Daily Archives: February 2, 2021

2021-02-02: News Headlines

Staff (2021-02-02). Alexei Navalny Faces "Kafkaesque" Charges in Russia for Breaking Parole While in Poison-Induced Coma. democracynow.org Russian authorities have arrested thousands of people during anti-government protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been held in jail since returning to Russia on January 17 after recovering in Germany from an attempt on his life in August using the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the poisoning that nearly killed him. While Navalny has emerged as Russia's leading opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner, his political roots have links to right-wing nationalist and anti-immigrant causes. Joshua Yaffa, Moscow corresp…

Lola Loustaunan (2021-02-02). Fighting the "Immigrant Threat" indybay.org Milkman shows how the flux of low-wage immigrants into the U.S. workforce in recent decades is "not the cause either of the massive economic restructuring that began in the 1970s or the accompanying growth of economic inequality and labor degradation," but precisely a consequence of these developments.

Mark Gruenberg (2021-02-02). Catholic panel wrestles with gap between Biden, bishops on sexuality issues. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—When it comes to comprehensive immigration reform, combatting climate change, tackling endemic racism, and closing the yawning gap between the rich and the rest of us, the nation's Catholic bishops, its president who is a practicing Catholic, Joe Biden, and Pope Francis I are all on the same page. So are Biden, the bishops, and …

Staff (2021-02-02). Headlines for February 2, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Tops 26 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots, Surpassing Confirmed Coronavirus Cases , Biden Takes Executive Action to Reverse Trump Immigration Policies as Deportations Continue, Senate Republicans Meet at White House to Press Far Smaller Coronavirus Relief Bill, South Africa Receives First COVID-19 Vaccines; New Variant Linked to Reinfections in Brazil, WHO Team Probes Virus Origins in Wuhan; Australia Puts Perth on Lockdown After Single COVID-19 Case, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reveals She Is a Sexual Assault Survivor in Video Recalling Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Trump Hires New Lawyers. One Declined to Prosecute Bil…

Staff (2021-02-02). Biden Plans Task Force to Reunite Migrant Families Separated by Trump. truthout.org President Joe Biden is planning to sign three executive orders on Tuesday, meant to dismantle a number of actions from the previous administration that will, according to one official, make the process of migration to the U.S. more humane and fair. | Perhaps the most notable of these three orders will be Biden's call for the creation of a task force to reunite children who were separated from their families under a Trump administration policy that was called "zero tolerance." Ostensibly put into pla…

Cronkite News Arizona PBS (2021-02-02). Dreamers in Arizona Enthusiastically welcome Biden's immigration plan, but older Immigrants say it doesn't go far enough. juancole.com By Emma VandenEinde and Tyler Manion | — ( Cronkite News ) — PHOENIX — On his first day in office, President Joe Biden sent to Congress his plan to reform the U.S. immigration system. The bill includes preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, and outlines a path to permanent residence …

Zoya Teirstein (2021-02-02). Latest Trump EPA rule to get tossed? The 'secret science' ban. peoplesworld.org Former President Donald Trump will forever leave his mark on the federal government, but some of his administration's rules aren't standing the test of time. President Biden wants to reconsider and possibly scrap more than 100 anti-environmental actions his predecessor took during his term, including Trump's efforts to weaken protections for migratory birds and gray wolves and …

Claire Mullen (2021-02-02). The Body, the State, the Border: On Cristina Rivera Garza. thenation.com The Body, the State, the Border: On Cristina Rivera Garza…

Laura Flanders (2021-02-02). Latinx Farmworkers Are Purchasing Failing Farms From White Owners. zcomm.org Latinx farm owners stand at the intersection of racial justice and food justice and offer new hope in the future of sustainable farming in the U.S.

