africa have intensified following the killing of Mthokozisi Ntumba, a bystander, by the South African Police Services (SAPS). Since March 15, students across SA have been on the streets to implement a shut down of all higher education institutions following the call issued by the South Africa Union of Students (SAUS). They are demanding clearance of all historical debt of students and end to police brutality against protesting students.
(2021-03-19). Union fights retrenchments at South Africa's national oil company. peoplesdispatch.org The commissioner of South Africa's Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) is set to deliver a verdict on March 24 that will determine the fate of nearly 500 employees that the Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA) seeks to retrench. The verdict may require the company to reveal details of the company's outsourced contracts to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA). The union maintains that these details are crucial to the ongoing negotiations on the Section 189 notices served by the national oil company to retrench the 500 of its 1,200 employees. Pe…
(2021-03-19). WTO Fails to Act on COVID Patent Waiver Again. counterpunch.org The World Trade Organization (WTO) has, for the third time, failed to approve a petition submitted by South Africa and India to temporarily waive intellectual property rights relevant to the production of COVID-19 vaccines. PhRMA (the pharmaceutical industry's lobbying group) has said that doing so would fundamentally undermine the global response to COVID-19 without providing
(2021-03-19). 10 years ago U.S./NATO forces demolished Libya. workers.org 
Ten years ago, on March 19, 2011, U.S./NATO forces began the air and sea bombardment of Libya. The war was directed by the United States, first through its Africa Command, then through NATO under U.S. command. In seven months, the U.S./NATO air force carried out 30,000 sorties, 10,000 of which . . . |
(2021-03-19). UN Libya report: Key takeaways, from mercenaries and Erik Prince to murders. middleeasteye.net 
UN Libya report: Key takeaways, from mercenaries and Erik Prince to murders | Dodgy deals in Jordan and the suspicious presence of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces are some of the details revealed by a United Nations panel of experts | Fri, 03/19/2021 – 09: 30 | Libyan military graduates loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) take part in a parade marking their graduation (AFP) | After a se…
(2021-03-19). Ernesto Falcon on Internet for All, Alexander Kaufman on Future-Proofed Housing Codes. fair.org 
This week on CounterSpin: Reporters covering the pandemic can't help but note the impact of the digital divide: How do you work from home, or do remote learning, or even register for a vaccine, without not just available, but affordable high-speed internet? Yet a major congressional effort to end that divide is, so far, generating little interest from big media. It's almost as if the corporate press accepted the existence of information haves and have-nots, because that's how goods get divided in this country—even if it doesn't make technological, economic or humanitarian sense. We'll hear about the Access…
(2021-03-19). Poor People's Campaign demonstrates for priorities in 30 state capitals. 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). 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). Why is it still so hard to get vaccinated in Massachusetts? liberationnews.org 
Massachusetts has a reputation for progressive policies, especially in healthcare. So why is the Bay State's COVID-19 vaccine rollout one of the sloppiest?
(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). 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). 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). Gulf royals claimed millions from UK furlough scheme: Report. middleeasteye.net 
Gulf royals claimed millions from UK furlough scheme: Report | Companies owned by Qatar and royals from the UAE and Saudi Arabia claimed thousands in funds, Guardian reports | Fri, 03/19/2021 – 17: 44 | The furlough scheme was introduced to help struggling businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic (AFP) | Companies owned by some of the world's wealthiest people claimed millions of pounds from a UK…
(2021-03-19). WATCH: Rand Paul challenges Fauci's ever-more-elaborate 'mask theatre' on Senate floor. rt.com 
US coronavirus czar Anthony Fauci has again butted heads with Republican senator (and fellow doctor) Rand Paul over the government's mask mandates. Paul got under Fauci's skin by denouncing current mask rules as "theater." | The Kentucky senator demanded Fauci explain why Americans who'd already been sick with Covid-19 and recovered, or received the vaccine should be "wearing masks well into 2022" during a Senate hearing on Thursday. Insisting there "no scientific studies arguing or proving that infection with Covid does not create immunity," Paul demanded the doctor cite "specific studies" to bolster his clai…
(2021-03-19). The Geopolitics of Vaccine Nationalism: Perspectives from Australia. counterpunch.org 
"The eagle has landed", said Australia's federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on 15 February 2021 referring to the arrival of the first international shipment of Pfeizer's Covid-19 vaccines in Australia. On the day which was supposed to be a vaccine response 'D-day' for Australia and to add a boost to the government's approval ratings, the
(2021-03-19). Covid, Consent and the Court of Protection. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Many of the newly vaccinated booked their appointments with gusto and left with a sense of elation. For others the process wasn't so simple. We see a snapshot of this in a handful of reported cases from the Court of Protection: Re E [2021] EWCOP 7; SD v RBKC [2021] EWCOP 14; and Re CR …
(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). 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). There are so many lessons to learn from Kerala. mronline.org MR Online
(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). 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). 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). Migrant children held in US custody soar to 14,000 as Biden press secretary accidentally acknowledges border 'crisis'. rt.com 
More than 14,000 migrant children are currently held in US custody, a senior administration official said, insisting there's no "crisis" at the border soon after Biden's press secretary invoked the very same term. | The official said the number of youths detained after attempting to cross the border had soared to 14,000 during a Thursday press briefing, noting that they are divided between facilities run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Border Patrol. | While the official argued that "Children presenting themselves at the border is not a national crisis," White House Press Secret…
(2021-03-19). Dropping off migrants with unchecked health & criminal history 'like opening Pandora's box' — Arizona border town mayor to RT. rt.com 
The mayor of a small border town in Arizona has told RT that federal agents did not provide crucial information about the migrants that are being released in the US after the White House relaxed border policies. | "The number of migrants that come across on foot has ramped up substantially in just the last few weeks," Chris Riggs, the mayor of Gila Bend, an Arizona border town of 2,000, told RT. | Mayor Riggs said he began worrying after the town was notified that border control officials will be releasing migrants in the local community after processing them quickly. At the same time, federal agencies did not…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Covid, Consent and the Court of Protection. ukhumanrightsblog.com Many of the newly vaccinated booked their appointments with gusto and left with a sense of elation. For others the process wasn't so simple. We see a snapshot of this in a handful of reported cases from the Court of Protection: Re E [2021] EWCOP 7; SD v RBKC [2021] EWCOP 14; and Re CR …
(2021-03-19). Ley de ayuda por COVID evita miles de despidos en Hawái. peoplesworld.org 
Hacia finales de 2020, oficiales estatales de Hawái enfrentaban un déficit presupuestario de mas de $2 mil millones en gran parte por la pandemia del coronavirus. El Gobernador David Ige dijo que se podría ver obligado a despedir o descansar a miles de empleados estatales, muchos de ellos miembros de AFSCME, a partir de julio. …
(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). 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…
(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). 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). 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). 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). USSR to Russia. dissidentvoice.org 
In the early 1960s, the intensifying Cold War confrontation between the U.S. and the USSR was not only a terrifying nuclear-arms race, but also a struggle for prestige and influence vis-a-vis non-aligned Third World nations. The "Soviet" Union — founded on the promise of a dictatorship of proletarian councils — had long since become a …
(2021-03-19). Oakland crafting pilot program for response to mental health crises. peoplesworld.org 
OAKLAND, Calif. — An innovative program to provide trained civilian responders for mental health and other nonviolent crisis calls, instead of armed law enforcement, moved a step closer March 16 with unanimous City Council passage of legislation that will launch a pilot project within Oakland's Fire Department. The Council's actions include an ordinance amending Oakland …