Cristine (2021-02-02). Asylum For Sale. zcomm.org Review of Asylum For Sale: Profit and Protest in the Migration Industry, Edited by Siobhán McGuirk and Adrienne Pine (PM Press, 2020)…

Staff (2021-02-01). The Assassination of Fred Hampton: New Documents Reveal Involvement of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. democracynow.org Newly unearthed documents have shed new light on the FBI's role in the murder of the 21-year-old Black Panther leader Fred Hampton on December 4, 1969, when Chicago police raided Hampton's apartment and shot and killed him in his bed, along with fellow Black Panther leader Mark Clark. Authorities initially claimed the Panthers had opened fire on the police who were there to serve a search warrant for weapons, but evidence later emerged that told a very different story: The FBI, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and the Chicago police had conspired to assassinate Fred Hampton. FBI memos and reports obtaine…

Leah Douglas (2021-02-01). After enduring 'complete hell' during pandemic, food workers face obstacles getting COVID-19 vaccinations. nationofchange.org "Vaccinating our essential farmworkers will ensure the safety of their workplaces, their homes, their families, our food supply, and the vital services that they perform."

RT (2021-02-01). Austria to ease Covid-19 lockdown by opening schools and shops, while tightening borders to hinder arrival of new variants. rt.com Schools and non-essential shops in Austria will reopen next week as the country loosens its lockdown, though border measures will be tightened to stop Covid-19 variants coming in, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said. | From February 8, schoolkids will have to furnish negative coronavirus test results in order to attend their classes, while shoppers will have to wear the higher-grade FFP2 face masks, which are already mandatory on public transport and in essential shops. | Austria will also reopen museums, galleries, libraries and zoos, and will switch from its current 24-hour ban on movement to overnight curfew…

RT (2021-02-01). Austria to ease Covid-19 lockdown by opening schools and shops, while tightening borders to hinder arrival of new variants. rt.com Schools and non-essential shops in Austria will reopen next week as the country loosens its lockdown, though border measures will be tightened to stop Covid-19 variants coming in, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said. | From February 8, schoolkids will have to furnish negative coronavirus test results in order to attend their classes, while shoppers will have to wear the higher-grade FFP2 face masks, which are already mandatory on public transport and in essential shops. | Austria will also reopen museums, galleries, libraries and zoos, and will switch from its current 24-hour ban on movement to overnight curfew…

Jonas Ecke (2021-02-01). The Appointment of Samantha Powers is Bad News for USAID. counterpunch.org For all its faults, USAID — the US Agency for International Development — will be one of the most vitally important agencies of the Biden administration. The confluence of Covid-19, global warming, famines in the Horn of Africa, forced migration and a series of unending proxy wars in the Middle East is a perfect storm that

Jonas Ecke (2021-02-01). The Appointment of Samantha Power is Bad News for USAID. counterpunch.org For all its faults, USAID — the US Agency for International Development — will be one of the most vitally important agencies of the Biden administration. The confluence of Covid-19, global warming, famines in the Horn of Africa, forced migration and a series of unending proxy wars in the Middle East is a perfect storm that

splcenter (2021-02-01). The Year in Hate and Extremism 2020: Hate groups became more difficult to track amid COVID and migration to online networks. splcenter.org &nbsp…

sputniknews (2021-02-01). Biden Asks US Supreme Court to Suspend Trump Immigration Cases. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Biden administration has asked the US Supreme Court to cancel oral arguments scheduled in the coming weeks on Trump-era cases concerning border wall funding and the so-called "Remain in Mexico" asylum program, officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), court documents revealed.

Online News Editor (2021-02-01). Mexican immigration agents to be probed for potential role in massacre. laprensalatina.com Mexico City, Feb 1 (efe-epa).- Mexico's government said Monday that immigration agents will be investigated for their alleged involvement in a massacre in a rural area of the country's northeast. News of the probe comes 10 days after the charred remains of 19 people — among them Guatemalan citizens — were discovered in the state …

RT (2021-02-01). WATCH Thai police clash with opponents of military coup outside Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok. rt.com Thai police have broken up a protest rally staged by the opponents of a military coup in neighboring Myanmar. The activists gathered outside the country's embassy in Bangkok. | Some 200 Myanmarese expats and local Thai activists gathered for a spontaneous protest outside Myanmar's embassy, the Bangkok Post reported, citing police. They held flags of Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD), whose leader Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested by the military on Monday, as well as photos of Suu Kyi. | Students were seen distributing leaflets denouncing the coup. The Myanmarese constitute the largest migrant group in…

Leah Douglas (2021-02-01). After Enduring "Complete Hell" During Pandemic, Food Workers Face Obstacles Getting Covid-19 Vaccinations. commondreams.org There are still unanswered questions about how and whether the vaccines will actually get to a workforce that ranks among the most vulnerable to the coronavirus. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/farmworkers2.jpg

Staff (2021-02-01). Biden Is Acting to Undo Trump's Toxic Immigration Legacy. Now Congress Must Act. truthout.org Since January 20, President Joe Biden has made it a political priority to rapidly dismantle as many of Trump's signature anti-immigration policies as possible.

RT (2021-02-01). Russia ramps up natural gas supplies to China via Power of Siberia mega-pipeline. rt.com Russian energy major Gazprom pumped more gas to China in January via the Power of Siberia pipeline than it had initially planned, boosting daily supplies by as much as 2.5 percent. | "The export of gas to China through the Power of Siberia gas pipeline continues to grow. Supplies regularly exceed Gazprom's daily contractual obligations," the company said in a statement, adding that the volume of gas delivery last month "was 2.9 times higher than in January 2020." | The 3,000km (1864 mile) cross-border pipeline started official deliveries of Russian natural gas to China in 2019. The so-called eastern route's ca…

RT (2021-02-01). Facebook leak: Zuckerberg admits having TOO MUCH POWER but cheers new administration, seeks to WORK WITH BIDEN on key issues. rt.com Project Veritas has posted leaked videos exposing internal talks at Facebook lamenting the company's admittedly excessive power but at the same time seeking to use its influence to "work with" President Joe Biden's administration. | "These were all important and positive steps," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said of the executive orders on immigration, Covid-19 and other issues that Biden signed right after being inaugurated on January 20. "And I am looking forward to opportunities where Facebook is going to be able to work together with this new administration on some of their top priorities, starting with Cov…

Online News Editor (2021-02-01). Argentina extends anti-coronavirus measures amid slow vaccine rollout. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Feb 1 (efe-epa).- Argentina on Monday extended a raft of measures aimed at combating the novel coronavirus, including the closure of its borders to international tourism. The move comes amid the nation's slower-than-projected Covid-19 vaccine rollout and concerns that the crisis will worsen with the onset of autumn in March. In a decision …

Gary M. Kramer (2021-02-01). In "At the Ready," teens' path to Border Patrol & law enforcement is "akin to military recruitment" salon.com Maisie Crow spoke to Salon about her new documentary that helps explain how many Latinx join the Border Patrol…

commondreams (2021-02-01). ACLU, Sierra Club, and SBCC Respond to the Biden Administration's Request to Delay Border Wall SCOTUS Arguments. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Paul Craig Roberts (2021-02-01). Biden Leads Assault on White Americans. thealtworld.com Gregory Hood explains why many Trump voters fear that they are being criminalized for opposing Biden's agendas. Hood writes that illegitimate president Joe Biden has called for "constant, unrelenting immigration." Biden said a non-white majority will be "a source of our strength." Biden also said, "English jurisprudential culture, a white man's culture" has "got to change." Racism, Biden said, has been "built into every aspect of our system." | Hood points out that Biden h…

Staff (2021-01-31). Latinx Farmworkers Are Purchasing Failing Farms From White Owners. truthout.org The next generation of farmers in the United States might not be whom we expect. If the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the importance of farmworkers in our food system, the story left out a rising class of farmworkers who now own their craft with the help of incubator programs across the country. Latinx farm owners stand at the intersection of racial justice and food justice and offer new hope in the future of sustainable farming in the U.S. | Latinx farmers bring a wealth of historic knowledge to our food…

Online News Editor (2021-01-31). Spain, Portugal restore border checks as Covid cases soar. laprensalatina.com Madrid, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Spain and Portugal have temporarily restored checks along their shared border until at least 10 February as authorities in Lisbon scramble to bring surging Covid-19 cases under control. The new measures, introduced Sunday after Portugal voted to extend its state of emergency, only allow people to cross the border for work …

RT (2021-01-30). 'Not a trivial offense': Austrian police discover dozens of foreign revelers flouting lockdown to get to top ski resort. rt.com Austria's police have found almost 100 people from Europe and beyond, who found a way to circumvent the nation's strict Covid-19 lockdown and relax at one of its top ski resorts despite a ban on foreign tourist activities. | A Friday police raid in the town of St. Anton am Arlberg — one of Austria's most popular alpine ski resorts — has ended up with law enforcement officers discovering 96 foreign ski lovers in breach of the existing Covid-19 lockdown regulations. Now, the festive revelers could face a fine of up to €2,180 ($2,650) in addition to getting PCR tests and staying in quarantine for s…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Bosnia urges EU to help resolve migrant crisis. yenisafak.com Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday urged the European Union to be more involved in finding a solution to the migrant crisis in its territory."The whole country should fight against the migrant crisis. Our borders should be strengthened as soon as possible and the entry of immigrants should be prevented. The EU needs to participate more strongly in resolving the migrant crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic.Turkovic's remarks came after meeting her Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.Meanwhile, Dendias said that as an EU member, Greece supports Bosnia an…

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). Judges allow US to resume expulsion of unaccompanied minors at border. laprensalatina.com Los Angeles, US, Jan 29 (efe-epa).- United States officials may resume the expulsion of unaccompanied migrant children entering the country through the southern border without processing them under the usual protocols, a panel of judges in Washington DC ruled Friday. DC Circuit Court Judges Gregory Katsas, Neomi Rao and Justin Walker — all appointees of …

sputniknews (2021-01-30). 'Mafia-Like EU 'Cocked up Big Time' Over 'Trumpian' Move to Block COVID Jabs From Entering UK. sputniknews.com Earlier, Brussels introduced export controls on COVID-19 vaccines, affecting countries like the UK, US, Canada, and Australia, while temporarily overriding Brexit deal terms enabling goods to flow across the Northern Irish border, only to swiftly backtrack on what was branded by Northern Ireland as an "incredible act of hostility."

sputniknews (2021-01-30). 'Pro-Khalistan' Canadian MP Urges Trudeau to Condemn 'Violence' Against Indian Farmers. sputniknews.com Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana states, have been protesting at Delhi's borders – Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur since 26 November for revocation of new farms laws, passed in Indian parliament last September. The government has alleged Khalistan supporters have joined the protests.

Dean Obeidallah (2021-01-30). Maz Jobrani doesn't miss Trump jokes: He wasn't just bad for America, he was bad for comedy. salon.com The stand-up appeared on "Salon Talks" to discuss his special shot in Dubai, Islamophobia, and censorship in comedy…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Turkey 'neutralizes' three YPG/PKK terrorists in N.Syria. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces "neutralized" three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, in a protected area near Turkey's southern border, the National Defense Ministry announced Saturday.The terrorists were trying to infiltrate the area of Turkey's cross-border anti-terror operations — Peace Spring and Euphrates Shield — to disrupt peace and security in the region, the ministry said on Twitter.Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations in northern Syria to prevent…

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-30). Big haul of illicit drugs seized in SE Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 30 (MNA) — Commander of the Border Guards of Iran Police announced the success of the border guards of Sistan and Baluchestan province in confiscating a big haul of illicit drugs in southeastern borders of the country.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-30). Choghakhor Wetland during winter. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 30 (MNA) — Choghakhor Wetland in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province is hosting migratory birds during the winter. Choghakhor is considered as one of the most important habitats for the endemic Zagros pupfish, aka Aphanius vladykovi.

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). EU performs U-turn on vaccine controls at Irish-UK border. laprensalatina.com Brussels, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- The European Union has backed down on its plan to subject vaccine exports to checks on the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The European Commission on Friday implemented a mechanism to track the export of vaccines manufactured on EU soil amid a contract dispute with Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical …