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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-29

Voices, The Peoples News

March 29, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

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This almost daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net
You can visit the website and leave your comments if you desire.

# Indigenous
When an oil company profits from a pipeline running beneath tribal land without consent, what’s fair compensation? A Marathon Petroleum subsidiary was ordered to pay $187 million for trespassing, but in January a Trump official reduced the judgement to $4 mill https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28032021/oil-pipeline-tribal-land-fort-berthold-reservation-north-dakota/

# Animals / Pets / Food Recalls
Earthborn Holistic (this is its first-ever recall), Sportmix, Pro Pac and more.
Full details on this recall, including all brands affected, at the following link:
https://www.petful.com/recalled/earthborn-holistic-propac-sportmix/

Midwestern Pet Foods is recalling multiple brands of dog and cat food due to possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria.
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/midwestern-pet-foods-dog-cat-food/

# Border / Immigration
What so many people are getting wrong about the “border crisis.” And why it’s time for the US government to stop getting caught off guard and going into crisis mode every few years.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/03/top-border-crisis-misunderstandings-biden-messaging-trump-backlog/

861 criminals, 92 sex offenders encountered at Texas border in past few days, agent says https://www.kulr8.com/news/national/861-criminals-92-sex-offenders-encountered-at-texas-border-in-past-few-days-agent-says/article_ab93c59c-1e03-5e22-adb5-e1b9620788fa.html

# CoronaVirus
How did the pandemic start? The fine line between truth and conspiracy.
Theory or conspiracy theory? It’s important to separate facts from fiction.
https://www.zmescience.com/other/pieces/how-pandemic-started-theories-29032021/

President Biden is set to announce that 90 percent of U.S. adults will be eligible for vaccination and will have a vaccination site within 5 miles of where they live by April 19
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/545418-biden-to-announce-90-percent-of-adults-eligible-for-vaccine-by-april-19

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned of “impending doom” over rising coronavirus cases, telling the public that even though vaccines are being rolled out quickly, a fourth surge could happen if people don’t start taking precautions.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/545375-cdc-director-warns-of-impending-doom-on-potential-new-covid-surge

Stop the COVID Shaming! AIDS taught us that shame can be deadly. The coronavirus pandemic can’t repeat those same mistakes.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/03/stop-the-covid-shaming-public-health-aids-crisis/

Protests Against COVID Lockdowns Flare Up in 2021 Around the World https://thevaccinereaction.org/2021/03/protests-against-covid-lockdowns-flare-up-in-2021-around-the-world/

Woman dies after receiving COVID-19 vaccine at Cal Poly Pomona https://thevaccinereaction.org/2021/03/woman-dies-minutes-after-getting-covid-19-vaccine-at-cal-poly-pomona/

Obituary: Kansas Woman Died After Receiving a COVID-19 Vaccine https://nypost.com/2021/03/25/family-claims-kansas-woman-died-from-covid-19-vaccine-reaction/

Understanding the toll of long COVID: A comprehensive review of the current literature reveals the prolonged effects of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, also called long COVID. COVID-19 usually lasts no more than
4 weeks from the onset of symptoms, but some people experience complications such as fatigue, shortness of breath, ‘brain fog’ and chest pain for some time afterwards.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01283-z?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=d5a18a3501-briefing-dy-20210329&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-d5a18a3501-43812897

President Biden urged state and local officials to reconsider lifting coronavirus restrictions and to reinstate mask mandates that have lapsed as the U.S. faces an increase in cases.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/545426-biden-calls-on-states-to-keep-mask-mandates-pause-reopenings

Dozens of States Report COVID Surges as Precautions Ditched. Over two dozen states are reporting at least a 10 percent increase of new cases compared to the week before.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dozens-of-states-report-coronavirus-surges-as-safety-measures-are-ditched

# Economy / Trade
Whose interests are really being served with US anti-China alliance?
https://www.veteranstoday.com/2021/03/28/whose-interests-are-really-being-served-with-us-anti-china-alliance/

# Education / Schools
Florida and West Virginia put students first; other states should follow their lead https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2021/03/29/florida_and_west_virginia_are_putting_students_first_other_states_should_follow_their_lead_110557.html

Colleges Are Using COVID as a Pretext to Make Draconian Cuts to the Humanities
COVID-19 is being used as a pretext to eviscerate departments at both public and private colleges throughout the U.S.
https://truthout.org/articles/colleges-are-using-covid-as-a-pretext-to-make-draconian-cuts-to-the-humanities/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Donnel Baird wants to bring green energy to America’s poorest neighborhoods. Solar panels and clean heat shouldn’t be limited to the wealthy, says Donnel Baird, who’s bringing green power to low-income neighborhoods https://announce.today/home/announce/AeZd70OQnsqSYJo9BMms

Enbridge Line 5 pipeline dispute, explained. Scientists, conservationists and Indigenous people have been calling for the 65-year-old pipeline to be retired for year https://thenarwhal.ca/enbridge-line-5-dispute-explained/

# Environment / Climate / Interior
Louisiana Activists May Be Winning a Battle Against Environmental Racism. Analysts say the massive petrochemical complex proposed by Formosa Plastics is ‘financially unviable.’
https://truthout.org/articles/in-louisiana-activists-may-be-winning-a-battle-against-environmental-racism/

# Global Politics and other news
Faced with ICC Investigation, Apartheid Israel Asserts Moral Superiority Over The Victims of Its Terror https://www.mintpressnews.com/faced-with-icc-investigation-israel-asserts-moral-superiority-over-victims/276490/

# Gov / Political
President Biden’s Trustbusters Aren’t Just Experts on Tech. They Know About Big Ag. The new administration is signaling it might take on the massive agricultural groups.
https://www.motherjones.com/food/2021/03/president-bidens-trust-monopoly-tech-big-ag/

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is looking at whether he could pass a third bill this year through reconciliation, an arcane budget process that lets Democrats avoid the legislative filibuster.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/545331-schumer-eyes-bypassing-filibuster-for-third-bill

# Law Enforcement
Poll: Half of Correctional Officers Do Not Want COVID-19 Vaccine https://thevaccinereaction.org/2021/03/poll-half-of-correctional-officers-do-not-want-covid-19-vaccine/

Body cam video shows officers threatening and handcuffing 5-year-old.
The child’s mother subsequently filed a civil lawsuit accusing the officers of assault, false arrest, and emotional distress.
https://www.nationofchange.org/2021/03/29/body-cam-video-shows-officers-threatening-and-handcuffing-5-year-old/

Two Teenage Girls Charged With Murder After Alleged Carjacking, Assault of UberEats Driver in DC https://nypost.com/2021/03/28/uber-eats-driver-death-part-of-teen-carjacking-trend-in-dc/

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
The Legal Line That Ties the Chicago Seven to Jan. 6 Rioters. The government should be very careful about using sedition charges or the H.
Rap Brown Law against insurrectionists, lest it hand those insurrectionists a valuable propaganda tool.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-legal-line-that-ties-the-chicago-seven-to-jan-6

The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing George Floyd, begins today at 10:30 a.m. The jury will hear opening arguments
https://www.startribune.com/derek-chauvin-trial-represents-a-defining-moment-in-america-s-racial-history/600039431/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=37944

Derek Chauvin Trial. Find all of our trial coverage on our landing page and watch the daily live streams from court.
https://unicornriot.ninja/derek-chauvin-trial/

911 Dispatcher Knew ‘Something Was Wrong’ With Floyd Arrest https://www.startribune.com/concerned-911-dispatcher-asked-supervisor-to-respond-to-floyd-scene-tapes-say/571267242/

# LGBTQ
Corporate Media Biases Threaten the Passage of Landmark LGBTQ Protections Corporate media have marginalized the Equality Act, while social media platforms have spread disinformation about it.
https://truthout.org/articles/corporate-media-biases-threaten-the-passage-of-landmark-lgbtq-protections/

# Media
‘Way past time to fire Mr. DeJoy’ says Sanders after House Dems unveil bill to stop assault on USPS. “The only way to begin to defend the post office is to fire DeJoy.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/27/way-past-time-fire-mr-dejoy-says-sanders-after-house-dems-unveil-bill-stop-assault

Trump Family Officially Merges With Fox News Via Lara. The Trump daughter-in-law joins Fox as a paid contributor even as she openly weighs a run for Senate in North Carolina.
https://www.startribune.com/concerned-911-dispatcher-asked-supervisor-to-respond-to-floyd-scene-tapes-say/571267242/

# Medical / Health
Inflammatory bowel disease treatment linked to reduced COVID-19 antibody response https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2021/03/29/florida_and_west_virginia_are_putting_students_first_other_states_should_follow_their_lead_110557.html

NSA Suggests It Should Spy on Domestic Internet Use. The establishment of the NSA’s twin, Cyber Command, also created a Chekhov’s gun: broad access to the American internet. Now the SolarWinds hack has NSA’s finger on the trigger.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/nsa-suggests-it-should-spy-on-domestic-internet-use-to-stop-hacks

# Military / DOD
Trials begin for veterans in massive lawsuit over 3M’s military-issued earplugs. A lawsuit involving more than 229,000 veterans with hearing problems that they claim are linked to faulty earplugs issued by the military begins its first trial Monday in a Florida federal courtroom.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/29/trials-begin-veterans-massive-lawsuit-over-3ms-military-issued-earplugs.html

# Other News
The large ship stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal was freed this morning, reopening traffic through one of the world’s most-used canals. The
latest: https://nyti.ms/31uFKwQ

Trump Crashes Mar-a-Lago Wedding to Whine About Elex Loss. In a two-minute clip obtained by TMZ, the former U.S. president laid out his own personal grievances for the happy couple.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-crashes-mar-a-lago-wedding-to-whine-about-2020-election-loss

Trump Could Face Defamation Lawsuit From Dominion, Company Lawyer Says Trump made a series of accusations against the company, falsely alleging it had “switched” votes in the 2020 election.
https://truthout.org/articles/trump-could-face-defamation-lawsuit-from-dominion-company-lawyer-says/

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-28

Voices, The Peoples News

March 28, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Border / Immigration
The Wall Is Literally Crippling People. Does Biden Care? That’s not a political mistake; it’s by design. Biden now joins a long tradition of presidents who’ve added to the immigration enforcement strategies of border militarization and prevention through deterrence.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-wall-is-literally-crippling-people-does-biden-care?ref=home

Republicans criticize Texas launch of COVID-positive unlawful
immigrants: ‘Cease these people’
https://thedailypoliticalpress.com/republicans-criticize-texas-launch-of-covid-positive-unlawful-immigrants-cease-these-people/

Biden and the Blame Game at the Border. The issues involved are nearly impossible to settle as long as policymakers regard decency as a political weakness rather than as a moral strength.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-14/u-s-taps-fema-in-response-to-migrant-surge-at-mexican-border

White House says it will give press access to border facilities. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that reporters would gain access in the near future to Border Patrol facilities being used to house unaccompanied minors who migrated to the U.S https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/545267-white-house-says-it-will-give-press-access-to-border-facilites

U.S.-Mexico Vax Deal Is Inciting a Brutal Migrant Crackdown: With increased pressure from the U.S. and the promise of a 2.5 million vaccine dose delivery, Mexico is ramping up its crackdown on migrants journeying to the southern border.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-us-mexico-vaccine-deal-is-inciting-a-brutal-migrant-crackdown

How Ted Cruz and the GOP Are Using the Border as a Prop: Texas congresswoman Veronica Escobar joins The New Abnormal to talk about what Biden can (and can’t) do to solve the immigration debate and how Latinos in her state can be pro-ICE.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-ted-cruz-and-the-gop-are-using-the-border-as-a-prop

Trump Claims ICE, Border Patrol Invited Him to Visit Border. “I feel I sort of owe it to them,” he said.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-claims-ice-and-border-patrol-are-asking-him-to-visit-the-border

# CoronaVirus
Why COVID Policies Are A War Against Humanity https://www.activistpost.com/2021/03/why-covid-policies-are-a-war-against-humanity.html

Feds spotlight Miami as capital of COVID-19 fraud, from business to employee benefits. A year ago, Congress agreed to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on benefits for small businesses and employees devastated by the corornavirus pandemic. Con artists saw an opportunity to fleece the federal relief program to get rich quick.
https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article250235410.html

# Economy / Trade
House Democrats want to know why some $1,400 direct payments have been delayed https://thehill.com/homenews/house/544429-house-democrats-demand-answers-on-slow-1400-checks

# Employment / Labor
Cops Hired by Amazon Are Intimidating Workers and Supporters of the Union Drive The police chief of Bessemer, Alabama, says off-duty cops have been hired by Amazon as “security” for the facility.
https://truthout.org/articles/cops-hired-by-amazon-are-intimidating-workers-and-supporters-of-the-union-drive/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Donald Trump’s Parting Gift to the People of St. Croix: The Reopening of One of America’s Largest Oil Refineries https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21032021/trump-st-croix-virgin-island-oil-refinery/

The Biden EPA Withdraws a Key Permit for an Oil Refinery on St. Croix, Citing ‘Environmental Justice’ Concerns https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25032021/biden-epa-limetree-oil-refinery-virgin-islands-permit/

In Louisiana, Activists May Be Winning a Battle Against Environmental Racism Analysts say the massive petrochemical complex proposed by Formosa Plastics is “financially unviable.”
https://truthout.org/articles/in-louisiana-activists-may-be-winning-a-battle-against-environmental-racism/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Global
Why a big mining project could wipe out rural villages in Indonesia. A mine tailings dam planned for a seismically unstable area of Sumatra’s rainforest would be at high risk of failure, experts warn.
https://e360.yale.edu/features/mining-project-could-wipe-out-rural-villages-indonesia

# Environment / Climate / Interior
Make it rain: US states embrace ‘cloud seeding’ to try to conquer drought. Cloud seeding involves adding small particles of silver iodide to clouds to spur rainfall – but will it work?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/23/us-stated-cloud-seeding-weather-modification

Biden invites Russia, China to first global climate talks https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article250253275.html

White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated Sunday that the Biden administration would pursue two pieces of legislation as part of its push to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/545270-white-house-confirms-infrastructure-plan-will-be-in-two-parts

# Environment / Climate / Interior / Global Nearly half the Amazon’s intact forest is on Indigenous-held lands: The forests occupied by Indigenous communities in the region hold more carbon than all of the forests in either Indonesia or the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the next two biggest swaths of tropical forest after Brazil.
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/nearly-half-the-amazons-intact-forest-on-indigenous-held-lands-report/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals
Gates’ Plan To Control World’s Seeds, Agriculture, Food
https://www.naturalblaze.com/2021/03/gates-plan-to-control-worlds-seeds-agriculture-food.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+naturalblaze+%28Natural+Blaze%29

# Global Politics and other news
China has placed sanctions on a handful of U.S. and Canadian officials in a tit for tat response amid growing tensions over the suppression of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang province.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/545237-china-sanctions-wife-of-joe-manchin-other-us-and-canadian-officials

# Gov / Political
US tensions with China risk fueling anti-Asian harassment at home https://thehill.com/policy/international/545133-us-tensions-with-china-risk-fueling-anti-asian-harassment-at-home

Devin Nunes’ Mom F*cked Up His Campaign Finance Reports https://www.thedailybeast.com/devin-nunes-mom-fcked-up-his-campaign-finance-reports

Democrats see Georgia as opening salvo in war on voting rights.
Republican state legislators engaged in a nationwide effort to rewrite ballot access laws after the highest-turnout, most secure election in history scored their first major achievement
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/545147-democrats-see-georgia-as-opening-salvo-in-war-on-voting-rights?rnd=1616790336&rl=1

Kristi Noem Was Rising Fast—Until This Bill Landed on Her Desk https://www.thedailybeast.com/kristi-noem-the-gops-rising-star-fades

Companies sidestep self-imposed bans on GOP donations. Major corporations are finding ways to sidestep their pledges from January to withhold campaign contributions for GOP lawmakers who objected to the
2020 presidential election results.
https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/545188-companies-sidestep-self-imposed-bans-on-gop-donations

Boehner throws support behind Republican who backed Trump impeachment https://thehill.com/homenews/house/545242-boehner-throws-support-behind-republican-who-backed-trump-impeachment

Senate Democrats are planning to use their legislative authority to roll back just a handful of Trump-era regulations, disappointing some activists who hoped they would be more aggressive in using maneuvers to topple the former president’s legacy.
https://thedailypoliticalpress.com/democrats-disappoint-by-not-going-after-more-trump-regs-with-cra/

Trump is already deeply involved in the 2022 midterm elections, headlining fundraisers and backing primary challengers, but he has yet to weigh in on one of this November’s few races: the vote for Virginia’s next governor.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/545171-trump-the-x-factor-in-virginia-governor-race

Trump says he’ll likely visit the U.S.-Mexico border soon amid an influx of migrants.
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/545251-trump-says-hell-likely-visit-southern-border-soon

Trump can still hold both parties hostage: At the end of the day, Donald Trump will do what Donald Trump believes is in the best interests of Donald Trump — and that petrifies the Republican and Democratic leadership.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/544968-trump-can-still-hold-both-parties-hostage

President Biden’s announcement that he plans to run for reelection has frozen the field of potential Democratic contenders for 2024 and could potentially mean a late start to the primary process if he changes his mind.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/545178-bidens-plan-for-reelection-freezes-democratic-field

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
Pentagon linguist pleads guilty to sharing classified info to romantic interest linked to Hezbollah. Mariam Taha Thompson was arrested last year in an espionage case that investigators said put the lives of American military members and confidential sources at risk.
https://www.stripes.com/news/us/pentagon-linguist-pleads-guilty-to-sharing-classified-info-to-romantic-interest-linked-to-hezbollah-1.667467

Pastor Fears Jury Won’t Convict Cop for Floyd Killing. The figure from the heart of of the Minneapolis Black community says “we’ve seen this movie before,” and suggested things could get ugly.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/minneapolis-minister-fears-jury-wont-convict-cop-over-george-floyds-death

# Medical / Health
Sanders Plans Push to Expand and Enhance Medicare Through the Infrastructure Bill The Vermont senator wants to lower the eligibility age and expand coverage to include services like dental work.
https://truthout.org/articles/sanders-will-push-to-expand-and-enhance-medicare-through-the-infrastructure-bill/

U.S. Travelers From West Africa Being Monitored for Ebola https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article250234060.html

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-26

Voices, The Peoples News

March 26, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Indigenous / Global
Tahltan Nation evicts Doubleview Gold from territory over refusal to respect Indigenous law https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/03/24/tahltan-nation-evicts-doubleview-gold-from-territory-over-refusal-to-respect-indigenous-law.html

# Border / Immigration
President Joe Biden has announced plans to speed up the processing of migrant children traveling alone to the United States, but said his policy of returning most families to Mexico remains unchanged.
https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2021-03-25/no-easy-answer-biden-vows-to-take-in-migrant-children-but-says-most-families-will-be-turned-away

# CoronaVirus
‘I can feel your breath’: when COVID-19 and environmental racism collide. “And environmental policies are created by members of the elite, mostly white people, who hold perceptions about who matters and who does not matter.”
https://thenarwhal.ca/covid-19-environmental-racism-canada/

# Economy / Trade
Trump Appointees Are Sabotaging Biden’s Stimulus Checks, Will he let them sabotage Social Security as well?
https://prospect.org/politics/trump-appointees-sabotaging-bidens-stimulus-checks/

Will Trump’s Holdover IRS Chief Sink Biden’s Child Tax Credit?
Commissioner Chuck Rettig disingenuously claims he can’t meet the program’s July launch deadline.
https://prospect.org/politics/will-trumps-holdover-irs-chief-sink-bidens-child-tax-credit/

# Education / Schools
San Francisco School Board Ditches VP for Anti-Asian Tweets. Nearly
5,000 people signed a petition calling for Collins to go—and, on Thursday, they at least got part of their wish.
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/03/21/mayor-breed-leads-chorus-of-officials-calling-for-school-board-vps-resignation-over-anti-asian-tweets/

Rutgers University Will Force Students to Get COVID Vaccine to Attend In-person Classes https://www.blackenterprise.com/rutger-university-forces-its-students-to-get-vaccinated-to-attend-in-person-classes/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Executives at billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy are pitching to spend over $8 billion to build 10 new natural gas power plants in Texas. In return, lawmakers would agree to create a revenue stream for Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway through an additional charge on Texans’ power bills.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/25/warren-buffett-texas-power-plants/

The U.S. chemical safety board was slashed by Trump. Its backlog is piling up. The board’s final report on the 2019 release of a potentially lethal chemical at a Philadelphia refinery is among 19 awaiting approval.
https://publicintegrity.org/environment/chemical-safety-agency-backlog-refinery-explosion/

Oil companies are winning approval to build massive crude tanks, largely in communities of color, despite states’ clean energy pledges.
https://capitalandmain.com/despite-climate-commitments-health-concerns-states-approve-giant-fuel-tanks-0325?utm_source=Energy+News+Network+daily+email+digests&utm_campaign=f9a59c24e0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_11_11_46_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_724b1f01f5-f9a59c24e0-89260183

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Global
The EPA revokes a permit for an oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands, citing years of air and water pollution affecting the largely Black and Hispanic surrounding community.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25032021/biden-epa-limetree-oil-refinery-virgin-islands-permit/

# Global Politics and other news
Saudi accused of threat to Khashoggi UN investigator is human rights chief Awwad al-Awwad, former aide of crown prince, denies threatening to ‘take care of’ Agnès Callamard https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/25/saudi-accused-of-threat-to-khashoggi-un-investigator-is-human-rights-chief

# Gov / Political
Not Very Slow Joe Biden Destroys the GOP on Deficits. “All of a sudden many of them have rediscovered fiscal restraint and the concern for the deficits. But don’t kid yourself, this approach will come with a cost:
more pain for more people for longer than it has to be.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/537548-biden-rips-gop-for-all-of-a-sudden-showing-fiscal-restraint

GA Pols Sign Voter Suppression Bill Under Pic of Plantation. The photo of white lawmakers celebrating a bill that will disenfranchise Black voters went viral on Thursday night.
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a35951372/georgia-voting-bill-jim-crow/

Threat of Authoritarianism Is No Longer on the Horizon: It’s Arrived in the GOP To counter the fascist politics in the GOP, we need liberatory forms of education to expand the public imagination.
https://truthout.org/articles/threat-of-authoritarianism-is-no-longer-on-the-horizon-its-arrived-in-the-gop/

Georgia Republicans Just Passed a Law to Make It Easier to Overturn Elections The bill hands the GOP-controlled legislature far-reaching control over election administration and who gets to vote.
https://truthout.org/articles/georgia-republicans-just-passed-a-law-to-make-it-easier-to-overturn-elections/

Georgia Rep. Arrested for Knocking on Kemp’s Door as He Signed Voter Suppression Bill. Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon was reportedly charged with two felonies for knocking on the governor’s office door.
https://truthout.org/articles/ga-rep-arrested-for-knocking-on-kemps-door-as-he-signed-voter-suppression-bill/

Georgia’s new voter suppression law is hit with its first lawsuit https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2021/03/georgia-voter-suppression-law-lawsuit-stacey-abrams-marc-elias/

It is now illegal to give you a bottle of water while in line to vote in Georgia https://truthout.org/articles/georgia-bill-would-criminalize-giving-water-to-voters-waiting-in-long-lines/

The Companies Already Bankrolling Insurrectionists Again. They said they wouldn’t be giving to Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election. They’re already donating again.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/these-mega-businesses-are-already-back-to-bankrolling-insurrectionists

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
House launches probe into intelligence failures preceding Capitol insurrection “The Committees will conduct robust oversight to understand what warning signs may have been missed,” the House committee leaders said in a letter.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/16/house-probe-capitol-riot-459883

Cops Drag GA Rep From Capitol for Voter-Suppression Protest. In a video, Rep. Park Cannon can be seen knocking on the door to the governor’s office before she’s forcibly removed by two police officers.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/park-cannon-georgia-lawmaker-arrested-and-dragged-from-capitol-for-protesting-new-voter-restrictions

Jacob Blake Sues Cop Who Shot Him Seven Times in the Back. The shooting sparked several nights of unrest in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha and the deaths of two protesters.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jacob-blake-lawsuit-excessive-force-rusten-sheskey-kenosha-officer/

# LGBTQ
Arkansas Governor Signs Anti-Trans Sports Bill Into Law. “This is simply a politically motivated bill for the sake of discrimination itself,” HRC President Alphonso David said, after the anti-trans Senate Bill 354 was signed into law.
https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2021/3/25/arkansas-governor-signs-anti-transgender-sports-bill-law

# Media
Senator Demands Firing of Postmaster General Over 10-Year Plan to Weaken USPS https://truthout.org/articles/senator-demands-firing-of-postmaster-general-over-10-year-plan-to-weaken-usps/

# Medical / Health
‘Mystery chemicals’ found in pregnant Bay Area women. Forty-two “mystery chemicals” were found in the blood of 30 Bay Area pregnant women https://www.ehn.org/unknown-chemicals-in-people-2651205715.html

# Social
Landlord Took $1M in Relief Then Moved to Evict 350 Tenants. Half the properties that got money from an eviction-prevention fund in Arizona filed to toss tenants.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/arizona-landlord-took-dollar1-million-in-covid-19-relief-then-moved-to-evict-350-tenants

This Son of the Confederacy Gets Paid to Lock Up Black Men. He’s been at the center of a national scandal and a half-dozen local ones, but none of that has made the state do anything other than note it is “aware of the concerns raised.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-is-north-carolina-paying-this-proud-son-of-confederate-veterans-to-lock-up-black-men

# Weather
TX Winter Storm Toll Was Actually Twice as High: Officials: The new number of fatalities is now 111 and is expected to rise as investigations continue.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/texas-power-grid-failures/

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-25

Voices, The Peoples News

March 25, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Border / Immigration
EPA: GEO Group Used Pesticide as COVID Disinfectant Inside Immigration Jail Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency have found that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, operated by the private prison company GEO Group, has been poisoning detained immigrants for nearly a decade.
https://americanindependent.com/epa-geo-group-immigration-private-prison-company-poisoned-immigrants-at-ice-facility-adelanto/

# CoronaVirus
AstraZeneca Releases New Vaxx Data After Fauci Scolding. Just like the numbers from earlier this week, the new set showed that the vaccine is
100 percent effective in preventing severe disease.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/24/astrazeneca-vaccine-477946

Brighter outlook for U.S. as vaccinations rise and deaths fall.
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-03-24/us-outlook-improving-as-vaccinations-rise-and-deaths-fall

The U.S. surpassed 30 million cases of COVID-19, highlighting the continued threat of the virus even as the country makes progress on vaccinations. While new cases per day have decreased significantly from their peak in January, positivity totals remain high, at around 55,000 cases per day.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/544764-us-records-over-30-million-coronavirus-cases?rnd=1616627854

Aides Warned Trump About Anti-Vax MAGA Fans. He Did Nothing. “I have practically begged him to get out there constantly and make videos calling on his supporters who are hesitant to get their shots,” one person close to Trump said.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-knew-maga-fans-wouldnt-trust-the-vax-he-kept-quiet-anyway

21 GOP-Led States Threaten to Sue to Use COVID Relief on Tax Cuts. The Biden administration wanted to ensure the money was invested in local economies, not used to underwrite tax cuts.
https://truthout.org/articles/21-gop-led-states-threaten-to-sue-to-use-covid-relief-on-tax-cuts/

After a Year Under Lockdown, Will Our Freedoms Survive the Tyranny of COVID-19? The danger of the government’s growing addiction to power.
http://www.gilmermirror.com/view/full_story/27797109/article-After-a-Year-Under-Lockdown–Will-Our-Freedoms-Survive-the-Tyranny-of-COVID-19-?instance=home_news_bullets

Evidence is growing that the SARS-CoV-2 variants that are evolving around the world share similar combinations of mutations, writes evolutionary microbiologist Vaughn Cooper.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-coronavirus-variants-dont-seem-to-be-highly-variable-so-far/

The future of variant-proof vaccines. New data show that people infected with the B.1.351 variant of SARS-CoV-2, first identified in South Africa, develop immune responses that can fend off multiple variants.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00722-8

# Economy / Trade
Trump Holdovers Accused of ‘Sabotaging’ Effort to Get Checks to 30 Million Social Security Recipients. “President Biden can’t stand for this any longer. He must protect Social Security beneficiaries by firing Saul and Black immediately.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/25/trump-holdovers-accused-sabotaging-effort-get-checks-30-million-social-security

U.S. Billionaires Like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Saw Wealth Grow by $1.3 Trillion. The massive gains come as pressure grows on lawmakers to impose new taxes on the top 1 percent.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/367826

Bernie Sanders Introduces Bills to Fix the “Corrupt and Rigged Tax Code.” As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders has introduced bills to tax corporations and the wealthy while helping the working class https://truthout.org/articles/bernie-sanders-introduces-bills-to-fix-the-corrupt-and-rigged-tax-code/

# Employment / Labor
Bernie Sanders Is Heading to Bessemer During Last Days of Amazon Union Vote.
If the workers successfully unionize, Sanders has said it would be a “shot heard around the world.”
https://truthout.org/articles/bernie-sanders-is-heading-to-bessemer-during-last-days-of-amazon-union-vote/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals
Watch: U.S. House committee hearing on Texas’ massive power outages during deadly winter storm https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/24/texas-power-outages-congress/

Florida’s only lead smelter exposed hundreds of workers to high lead levels. Hundreds of workers at a Tampa lead smelter have been exposed to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin. The consequences have been profound.
https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/2021/investigations/lead-factory/gopher-workers/

# Environment / Climate / Interior
The Paraquat Poisoning Problem: A former Syngenta scientist calls the failures to heed his warnings about the deadly pesticide “a conspiracy within the company to keep this quiet.”
https://theintercept.com/2021/03/24/paraquat-poisoning-syngenta/

Environmental racism in Chicago will be made worse by General Iron facility. In this op-ed, Chicago high school students talk about why they’re fighting the construction of a new industrial facility in their neighborhood https://www.teenvogue.com/story/environmental-racism-chicago-southeast-side-protest

Thousands of U.S. locales where lead poisoning is worse than in Flint. A Reuters examination of lead testing results across the country found almost 3,000 areas with poisoning rates far higher than in the Michigan city. These lead hotspots are receiving little attention or funding.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-lead-testing/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals
Michigan warns of PFAS levels in Lake Superior rainbow smelt. Michigan health officials want people to limit intake of a popular fish from Lake Superior due to concerning levels of toxic “forever chemicals https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/03/michigan-warns-of-pfas-levels-in-lake-superior-rainbow-smelt.html

# Gov / Political
30 Lawmakers Urge Biden Staff Reform After Daily Beast Story. The members of Congress wrote they were “dismayed to learn” about the action taken against staffers who had previously used marijuana.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/30-members-of-congress-urge-biden-personnel-rule-change-after-daily-beast-marijuana-story

Schumer sharply criticizes GOP on voting rights: Schumer, testifying before the Senate Rules Committee on an elections reform bill, accused Republicans of trying to “disenfranchise” voters after losing the 2020 election. “Shame on them. … This is infuriating. I would like to ask my Republican colleagues: Why are you so afraid of democracy,” Schumer said.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/544701-schumer-sharply-criticizes-gop-on-voting-rights-shame-shame-shame?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=37857

Watch live: Biden holds first formal press conference
https://thehill.com/video/administration/544882-watch-live-biden-holds-his-first-formal-press-conference?userid=154982

Shameless Creep Eric Greitens Is Ready for His Comeback. He resigned as governor after Republicans found he’d cheated on his pregnant wife with a woman he blackmailed and abused. Now, he’s blaming the left and running for Senate.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/shameless-creep-eric-greitens-is-ready-for-his-comeback?source=articles&via=rss

There’s a Path to Ending the Filibuster, If Democrats Move Wisely. It’s time to clear a path to improve people’s lives with historic progressive legislation. The filibuster must go https://truthout.org/articles/theres-a-path-to-ending-the-filibuster-if-democrats-move-wisely/

# Law Enforcement
Secret Service Intervened in Hunter Biden Gun Case: The Secret Service told Politico it has no record of its agents being involved in the bizarre case of Hunter Biden’s missing firearm in a Delaware incident.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/25/sources-secret-service-inserted-itself-into-case-of-hunter-bidens-gun-477879

FBI Arrests Proud Boy Brothers on Capitol Riot Charges. Matthew Klein and Jonathanpeter Klein face six counts of destruction of government property, conspiracy, and entering a restricted building.
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/24/oregon-brothers-arrested-fbi-us-capitol-violence/

Teen Girls, 13 and 15, Charged With Murder in DC Carjacking. The girls allegedly used a stun gun on the Uber Eats driver, causing the car to flip and killing him.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/24/two-teen-girls-charged-with-murder-in-carjacking-death-of-uber-eats-driver/

Virginia Bans the Death Penalty. The state is the first among the former Confederate states to repeal capital punishment.
https://apnews.com/article/ken-paxton-austin-texas-crime-f8413d14842d848e69cf81bb4d2e87e2

After Atlanta and Colorado mass shootings, Texas GOP leaders double down on protecting gun owners https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/24/texas-gop-gun-laws/

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
Ken Paxton refuses to release messages about attendance at pro-Trump rally before Jan. 6 insurrection. The Texas attorney general’s office is attempting to withhold all messages Ken Paxton sent or received while in Washington D.C., for the pro-Donald Trump rally that devolved into a riot at the U.S. Capitol.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/25/texas-ken-paxton-trump-insurrection/

# Marijuana / Hemp / CBD Oil
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden won’t step up and end the policy of firing staff for marijuana until it is federally legalized.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/biden-wont-end-marijuana-related-white-house-firings-until-federal-legalization-press-secretary-says/

The Delaware House Health and Human Development Committee voted to approve a marijuana legalization bill that was just introduced last week.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/delaware-lawmakers-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-committee-vote/

The Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee approved a bill to legalize marijuana that’s sponsored by the majority leader and speaker.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/minnesota-marijuana-legalization-bill-approved-in-first-committee-vote/

Congressional Researchers Analyze 280E Marijuana Tax Penalty And Legislative Solutions https://www.marijuanamoment.net/congressional-researchers-analyze-280e-marijuana-tax-penalty-and-legislative-solutions/

# Social
#StopAsianHate: We invite our allies to join us in solidarity, and participate in the Vigil being hosted by the Korean American Coalition-Metro Atlanta chapter and live-streamed on www.326vigil.org.
Please visit the website for more info and encourage others to show support. If you’d like to add your organization’s name to the list of supporting organizations, please email me back with your organization name. You can also fill out the form here: https://326vigil.org/

New Docs: Jan 6. Violence Wasn’t Enough for Oath Keeper Boss: Hours after the riot, as the full picture of destruction and death came into view, Stewart Rhodes allegedly told the Oath Keepers it was their Boston Tea Party moment.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/24/oath-keepers-proud-boys-alliance-capitol-riot-477741

# Water
State officials link drinking water contamination with elevated rates of childhood cancer in Wilmington, MA https://www.mass.gov/news/state-study-suggests-link-between-elevated-rates-of-childhood-cancer-in-wilmington-in-the-1990s-and-formerly-contaminated-public-water-supply

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-23

Voices, The Peoples News

March 23, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Animals / Pets / Food Recalls
More than half of Florida’s manatees exposed to weed killer, study finds. Researchers found the weed-killer glyphosate, the world’s most-used pesticide, in more than half of all Florida manatees the study sampled.
https://www.news-press.com/story/tech/science/environment/2021/03/22/more-than-half-floridas-manatees-have-herbicide-glyphosate-their-bodies-new-study/4798339001/

# Border / Immigration
Migrants, including children, face cramped conditions at South Texas Border Patrol facility: Photos released by the office of U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, show dozens of migrants cramped together in a Border Patrol facility in South Texas. The images give a rare glimpse of the conditions many migrants face in Border Patrol detention centers https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/22/donna-border-patrol-facility-photos/

Border Patrol in Rio Grande Valley considering releasing illegal crossers into US without court date. Such a decision would be unprecedented if enacted and would place the responsibility of seeking an asylum hearing on the migrants https://americansecuritytoday.com/border-patrol-releasing-illegal-crossers-into-us-without-court-date/

Children crowded in a room in a Customs and Border Protection temporary outflow facility in Donna, Texas. A lawyer who met with children held in Border Patrol custody describes the urgency of expediting their release.
https://www.axios.com/photos-overcrowded-border-patrol-migrant-tents-0525a96b-0dc8-473f-b59c-38b0b3e52760.html

# Children / Youth
CPS Reform with ‘Racist’ Amendment Backfires: A GOP member of the Texas House went rogue with an anti-immigrant amendment, and it wasn’t pretty.
https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-republican-wants-cry-gop-colleagues-attempt-hijack-cps-reform-immigration-amendment/

More Children 14 and Under Are Murdered Than Die of COVID-19 https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/03/18/more-children-14-and-under-are-murdered-than-die-of-covid-19/

# CoronaVirus
AstraZeneca is planning to request authorization for use in the U.S.
after a study released Monday found its vaccine was 79 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19.
https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2021/astrazeneca-us-vaccine-trial-met-primary-endpoint.html

High vitamin D levels may protect against COVID-19, especially for Black people, study suggests. In a retrospective study of individuals tested for COVID-19, vitamin D levels above those traditionally considered sufficient were associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210322175028.htm

Long-haul COVID: Physicians review what’s known. With more patients complaining of lingering and chronic effects from COVID-19, experts review what’s known and why care for long-haulers requires an interdisciplinary approach.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210322175018.htm

U.S. Health Officials Say AstraZeneca Data Seems ‘Outdated.’ Federal health officials released a rare statement early Tuesday that appears to cast some doubt on AstraZeneca’s encouraging vaccine trial results.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-health-officials-say-astrazeneca-may-have-relied-on-outdated-information-over-covid-19-trial-11616484192

The Johnson and Johnson experimental COVID “vaccine” is not an mRNA “vaccine,” it is an “adenovirus” vaccine. Intelligent people vs.
powerful psychological conditioning
https://healthimpactnews.com/2021/people-now-dying-following-the-experimental-johnson-and-johnson-covid-injections/

Banned Videos of Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Children Restored https://healthimpactnews.com/2021/banned-videos-of-vaccinated-vs-unvaccinated-children-restored-on-health-impact-news/

Our immune systems can cope with Covid-19, it’s our politicians who can’t. Previous studies have shown that Sars-Cov-2 infection induces robust T-cell responses. Interestingly, some people who have never had
Covid-19 have memory T-cells from prior common-cold coronavirus infections that cross-react with Sars-Cov-2, suggesting that there may be some existing protection in the population https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/15/immune-systems-covid-19-politicians-virus

The latest developments with the AstraZeneca vaccine. In a trial involving more than 32,000 volunteers, about two-thirds of whom received the vaccine, the shots had a 79% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/astrazeneca-reports-powerful-covid-19-protection-new-vaccine-trial

U.S. Health Officials Raise Concerns Over AstraZeneca Vaccine Data.
Officials raised concerns just after AstraZeneca announced that its US study indicated the shot was safe and effective.
https://www.politico.eu/article/us-health-agency-casts-doubt-on-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-data/

Private Prison Company Poisoned Immigrants at Adelanto for A Decade. GEO Group Claims That Practices Were Suitable for “Animal Premise Disinfectant.”
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/03/22/private-prison-company-poisoned-immigrants-adelanto-decade

# Economy / Trade
House Democrats demand answers on slow $1,400 checks. A group of House Democrats is calling for answers on reported delays in getting the current round of $1,400 direct payments under the recently passed $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan to people who do not have to file a tax return, including veterans and some Social Security beneficiaries.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/544429-house-democrats-demand-answers-on-slow-1400-checks

The 1 Percent Owes Billions in Unpaid Taxes. The IRS Should Reclaim It for Infrastructure. Want to cause a real ruckus, President Biden? Draft a bill to overhaul the IRS and tax trillions stashed by the rich.
https://truthout.org/articles/1-percent-owes-billions-in-unpaid-taxes-irs-must-reclaim-it-for-infrastructure/

White House Eyes Funding Free Community College With Tax Increase on the Rich The White House is discussing tax increases for corporations and the wealthy to fund a $3 trillion infrastructure bill.
https://truthout.org/articles/1-percent-owes-billions-in-unpaid-taxes-irs-must-reclaim-it-for-infrastructure/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Evidence of Fracking Chemicals Found in Bodies of Pennsylvania Children.
One 9-year-old had 91 times the average level of biomarkers for toluene, a chemical that can damage livers and kidneys.
https://truthout.org/articles/evidence-of-fracking-chemicals-found-in-bodies-of-pennsylvania-children/

Cancellation of Fracking Project in Texas Shows Power of Grassroots Organizing The project was one of three proposed fracked natural gas terminals in the Rio Grande Valley.
https://truthout.org/articles/cancellation-of-fracking-project-in-texas-shows-power-of-grassroots-organizing/

# Environment / Climate / Interior
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte Breaks State Rule to Kill Wolf. He got a warning and was allowed to keep the animal’s skull and hide.
https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/montana-governor-given-written-warning-after-trapping-killing-yellowstone-wolf#stream/0

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals
Court ruling clears way for hydroponics to join National Organic Program https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/03/court-ruling-clears-way-for-hydroponics-to-join-national-organic-program/

Utah adopts cage-free law with 2025 start date https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/03/utah-adopts-cage-free-law-with-2025-start-date/

# Food Recalls / Alerts
Turkey wraps now on recall list because of Listeria fears: MG Foods is expanding its recall of dozens of sandwiches to include three turkey wraps because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/03/turkey-wraps-now-on-recall-list-because-of-listeria-fears/

# General Recalls / Alerts
FDA Says Don’t Drink ‘Real Water’—Which, Thankfully, Is a Brand of Water The alkaline water brand has been tied to a number of cases of hepatitis.
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/fda-real-water-warning-hepatitis

# Gov / Political
The High Cost of Georgia’s Restrictive Voting Bills: Racist policies are bad for business, as the state’s own history can attest.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/541810-advocates-warn-restrictive-voting-bills-could-end-Georgias-record-turnout

Widening political rift in U.S. may threaten science, medicine. While much attention has been given to Black people’s distrust in the medical system and research in particular, the current study, published in Scientific Reports, is the first to demonstrate the effect of political ideology on willingness to trust science and participate in medical research https://phys.org/news/2021-03-widening-political-rift-threaten-science.html

Georgia Races to Suppress Black Votes Amid MAGA Civil War. The secretary of state has done everything in his power to suppress Black votes—and his own party is still trying to push him out for being insufficiently loyal and cruel.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/georgia-gop-goes-all-out-to-suppress-black-votes-amid-maga-civil-war

Video: US Escalates New Cold War as Diplomatic Gloves Come Off, with Carl Zha US aggression against China and Russia sets the tone of the Biden administration’s Cold War doctrine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ3O-RBPstg

Once Upon a Time, the GOP Actually Backed More People Voting. Fifty years ago today, the House voted to lower the voting age to 18. Nixon backed it. But eventually, the right learned that Republicans do better when fewer people vote.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/once-upon-a-time-the-gop-actually-backed-more-people-voting

The urgent need for a Biden-Putin summit. If the leaders of the two countries with more than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads can’t have a summit meeting and talk with each other, we’re in trouble.
Real trouble.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/03/23/urgent-need-biden-putin-summit

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
The prosecutor who led the criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol breach told “60 Minutes” on Sunday night that former President Trump could be found criminally culpable for instigating the riot. Watch Michael Sherwin’s interview here: http://cbsn.ws/2NEoaTx

Sidney Powell Now Argues “No Reasonable Person” Would Believe Her Voter Fraud Lies Were “Fact”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-dominion-lawsuit

# Media
Louis DeJoy’s about to release his plan to cut post office hours, raise prices, and slow down first-class mail. Anytime we want to confirm a board that wants to can him would be good https://truthout.org/articles/postmaster-general-louis-dejoy-plans-to-roll-out-slower-mail-higher-prices/

# Social
North Texas remains a focus of the investigation into the Capitol insurrection after 19 local residents have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to federal authorities. That’s one of the largest numbers in any place in the country.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/22/capitol-siege-jan-6-north-texas-arrested/

We are living through a time of fear – not just of the virus, but of each other This is a bill designed to outlaw the right to conduct any demonstration beyond the most feeble and ineffective kind.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/56492.htm

Attacks on Asian Women Are Fueled by Criminalization, War and Economic Injustice. The mass shooting in Georgia also exposes the violence of imperialism, economic exploitation and immigration policy.
https://truthout.org/articles/attacks-on-asian-women-are-fueled-by-criminalization-war-and-economic-injustice/

‘Black and Asian unity’: attacks on elders spark reckoning with racism’s roots. A spate of pandemic-era violence has shined a light on anti-Asian bias, stoking concerns of division between two minority communities https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/21/black-and-asian-unity-attacks-on-elders-spark-reckoning-with-racisms-roots

# Technology
Amnesty International: Facebook Plan To Target Children “Incompatible With Human Rights.” Facebook itself “poses one of the biggest threats when it comes to children’s privacy,” according to the human rights organization.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/instagram-facebook-children-human-rights/276355/

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-22

Voices, The Peoples News

March 22, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Border / Immigration
DHS secretary says border is closed: ‘The message is quite clear, do not come’
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/544201-dhs-secretary-the-message-is-quite-clear-do-not-come

DHS secretary blames Trump administration for current border crisis.
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/544198-dhs-secretary-blames-trump-administration-for-current-border

President Biden’s secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, clashed Fox News host Chris Wallace over press access to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) facilities where migrant children are housed before being transferred to Health and Human Services (HHS) housing.
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/544202-dhs-secretary-clashes-with-fox-host-over-press-access

GOP representative predicts 1 million migrants at the border by summertime. “It’s gonna get worse. It’s gonna get a lot worse springtime, summer, more and more come over,” Rep. Michael McCaul
(R-Texas) told host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s ‘This Week.’
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/544205-gop-representative-predicts-a-million-migrants-at-the-border-by

Biden Admin Inks $86M Deal to Put Migrants in Hotels: Hotels in border area states like Texas and Arizona will help host migrant families overnight, as part of a newly signed contract with a Texas company.
https://www.axios.com/ice-hotel-rooms-border-migrant-families-7682092b-952c-428e-ae3b-f8b2d4072c0a.html

A new temporary overflow facility for unaccompanied migrant children is opening in Pecos and may potentially house 2,000 youths.
https://www.kxan.com/border-report/new-overflow-facility-in-west-texas-may-house-2000-unaccompanied-migrant-children/

# CoronaVirus
U.S. AstraZeneca Study Shows Vaxx Totally Stops Severe COVID. The findings will now be sent to the Food and Drug Administration to support an emergency authoritzation application.
https://us.cnn.com/2021/03/22/health/astrazeneca-vaccine-efficacy-us-based-clinical-trial/index.html

Kent Taylor, the 65-year-old founder and CEO of the Texas Roadhouse chain, died by suicide after battling ongoing “long COVID” symptoms that included unbearable tinnitus.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/21/texas-roadhouse-ceo-kent-taylor-commits-suicide-amid-covid-battle/

Israelis Cry Out to the World to Stop Mandatory COVID Injections as Lawsuit is Filed in International Criminal Court Over Nuremberg Code Violation https://healthimpactnews.com/2021/israelis-cry-out-to-the-world-to-stop-mandatory-covid-injections-as-lawsuit-is-filed-in-international-criminal-court-over-nuremberg-code-violation/

Moderna expects to rake in $18.4bn (£13bn) of sales from its coronavirus vaccine this year, marking a huge turnaround in the fortunes of the US biotech firm.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/25/moderna-forecasts-18bn-in-sales-of-covid-vaccine-this-year

Doubting the dose, what the science says about 7 common COVID-19 vaccine myths No, the vaccine development process didn’t cut corners, even though it happened in record time.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90614102/what-the-science-says-about-7-common-covid-19-vaccine-myths

Studies suggest COVID-19 may cause hearing loss https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/studies-suggest-covid-19-may-cause-hearing-loss/

Since the pandemic began, advocates and congressional leaders have been raising concerns about the safety of incarcerated people in federal prisons and questioned the management and policies of the Bureau of Prisons.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryancbrooks/prisons-coronavirus-biden

Pandemic whistleblower: we need a non-political way to track viruses.
Rick Bright exposed former president Donald Trump’s political meddling.
Now he’s spearheading a privately funded initiative to rapidly contain coronavirus variants and other outbreaks.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00760-2

# Economy / Trade
Our Taxes Subsidize as Much as 74 Cents of Every Dollar Donated by a Billionaire. Our system subsidizes the “generous” donations of billionaires in the form of lost tax revenue.
https://truthout.org/articles/our-taxes-subsidize-as-much-as-74-cents-of-every-dollar-donated-by-a-billionaire/

The Biden administration is preparing a massive spending proposal on infrastructure and other domestic priorities like child care and drug costs that could put fights over hot-button issues like climate change and taxes front and center.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/544400-white-house-eyes-sweeping-3t-spending-proposal

# Education / Schools
Biden reverses Devos cruelty with MAJOR change https://www.ajc.com/news/bidens-education-department-will-move-fast-to-reverse-devos-policies/WBJTNVJGEFFJLF45C6D3DBD2II/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals The coal plant next door: Near America’s largest coal-fired power plant, toxins are showing up in drinking water and people have fallen ill.
https://www.propublica.org/article/coal-ash-georgia-power

Why frack wastewater injected underground doesn’t always stay there.
Consider porous sandstone, which has tiny spaces in the rock. Liquid under high pressure like fracking wastewater can find spaces in the sandstone and travel underground. And if the wastewater meets a well, it can rush up to the surface.
https://www.alleghenyfront.org/why-frack-wastewater-injected-underground-doesnt-always-stay-there/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Global
Line 3: Stopping the Next Big Climate Threat Crossing the U.S.-Canada Border https://www.ecowatch.com/enbridge-line-3-climate-threat-2651088475.html

# Environment / Climate / Interior / Global He tried to save a rare parrot. It cost him his life. Armed groups and criminals are targeting environmentalists as Colombia’s moment of shaky peace slips away.
https://www.pehalnews.in/he-tried-to-save-a-rare-parrot-it-cost-him-his-life/636050/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals
Supreme Court Case on Farmworker Protections Could End Up Harming All Regulation. A legion of well-funded right-wing think tanks is leading the charge to dismantle these protections.
https://truthout.org/articles/supreme-court-case-on-farmworker-protections-could-end-up-harming-all-regulation/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals / Global
Biden Pushes Colombia to Restart Glyphosate Spraying Program. After a six-year halt, Colombia plans to restart the toxic aerial spraying of glyphosate on coca crops as early as next month—drawing “most welcome”
support from U.S.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/20/biden-pushes-colombia-restart-glyphosate-spraying-program

# Gov / Political
Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have effectively hit the pause button on two potentially competitive Senate races that could help determine which party controls the upper chamber through the next presidential election.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/544088-johnson-grassley-indecision-freezes-key-senate-races

Former Top Capitol Riot Prosecutor: Maybe Trump Is Culpable: The federal prosecutor who initially led the Justice Department’s inquiry into the Jan. 6 insurrection has spoken about what might happen next.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/21/politics/capitol-riot-prosecutor-michael-sherwin-donald-trump/index.html

Democrats are warning they won’t tolerate GOP stonewalling as they try to make good on their pledge to enact a “bold” agenda and avoid Obama-era missteps https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/544117-democrats-vow-to-go-bold-with-or-without-gop

Texas Republicans begin pursuing new voting restrictions as they work to protect their hold on power. Hearings are set to begin today on the first major bill in a push by Republican lawmakers to further tighten the state’s already restrictive voting rules and raise new barriers for some voters.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/22/texas-republicans-voting-restrictions/

D.C. Statehood Bill, Supported by Majority of Americans, to Get Hearing on Monday.
A recent poll shows that 54 percent of Americans back making Washington, D.C. the 51st state in the U.S.
https://truthout.org/articles/dc-statehood-bill-supported-by-majority-of-americans-to-get-hearing-on-monday/

Trump ramps up activities, asserts power within GOP: Former President Trump is reemerging on the political scene after a months-long hiatus and Trump world insiders expect him to ramp up his activity even more as the midterm elections get closer.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/544382-trump-ramps-up-activities-asserts-power-within-gop

How Right-Wing Dark Money Is Trying to Kneecap the Biden DOJ. A shadowy group is fighting DOJ appointees Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke. Their crime? Their desire to use their skills to defend Americans’ right to vote.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-right-wing-dark-money-is-trying-to-kneecap-the-biden-doj

# Law Enforcement / Incarceration
6-Year-Old Texas Girl Shot Dead Over Clogged Toilet. The murder comes days after the girl’s four cousins were killed in a car crash.
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article250103139.html

Kentucky Mom Charged With Murder After Toddler’s Fentanyl OD. The 2-year-old died after taking the drug, which he allegedly found in his mother’s purse, while she was sleeping.
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article250080659.html

Cops Failed ‘Nationwide’ During George Floyd Protests: An analysis of nine after-action reviews concludes police were “poorly trained, heavily militarized and stunningly unprepared” for the scale of the protests after Floyd’s death.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/04/george-floyd-protests-riots-rebellion

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
Can Merrick Garland Uncover Trump’s Role in the Capitol Riot? The ongoing federal criminal inquiry is the most promising route to the truth.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democratic-leader-ag-trump-capitol-riot-probe/story?id=76087308

DOJ Official Says Trump, Capitol Breach Attackers May Be Charged With Sedition Sedition is defined as conspiring to “overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States.”
https://truthout.org/articles/doj-official-says-trump-capitol-breach-attackers-may-be-charged-with-sedition/

# LGBTQ
# Marijuana / Hemp / CBD Oil
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said she will call lawmakers into a special session this month to work on marijuana legalization after the Senate failed to act on a House-passed cannabis bill by Saturday’s end of the regular session.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-mexico-governor-plans-special-session-on-marijuana-as-legalization-bill-stalls-on-final-stretch/

Democratic members of Congress are pushing back against the Biden administration’s move to fire or otherwise punish White House staffers over past marijuana use.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-related-firings-in-biden-white-house-represent-antiquated-response-congressman-says/

# Medical / Health
Progressives Demand Repeal of Paygo Law as Automatic Medicare Cuts Loom.
Statutory Paygo requires deficit spending to be offset by cuts to government programs. The leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus is calling for permanent repeal of a notorious 2010 law that is threatening to inflict deep, automatic cuts to Medicare and other safety net programs following passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan earlier this month.
https://truthout.org/articles/progressives-demand-repeal-of-paygo-law-as-automatic-medicare-cuts-loom/

20 Rural Hospitals Closed in 2020. 13 Were in the South. The closures will leave many rural communities without their primary employer and main economic infrastructure.
https://truthout.org/articles/20-rural-hospitals-closed-in-2020-13-were-in-the-south/

# Military / DOD
Jockeying over defense funding is heating up amid expectations President Biden will request an essentially flat Pentagon budget for next year.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/544126-battle-heats-up-over-pentagon-spending-plans

# Social
This is where 150 years of ignoring anti-Asian racism got us. For so long, we’ve thought keeping our heads down and being invisible in America might help us gain acceptance, but the recent wave of racist violence has shattered that myth.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/venessawong/asian-american-invisible-hate-crimes

# Technology
President Biden is coming under increasing pressure from lawmakers and other officials to nominate a White House cyber czar as the government starts formulating its response to two major foreign cyberattacks.
https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/544124-biden-under-growing-pressure-to-nominate-cyber-czar?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=37748

# Water
Trump rule imperils more than 40,000 waterways. More than 70% of U.S.
waterways reviewed under a controversial Trump-era rule could be permanently damaged. Wetlands and streams that are not given federal protections can be damaged and destroyed forever, along with their abilities to sequester carbon and protect downstream water quality.
https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063727993

Massachusetts has awarded $3 million in grants to 17 public water supply systems to support efforts to address elevated levels of so-called PFAS https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/03/21/massachusetts-awards-3m-to-towns-to-fight-water-pollution

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-21

Voices, The Peoples News

March 21, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Animals / Pets / Food Recalls
Murder Hornet season is coming: Scientists worried about honey bees ask public for help https://www.ecowatch.com/murder-hornet-season-honey-bees-2651148157.html

# Border / Immigration
Biden admin considering flying Latin American migrants to states near Canadian border: It is not clear whether CBP will be able to provide warmer clothing for families https://nypost.com/2021/03/19/biden-admin-weighs-flying-migrants-to-canadian-border-amid-surge/

Biden administration limits what Border Patrol can share with media about migrant surge at border. Restrictions on what border agents can share with the media were passed down verbally, say officials.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/543608-border-patrol-prevented-from-talking-to-media-report

House OKs path to citizenship for millions, including ‘Dreamers’
https://nypost.com/2021/03/18/house-oks-path-to-citizenship-for-millions-including-dreamers/

# CoronaVirus
1,739 DEAD as CDC Adds Another 200+ Recorded Deaths this Week Following COVID Experimental “Vaccines”
https://www.algora.com/Algora_blog/2021/03/19/1739-dead-as-cdc-adds-another-200-recorded-deaths-this-week-following-covid-experimental-vaccine-s

Animal Testing Is Useless for Determining COVID Vaccine Effectiveness in Humans The future of vaccine development must move away from ineffective animal testing and focus on human biology.
https://truthout.org/articles/animal-testing-is-useless-for-determining-covid-vaccine-effectiveness-in-humans/

Can we fight COVID-19 without animal testing?
https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/news/research-medical-benefits/can-we-fight-covid-19-without-animal-testing/

Scientists Worldwide Work to Fight COVID-19 Without Hurting Animals https://www.peta.org/blog/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-non-animal-tests/

Professor Resigns from Israel’s COVID Vaccine Committee Over Decision to Vaccinate Pregnant Women https://hfaculty.news/professor-resigns-from-israels-covid-vaccine-committee-over-decision-to-vaccinate-pregnant-women/

Coroner calls for audit as people who recovered 9 months ago counted as COVID deaths https://thefreethoughtproject.com/coroner-calls-for-audit-as-people-who-recovered-9-months-ago-counted-as-covid-deaths/

Prosecutors launch manslaughter investigation in Italy as teacher dies hours after getting AstraZeneca vaccine https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/italy-opens-manslaughter-case-teacher-140353740.html

Italy Seizes Nearly 400K AstraZeneca Doses, Starts Investigation After Man Dies Following Shot
https://www.newsweek.com/italy-seizes-nearly-400k-astrazeneca-doses-starts-investigation-after-man-dies-following-shot-1576560

Like it or not, vaccine passports are coming soon to an airport near you https://fortune.com/2021/03/19/covid-vaccine-passports-coming-soon-airport-near-you/

China Demands to be in Charge of Global ‘Vaccine Passport’ System https://theohiostar.com/2021/03/15/china-demands-to-be-in-charge-of-global-vaccine-passport-system/

Fully Vaccinated People Testing Positive for COVID – So How Does the “Benefit” of Experimental Vaccines “Outweigh the Risk”? This “fact sheet” (one exists for each experimental COVID shot on the FDA.gov
website) is supposed to be given to everyone before receiving one of the experimental shots. It clearly states that this is not an approved vaccine, that it “may not protect everyone,” and that “the duration of protection against COVID-19 is currently unknown.”
https://healthimpactnews.com/2021/fully-vaccinated-people-testing-positive-for-covid-so-how-does-the-benefit-of-experimental-vaccines-outweigh-the-risk/

12 Times Simone Gold and the Frontline Doctors Misled You About the
COVID-19 Vaccine
https://medshadow.org/frontline-doctors/

# Economy / Trade
GOP picks fight over states’ rights in coronavirus relief. Republicans are aiming to stir up a legal battle over Biden’s pandemic relief bill, targeting a provision in the American Rescue Plan they say is an unconstitutional infringement on states’ ability to devise their own tax policies.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/544111-gop-picks-fight-over-states-rights-in-coronavirus-relief

# Employment / Labor
Garment Workers Win $22 Billion in Historic Victory Against Wage Theft.
PayUp is one of the most successful labor rights campaigns in the fashion industry in modern times.
https://truthout.org/articles/garment-workers-win-22-billion-in-historic-victory-against-wage-theft/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals As Oil Demand Rebounds, Nations Will Need to Make Big Changes to Meet Paris Goals, Report Says https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18032021/oil-demand-surge-coronavirus-pandemic-paris-agreement/

Al Gore Describes a ‘Well-Known Playbook’ That Fossil Fuel Companies Employ to Win Community Support. The former vice president said the Byhalia Pipeline that would run through Black neighborhoods in Southwest Memphis poses a threat to the city’s water supply.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17032021/qa-al-gore-describes-a-well-known-playbook-that-fossil-fuel-companies-employ-to-win-community-support/

Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Resigns After Leaked Call Shows Effort to Help Banks Keep Overcharges https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/wall-street-profited-off-texas-blackouts/

# Environment / Climate / Interior
About 10.3 million people were displaced by climate change-induced events such as flooding and droughts in the last six months https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/17/climate-crisis-displaced-over-10-million-people-past-six-months-red-cross

Long-lost Core Drilled to Prepare Ice Sheet to Hide Nuclear Missiles Holds Clues About a Different Threat. Plant remnants frozen beneath
4,000 feet of ice show that most of Greenland’s ice sheet melted about 1 million years ago, in a climate like today’s.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15032021/ice-core-greenland-ice-sheet-climate-change/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals
The global pollination ‘trade’ reveals how crucial biodiversity is to food security Pollinators underpin the global food trade, and that makes rich nations highly dependent on conservation measures in tropical countries.
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2021/03/the-global-pollination-trade-reveals-how-crucial-biodiversity-is-to-food-security/

How Dirt Could Help Save the Planet: Farming practices that retain carbon in the soil, or return it there, would limit both erosion and climate change https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/how-dirt-could-help-save-planet

# Global Politics and other news
Putin Challenges Biden to a Live Publicly Broadcast Discussion; Russia Ups Challenge After Biden Silent
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-reaction/putin-offers-biden-public-talks-after-u-s-president-says-he-thinks-he-is-a-killer-idUSKBN2BA0S1

Jamal Khashoggi: Saudi crown prince ‘served with lawsuit’ accusing him of kidnap and assassination. Lawyers for the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi say they have served the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with a legal complaint – allowing proceedings against the Saudi royal to proceed.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/jamal-khashoggi-mbs-murder-lawsuit-served-b1819922.html

Iraq Confirms Withdrawal of US Troops: All U.S. troops still stationed in Iraq are to leave the country, confirmed Iraqi President Barham Salih, after a decision adopted by the Iraqi Parliament.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Iraq-Confirms-Withdrawal-of-US-Troops–20210319-0019.html

# Gov / Political
President Biden is facing serious challenges as he grapples with the border crisis and confronts racial turmoil and domestic extremism in a country that has been torn apart by cultural differences.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/544125-new-challenges-emerge-for-biden-after-strong-start

Biden condemns anti-Asian violence, ‘ugly poison’ of racism. President Biden called on Americans to unite against hate and racism, condemning the rise in attacks against Asian Americans and the recent shootings in Atlanta during a trip to the area Friday.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/544114-biden-condemns-anti-asian-violence-ugly-poison-of-racism

Caught-Bought: Kentucky suffers as Oil Deal between McConnell and accused Russian Mobster-Murderer comes to light. Trump gave Russia the White House but Russia had to share with China as both paid off Mitch https://www.veteranstoday.com/2021/03/19/caught-bought-kentucky-suffers-as-oil-deal-between-mcconnell-and-accused-russian-mobster-murderer-comes-to-light/

Lindsey Graham Vows to Filibuster Voting Rights Bill Until He Collapses.
Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News that he “would talk ’til I fell over”
if Democrats revive the talking filibuster.
https://truthout.org/articles/lindsey-graham-vows-to-filibuster-voting-rights-bill-until-he-collapses/

US ties with Russia, China sink as Biden toes tough lines. Moscow and Beijing both fired back, setting the stage for months, if not more, of escalating tensions that are unlikely to be resolved without intense discussions at the leadership level and major concessions from all sides.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-russia-vladimir-putin-china-national-security-550deda11d43e6bb7c1a8230ee8917ed

U.S. Aggressiveness Will Accelerate Its Demise. U.S. hostility is not restricted to Russia and China.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/03/us-aggressiveness-will-accelerate-its-demise.html

# Law Enforcement / Incarceration
# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
Former daughter-in-law of Trump Org CFO spoke ‘multiple times’ with Manhattan DA office over financial probe. Jennifer Weisselberg told NBC that Allen Weisselberg likely has the most complete understanding of the organization’s financial workings.
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/543984-ex-daughter-in-law-of-trump-org-cfo-has-spoken-multiple-times-with-manhattan-da

The one weird court case linking Trump, Clinton, and a billionaire pedophile A woman suing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein’s underage sex ring claims she was first approached while working as a towel girl at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/04/jeffrey-epstein-trump-lawsuit-sex-trafficking-237983

Trump Vindicated as Judge Rules Michigan Secretary of State Violated Election Laws https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/judge-rules-michigan-sec-state-broke-law-absentee-ballot
The court’s conclusion:
https://www.scribd.com/document/498855479/Genetski-v-Benson-No-20-216-MM-in-the-Court-of-Claims-for-the-State-of-Michigan

# Nuclear / Radiation
The Terrifying $1.2 Trillion Plan That Could Kill 90% of Humanity. The US will soon review its nuclear weapons programme. Should it spend $1.2 Trillion extending & updating it?
https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2021/16/march/a-12-trillion-plan-could-kill-90-stephen-fry

# Other News
Spectators from abroad will be barred from the Tokyo Olympics when they open in four months, the IOC and local organizers said Saturday.
https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31098579/spectators-abroad-barred-tokyo-olympics

U.S. charges Proud Boys with conspiracy in Capitol assault that turned deadly
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2021-03-19/us-charges-proud-boys-with-conspiring-to-impede-congress-on-january-6

# Space
Government Accountability Office to review decision to move Space Command out of Colorado. The decision to select Huntsville, Ala., was announced in mid-January. The GAO announced Friday that it will carry out a review.
https://www.denverpost.com/2021/03/19/us-space-command-relocation-review/

# Veterans / VA
Veterans Affairs chief orders probe into health records system at Spokane VA Medical Center https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/mar/19/veterans-affairs-chief-orders-probe-into-health-re/

Doctors found jet fuel in veteran’s lungs; he can’t get full benefits https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/21/doctors-found-jet-fuel-veterans-lungs-he-cant-get-full-benefits.html

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-18

Voices, The Peoples News

March 18, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Animals / Pets / Food Recalls
This endangered bird lost its song in Australia. New generations of a critically endangered species of songbird are failing to learn the tunes they need for courtship. It could lead to extinction https://www.ecowatch.com/endangered-bird-losing-song-2651115111.html

# Border / Immigration
NGOs Shocked at U.S. ‘Horrendous’ Response to Migrant Surge. “The idea that DHS, which has $49 billion budget, can’t figure this out, to me, is the wrong conversation,” said Paola Luisi, of Families Belong Together https://www.thedailybeast.com/ngos-shocked-at-us-horrendous-response-to-migrant-surge

The Biden administration shuttered a migrant tent camp in Mexico that was created under a Trump policy. Immigration advocates praised the move, but the closure adds to growing confusion over which migrants are let in or left out.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/18/asylum-mexico-border-migrants/

Border surge scrambles Senate immigration debate. President Biden’s pledge to tackle immigration reform is running into a Senate buzzsaw, as upheaval at the border creates new gridlock in Washington.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/543751-border-surge-scrambles-senate-immigration-debate

Crisis at the Border: 13,000 “Kids in Cages” as Illegal Immigration on Track to Increase More than the Past 20 Years. What these news reports are NOT reporting, is how can all these children be coming across the border without their parents? And where are they going? The buying and selling of children is one of the largest markets in the world today, and the #1 destination is the United States.
https://healthimpactnews.com/2021/crisis-at-the-border-13000-kids-in-cages-as-illegal-immigration-on-track-to-increase-more-than-the-past-20-years/

House passes bill providing path to citizenship for Dreamers https://thehill.com/homenews/house/543891-house-passes-bill-providing-path-to-citizenship-for-dreamers

# CoronaVirus
The Only Company That Makes COVID Swabs Has Some Major Drama. The owners “no longer speak, no longer make joint decisions, and are essentially unable even to be in the same room together.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-18/covid-test-swab-company-puritan-faces-family-feud?srnd=premium

14 States Have Recorded Alarming Virus Spikes This Week: The worst acceleration of infections has been recorded in Michigan, but Delaware, Montana, Alabama, and West Virginia have also seen alarming increases.
https://apnews.com/article/0468a60b64947879926d2a16e45c00ee

# Economy / Trade
February’s winter storm that generated massive power outages across Texas also led to chemical plant shutdowns, many remain offline. That’s caused a shortage of materials needed to make everything from auto parts to smartphones.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-week-texas-freeze-seen-triggering-monthslong-plastics-shortage-11615973401

Treasury says state tax cuts OK if separated from virus aid so long as they use their own funds to offset those cuts.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-janet-yellen-missouri-tigers-mens-basketball-laws-726254db3ed675ee361e1a9d367b7e8b

IRS postpones April 15 U.S. tax deadline to May 17. Individual taxpayers can also postpone federal income tax payments for the 2020 tax year due on April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021, without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed. This postponement applies to individual taxpayers, including individuals who pay self-employment tax. Penalties, interest and additions to tax will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances as of May 17, 2021. Individual taxpayers will automatically avoid interest and penalties on the taxes paid by May 17.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-day-for-individuals-extended-to-may-17-treasury-irs-extend-filing-and-payment-deadline#:~:text=Individual%20taxpayers%20can%20also%20postpone,who%20pay%20self%2Demployment%20tax

The Single Most Dramatic Driver of Our Country’s Economic Divide: The Growing Gap Between CEO and Worker Pay. Excessive CEO pay is a problem that affects all of us.
While working families are suffering under the pandemic, corporate boards have bent the rules to protect massive CEO paychecks.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/03/18/single-most-dramatic-driver-our-countrys-economic-divide-growing-gap-between-ceo

# Education / Schools
Texas law doesn’t require public schools to have full-time nurses, and many don’t. A state lawmaker is pushing to require all districts to employ at least one full-time nurse per school and keep a ratio of at least one full-time nurse for every 750 students enrolled.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/18/texas-school-nurses-coronavirus/

# Employment / Labor
‘Poverty Is Killing Us’: Progressive Caucus Uses White House Meeting to Push Biden on $15 Wage. “The fight for at least $15 is a matter of life and death in St. Louis,” said Rep. Cori Bush.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2021/mar/10/joe-biden-covid-coronavirus-relief-bill-congress-george-floyd-derek-chauvin-trial-live-updates

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Twenty-one states, led by Texas and Montana, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Biden administration for revoking a permit for the long-disputed Keystone XL pipeline.
https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2021/03/17/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-biden-administration-demanding-reinstatement-of-keystone-xl-pipeline-permit/

Lawmakers Urge Biden to Block Massive Petrochemical Complex in Cancer Alley “This disastrous project is an affront to environmental justice and contrary to your goals to reduce pollution in frontline communities.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/17/lawmakers-urge-biden-block-massive-petrochemical-complex-cancer-alley

Enbridge Line 3 Pauses Work Temporarily. Nearly 50 percent of the controversial 337-mile pipeline has been completed despite several lawsuits.
https://truthout.org/articles/enbridge-line-3-pauses-work-temporarily/

21 States Sue Biden in Attempt to Revive Keystone Pipeline. Construction on the Keystone XL pipeline was terminated by President Biden the same day he was sworn into office.
https://truthout.org/articles/21-states-sue-biden-in-attempt-to-revive-keystone-pipeline/

GRID AT RISK: Distribution systems within the U.S. electrical grid are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattack, a government watchdog said in a report released Thursday.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-81.pdf

# Environment / Climate / Interior
Rivers across the US are losing flow to aquifers http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/45469/20210318/research-shows-how-rivers-across-the-us-are-losing-its-flow-to-aquifers.htm

Ocean areas that, if strongly protected, would help solve climate, food and biodiversity crises https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210317141645.htm

Synthetic biology startup Allonnia cleans pollution with engineered microbes A startup that uses synthetic biology to clean up pollution is taking on a $20 million funding round, Axios has learned.
https://www.axios.com/allonnia-synthetic-biology-bioremediation-pollution-ffbbaedd-810e-43b0-9497-11429f8ecc4a.html

Ocean trawling doesn’t just destroy ecosystems. It also releases massive emissions https://www.zmescience.com/science/ocean-trawling-doesnt-just-destroy-ecosystems-it-also-releases-massive-emissions/

Environmentalists Seek Climate Action in U.S. Infrastructure Bill https://www.ecowatch.com/us-infrastructure-climate-change-2651116642.html

Youth Activists in Over 800 Cities Worldwide Gear Up for Friday’s Climate Strike The climate crisis is an existential threat that requires as much urgent action as COVID-19, youth activists say.
https://truthout.org/articles/youth-activists-in-over-800-cities-worldwide-gear-up-for-fridays-climate-strike/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals
The WHO and FAO interim guidelines on COVID-19 and food safety are flawed, according to one expert who is hoping a planned update will solve the problem.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/03/expert-says-covid-19-guidance-from-fao-and-who-is-misleading/

CFIA warns consumers about certain apricot kernel products that may cause cyanide poisoning https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/03/cfia-warns-consumers-about-certain-apricot-kernel-products-that-may-cause-cyanide-poisoning/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals / Global
Singapore plans bill to manage food safety risks; posts updates on outbreaks https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/03/singapore-plans-bill-to-manage-food-safety-risks-posts-updates-on-outbreaks/

# Gov / Political
‘Hijacking of Democracy in Plain Sight’: Georgia GOP Transforms 2-Page Bill Into 93-Page Assault on Voting Rights https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/18/hijacking-democracy-plain-sight-georgia-gop-transforms-2-page-bill-93-page-assault

Georgia GOP Jams 91 New Pages Into Voter Suppression Bill an Hour Before Meeting. Among the new proposals is a “challenger law,” which in some states has been used to block oppressed groups from voting.
https://truthout.org/articles/georgia-gop-jams-91-new-pages-into-voter-suppression-bill-an-hour-before-meeting/

The Filibuster Should Be Abolished or Make Senators Pay a Price for Keeping It Letting senators block bills in secret is anti-democratic and it needs to end.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/03/18/filibuster-should-be-abolished-or-make-senators-pay-price-keeping-it

Rep. Meng Rips GOP for Putting ‘Bullseye’ on Asian Americans. “This hearing was to address the hurt and pain of our community and to find solutions! We will not let you take our voice away from us!” Meng emotionally declared.
https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/rep-grace-meng-accuses-trump-and-republicans-of-putting-a-bullseye-on-the-back-of-asian-americans-across-this-country/articleshow/81574482.cms

Arizona Is Rolling Back Voting Rights, and Kyrsten Sinema Is Refusing to Stop It Voting advocates are frustrated that the Democratic senator won’t end the filibuster to protect ballot access.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/03/arizona-is-rolling-back-voting-rights-and-kyrsten-sinema-is-refusing-to-stop-it/

# Law Enforcement / Incarceration
Federal Agents Arrest Heavily Armed Man Outside Residence of VP Kamala Harris https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2021/03/heavily-armed-man-arrested-outside-house-of-vp-kamala-harris/

Cop Who Threw Black Girl in School Still Playing the Victim. The SXSW doc ‘Spring Valley’ revisits a South Carolina school resource officer who dragged a Black teen from her desk and examines how cops in schools can create a prison pipeline.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/school-officer-who-slammed-black-teen-to-ground-in-viral-video-still-thinks-hes-the-victim

Houston police shoot 1-year-old child in the head while pursuing robbery suspect “My son has been fighting every day for his life. He’s struggling to breathe on his own. My baby didn’t deserve it. I miss my son. I want him to be back the way he used to be.”
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/baby-injured-hpd-shooting-skull-removal-attorney-16029057.php

The FBI released new footage of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, asking the public for help identifying rioters who assaulted police officers during the insurrection.
https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/washingtondc/news/press-releases/fbi-washington-field-office-releases-videos-of-assaults-on-officers-at-us-capitol-seeks-publics-help-to-identify-suspects

# Marijuana / Hemp / CBD Oil
Rahul Gupta, President Biden’s leading pick to be director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, oversaw the expansion of West Virginia’s medical marijuana program and has repeatedly touted cannabis’s health benefits.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/leading-candidate-for-bidens-drug-czar-embraced-marijuanas-health-and-economic-benefits/

# Medical / Health
Lab-created heart valves can grow with the recipient https://www.genengnews.com/news/hybrid-tissue-engineered-regen-med-heart-valve-can-grow-in-recipient/

As People Keep Dying, Can the President—Can We—Really Say ‘We Did Everything We Could’? As a nation, as a society, we’ve settled instead for half measures.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/03/18/people-keep-dying-can-president-can-we-really-say-we-did-everything-we-could

# Science
Scientists observe nanobots coordinating inside a living host for the first time. We’re talking swarms of millions of bots here.
https://www.zmescience.com/science/nanobots-coordinating-in-vivo-82637465/

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-17

Voices, The Peoples News

March 17, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Animals / Pets / Food Recalls
Bravo Packing Expands Dog and Cat Food Recall. Bravo Packing, Inc., of Carneys Point, New Jersey, is expanding its previously announced voluntary recall of two pet food products to now include all pet food and bones in all package sizes because they may be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria.
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/bravo-packing-expands-recall/

# Border / Immigration
On immigration — please stay home: Biden urged migrants not to come to the U.S. In Biden’s words: “Don’t come over. Don’t leave your town or city or community.”
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/us-news/biden-urges-migrants-to-not-come-to-us-as-criticism-mounts-says-dont-leave-your-town.html
Biden’s full response: https://abcn.ws/2P2N6Ew

The House may vote this week on targeted immigration bills that would help “Dreamers” and farm workers. Those measures face an uncertain future in the Senate.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-congress/democratic-controlled-u-s-house-to-vote-thursday-on-citizenship-path-for-dreamers-idUSKBN2B817V

US Border Patrol Arrests 22 Wanted Fugitives at Texas Ports of Entry https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/crime/2021/03/12/cbp-arrests-22-fugitives-el-paso-west-texas-new-mexico-ports-entry/4673565001/

Four people matching terror watchlist arrested at border. Three of the people arrested were from Yemen and one was from Serbia.
https://www.axios.com/four-people-matching-terror-watchlist-arrested-at-border-86b44533-4aae-4b73-b509-0501c90c370a.html

# CoronaVirus
California Virus Strains Are Now ‘Variants of Concern’: The COVID-19 variants may be more transmissible, but the good news is that vaccines don’t appear to be significantly less effective against them.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/health/california-variants-of-concern-cdc/index.html
See also:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html

States dismantle COVID-19 safety protocols at our peril: The gusto of Reopening 2.0 already has epidemiologists bracing for a fourth gale of coronavirus.
https://www.ehn.org/states-dismantle-covid-19-safety-protocols-2651112016.html

Moderna Is Testing Its Covid-19 Vaccine on Young Children. Trial will involve children aged 6 months to 11 years
https://www.wsj.com/articles/moderna-is-testing-its-covid-19-vaccine-on-young-children-11615892416

Italy opens manslaughter case after teacher dies hours after getting AstraZeneca vaccine. Prosecutors in the northern Italian region of Piedmont opened the probe into his death later that day. They also seized nearly 400,000 shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the same batch.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/16/italian-teacher-dies-hours-after-getting-astrazeneca-vaccine/

Reports of Deaths After COVID Vaccines Up by 259 in 1 Week, CDC Data Show. Between Dec. 14, 2020, and Mar. 5, 2021, 31,079 reports of adverse events were submitted to VAERS, including 1,524 deaths, 5,507 serious injuries and 390 reports of Bell’s Palsy.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/vaers-reports-death-up/

Before COVID, Gates planned social media censorship of vaccine safety advocates with Pharma, CDC, Media, China and CIA –In October 2019, shortly before the COVID outbreak, Gates and other powerful individuals began planning how to censor vaccine safety advocates from social media during a table-top simulation of a worldwide pandemic, known as Event 201.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/before-covid-gates-planned-social-media-censorship-of-vaccine-safety-advocates-with-pharma-cdc-media-china-and-cia

Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s office was warned that ordering nursing homes to readmit residents recovering from COVID-19 would lead to unnecessary deaths, a new report reveals. But Murphy went ahead with implementing the order anyway.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/coronavirus-new-jersey-governor-phil-murphy-nursing-home-patients-will-die

The next wave of vaccine developers are striking deals with producers and institutes in low and middle income countries.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41587-021-00001-x?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=fad63894c2-briefing-dy-20210317&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-fad63894c2-43812897

Report Finds a Third of COVID Deaths Tied to Lack of Insurance as Dems Reintroduce Medicare for All https://www.democracynow.org/2021/3/17/headlines/report_finds_a_third_of_covid_deaths_tied_to_lack_of_insurance_as_dems_reintroduce_medicare_for_all

Sacklers Offer $4.3 Billion To Settle Claims Purdue Helped Cause Opioid Crisis https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2021/03/12/605038.htm

Child Suicide is Becoming an “International Epidemic” Amid Restricted Pandemic Life, Doctors Warn. The damage we’re inflicting on children is too devastating to be waved away in the name of public health—it’s quickly becoming an emergency in its own right.
https://fee.org/articles/child-suicide-is-becoming-an-international-epidemic-amid-restricted-pandemic-life-doctors-warn/

# Economy / Trade
The IRS is planning to extend the tax-filing deadline to mid-May, according to two top House Democrats.
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/543673-irs-plans-to-extend-filing-deadline-to-mid-may-report

# Employment / Labor
Amazon Is Hiring Aggressive Firms to Bust Union Efforts. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos declined Bernie Sanders’s invitation to a Senate Budget Committee hearing on inequality today.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/03/amazon-intensifies-severe-effort-discourage-first-warehouse-union

Sanders Bill Would Hike Taxes on Big Corporations That Pay CEOs Over 50 Times More Than Median Worker. “Walmart, which pays its CEO nearly 1,000 times more than its average worker, would pay up to $855 million more in taxes.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/17/sanders-bill-would-hike-taxes-big-corporations-pay-ceos-over-50-times-more-median

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Texas’ last Public Utility Commission member resigns at Gov. Greg Abbott’s request https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/16/texas-public-utilty-commission-resignation/

Electricity repricing bill hits wall in House, marking first major schism with Senate this session. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the House “stood for big business.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/16/ercot-overbilling-legislature/

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spars with last remaining Public Utility Commission member over readjusting energy prices during winter storm. The state’s energy grid operator overcharged power companies by roughly $3 billion after the winter storm — not $16 billion https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/11/ercot-texas-overcharge-16-billion/

Griddy Energy customers may be off the hook for exorbitant energy bills after company files bankruptcy. If approved, former Griddy customers might not have to pay their outstanding bills, some of which cost more than $15,000.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/16/griddy-bankruptcy-electricity-bills/

Some on Wall Street Profited off Texas Blackouts. In a Private Call, a Top Regulator Pledged He Would Try to Protect Their Windfall.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/wall-street-profited-off-texas-blackouts/

During February’s freeze in Texas, refineries and petrochemical plants released almost 4 million pounds of extra pollutants. The companies mounted their standard “affirmative defense,” and environmentalists doubt Texas regulators will hold them accountable https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-weather-texas-emissions/texas-freeze-led-to-release-of-tons-of-air-pollutants-as-refineries-shut-idUKL1N2KP03J

Dallas Fed: Biden regulations impact New Mexico worse than Texas in Permian Basin Anticipated federal policy changes to oil and gas leasing and permitting on federal lands “could shift oil production, prompting a realignment of Permian Basin activity between Texas and New Mexico.”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/dallas-fed-biden-regulations-impact-new-mexico-worse-than-texas-in-permian-basin

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is seeking an exemption or waiver for New Mexico from one of the first executive orders issued by President Joe Biden that halted new oil and gas leasing on federal land.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/new_mexico/new-mexico-biden-oil-and-gas-ban-undermines-states-ability-to-safeguard-economy-environment/article_ccf628be-8655-11eb-91be-23e2707bd409.html

JPMorgan staff said a $1.1 billion deal might be corrupt. The bank sent the money anyway. Two giant energy companies were offering more than $1 billion to drill oil just off Nigeria’s coast. JPMorgan Chase had been asked to facilitate the 2011 payment.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/jpmorgan-corruption-risk-nigeria-oil-deal

# Environment / Climate / Interior
Great Lakes algae catching microplastics. Researchers found that one type of algae, which has greatly expanded its range within the Great Lakes and is one of the most abundant algae by weight there, could catch up to one trillion pieces of microplastic in the Great Lakes.
https://www.ehn.org/great-lakes-plastic-algae-2651097829.html

Jackson mayor demands help After month-long water crisis amid pandemic, racism, broken infrastructure. The crisis in Jackson, which is 82 percent Black, highlights how climate catastrophe threatens much of the nation’s aging infrastructure.
https://www.nationofchange.org/2021/03/17/jackson-mayor-demands-help-after-month-long-water-crisis-amid-pandemic-racism-broken-infrastructure/

# Environment / Climate / Interior / Global The human right that benefits nature. More than 100 constitutions across the world have adopted a human right to a healthy environment, which is proving to be a powerful way to protect the natural world.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210316-how-the-human-right-to-a-healthy-environment-helps-nature

How one woman convinced a community to love a bad omen. An Indian biologist went door-to-door, listening and helping people develop livelihoods, to save an endangered species.
https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2021/03/15/india-species-conservation/?ct=t(RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)

The victims of Agent Orange the U.S. has never acknowledged. America has never taken responsibility for spraying the herbicide over Laos during the Vietnam War.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/magazine/laos-agent-orange-vietnam-war.html

Study finds Greenland ice-sheet has melted before, and it could again.
Researchers find million-year-old plants in frozen ice core.
https://www.zmescience.com/science/study-finds-greenland-ice-sheet-has-already-melted-before-and-it-could-again/

# Gov / Political
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has condemned a string of shootings in Atlanta on Tuesday that police said appeared to target Asian women https://www.thedailybeast.com/blinken-condemns-murder-of-asian-women-in-string-of-atlanta-shootings

Tensions are reaching a boiling point in the Senate over the fate of the legislative filibuster as Democratic support grows for eliminating the procedural roadblock.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/543521-tensions-flare-over-senate-filibuster

Biden Wants the Filibuster to Remain in Place, But Says He Supports Reforming It Biden told ABC News he wants senators to be forced to stand up and speak during a filibuster, like “in the old days.”
https://truthout.org/articles/biden-wants-the-filibuster-to-remain-in-place-but-says-he-supports-reforming-it/

Making it easier to vote does not threaten election integrity. Simply put, tightening rules to prevent astronomically rare events of fraud is likely to cause far more harm than good.
https://theconversation.com/making-it-easier-to-vote-does-not-threaten-election-integrity-157007

Texas Republican leaders vows to fight ‘For the People’ election bill https://starlocalmedia.com/news/state/texas-republican-leaders-vows-to-fight-for-the-people-election-bill/article_18b12dfc-d2e1-54a3-af93-8a0deda6e53a.html

President Biden on Wednesday acknowledged concerns of Asian Americans following shootings at massage parlors in Atlanta but said he is waiting until the FBI completes its investigation to attribute a motive to the killer.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/17/atlanta-spa-shootings-president-biden-waiting-before-assigning-motive/4734680001/

People’s Action Statement on Anti-Asian and Gender-Based Violence https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/03/17/peoples-action-statement-anti-asian-and-gender-based-violence?cd-origin=rss

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
N.C. 64-Year-Old Planted Pipe Bombs Throughout City: Terry Lee Barham allegedly targeted a church, a government building, and a veterans’ lodge.
http://my40.tv/news/local/man-arrested-in-brevard-explosives-case

Brandon Clarke Gets 25 Years for Grisly Bianca Devins Murder. Brandon Clark posted photos to social media of the 19-year-old’s corpse.
https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2021/03/brandon-clark-sentenced-bianca-devins-mom-talks-about-indescribable-pain-of-teens-murder.html

# LGBTQ
# Marijuana / Hemp / CBD Oil
The National Cancer Institute published a series of posts about the wide use of medical cannabis and CBD and how federal policies limit research.
https://prevention.cancer.gov/news-and-events/blog/cannabis-and-cancer-part-1

Cannabis and Cancer, Part 1: Despite Lack of Evidence, Cannabis Products Widely Used
https://prevention.cancer.gov/news-and-events/blog/cannabis-and-cancer-part-1

# Medical / Health
Reproductive problems in both men and women are rising at an alarming rate A likely culprit is hormone-disrupting chemicals.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reproductive-problems-in-both-men-and-women-are-rising-at-an-alarming-rate/

94% of older adults prescribed drugs that raise risk of falling. From 1999-2017, more than 7.8 billion fall-risk-increasing drugs were prescribed to older adults in the US, and deaths from falls doubled https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210316100647.htm

# Military / DOD
Trump admin insider reveals how US military sabotaged peace agreement to prolong Afghanistan war. Appointed in the final days of Trump’s presidency to remove all US troops from Afghanistan, Douglas Macgregor tells The Grayzone how military leadership undermined the withdrawal and pressured Trump to capitulate.
https://thegrayzone.com/2021/03/16/trump-us-military-peace-agreement-war-afghanistan/

# Social
Racist clauses in property deeds can’t be enforced, but still exist. A Texas bill would make it easier to remove them. Housing advocates say they appreciate the measure, but want to see more legislative action to overcome racial inequalities in the housing market.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/17/texas-property-deeds-racist-clause/

White-Supremacist Propaganda Was Out of Control in 2020: Some 5,125 cases of racist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, and other hateful messages were spread through physical flyers, stickers, and posters last year.
https://www.adl.org/white-supremacist-propaganda-spikes-2020

# Technology
Twitter Deletes QAnon to Protect US from Upheaval; Russia May Delete Twitter for the Same Reason. With American social media companies increasingly controlled by the national security state, Russia is considering bans on the likes of Twitter and YouTube.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/russia-considers-deleting-twitter-for-the-same-reason/276235/

# Water
America’s drinking water is surprisingly easy to poison. The cyberbreach at a plant in Oldsmar, Florida, which could have resulted in a mass poisoning, was a reminder of a disturbing reality: Despite a decade of warnings, thousands of water systems around the country are still at risk.
https://www.propublica.org/article/hacking-water-systems

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2021-03-16

Voices, The Peoples News

March 16, 2021
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 To Inform and Educate

# Indigenous
Tribal leaders respond to the idea of an Indigenous Interior secretary.
Members of Montana’s American Indian Caucus and tribal leaders from various organizations penned separate letters to members of Montana’s delegation, expressing their support of Rep. Deb Haaland for Interior Secretary.
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2021/02/11/montana-tribal-leaders-support-deb-haaland-interior-secretary/6721240002/

# Border / Immigration
Biden searches for the immigration solutions he promised during his campaign against Trump as Republicans seek to ensure Biden takes the blame for a burgeoning crisis.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/543285-border-crisis-threatens-bidens-political-momentum?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=37610

The Biden administration will send thousands of migrant teenage boys to a Dallas convention center and a former oil field workers’ camp in Midland, an emergency measures officials are taking to alleviate extreme overcrowding at border facilities in South Texas.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/15/south-texas-border-facilities-overcrowded-dallas-midland/

Rep. Ilhan Omar Leads Congressional Call to End ICE Contracts with Local Jails https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/15/omar-leads-letter-urging-biden-end-ice-contracts-local-jails

# Bundy Rides Again
Ammon Bundy Arrested After Missing Trial Over Mask Policy. Provocateur was at the courthouse to fight charges stemming from an incident in August, when he refused to leave the state Capitol building.
https://www.startribune.com/ammon-bundy-arrested-after-missing-trial-on-trespass-charge/600034677/

# CoronaVirus
Vaccine safety experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are meeting on Tuesday to review the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, after a number of countries paused their rollouts.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56411561?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Binforadio%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D

This is what we know about AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine and blood clots This week, Germany joined France, Italy, and Spain in halting vaccinations with AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, following reports of rare blood clots in people given the shots.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-blood-clots

Drug Lobby Asks Biden to Punish Foreign Countries Pushing for Low Cost Vaccines. The drug industry has sharply criticized any attempt to share vaccine patents or the technological knowledge needed to manufacture them, despite global need.
https://theintercept.com/2021/03/03/vaccine-coronavirus-big-pharma-biden/

Trump Tower Got Vax Through Program for Poorer Nabes: Ineligible employees received a jab and the hotel admits they organized it through a program intended to help hard-hit communities on Chicago’s south and west sides.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/03/16/trump-tower-vaccinated-staff-at-luxury-hotel-saying-it-was-part-of-program-meant-to-help-hard-hit-south-and-west-sides/

# Economy / Trade
Biden is planning the first major tax hike in almost 30 years. The move would represent the first major federal tax hike in nearly 30 years. The last significant tax increases were implemented in 1993 under the Clinton administration.
https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-plans-major-federal-tax-increase-almost-3-decades-report-2021-3

Huge fight looms over raising taxes as President Biden looks for a way to pay for his agenda while Republicans are planning to dig in their heels ahead of the 2022 elections.
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/543314-huge-fight-looms-over-raising-taxes

# Employment / Labor
440 Tesla Workers Tested Positive for Coronavirus After CEO Elon Musk Defied Plant Closure Order https://www.livemint.com/news/world/over-400-tesla-workers-tested-covid-positive-after-musk-reopened-plant-report-11615685645855.html

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Texas Senate scrambles to advance bill that would force ERCOT to reprice energy charges from winter storm https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/15/ERCOT-winter-storm-pricing/

# Environment / Climate / Interior
Under Biden, the BLM backtracks on Hammond grazing permit. Days before their herd was set to return to public lands near Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, two fire-starting ranchers lose their grazing rights.
https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2021/02/new-administration-rescinds-grazing-permit-for-hammond-ranches-inc-day-after-environmental-advocates-filed-lawsuit.html

# Environment / Climate / Interior / Global Syria’s 10-year war has left a toxic environmental legacy. A forthcoming report shows how a decade of conflict has polluted rivers, destroyed crops and scorched forests.
https://time.com/5946800/syrian-war-environmental-impact/

# Food / GMOs / Chemicals
The global pollination ‘trade’ reveals how crucial biodiversity is to food security. Pollinators underpin the global food trade, and that makes rich nations highly dependent on conservation measures in tropical countries https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2021/03/the-global-pollination-trade-reveals-how-crucial-biodiversity-is-to-food-security/

A COVID Outbreak at a California Meatpacking Plant Started a Year Ago—and Never Went Away. Almost half of the workers at the Farmer John pork processing plant have been infected with the virus.
https://thefern.org/2021/03/at-california-pork-plant-confusion-and-safety-violations-as-covid-19-spread/

# Global Politics and other news
North Korea warned the United States not to “cause a stink” if it wants to “sleep in peace.” A statement by Kim Yo Jong, who is Kim Jong Un’s sister
https://apnews.com/article/lloyd-austin-seoul-antony-blinken-south-korea-north-korea-9ace712d14a96bfbe180e666e0d20612?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=37610

# Gov / Political
NEO: America’s Despicable ‘Dark War’ on the Syrian People https://www.veteranstoday.com/2021/03/15/neo-americas-despicable-dark-war-on-the-syrian-people/

Charles Booker Eyes Running Against Rand Paul by Building Urban-Rural Coalition Booker has launched Hood to the Holler, a group working to unite rural and urban Kentuckians around populist issues.
https://truthout.org/articles/charles-booker-eyes-running-against-rand-paul-by-building-urban-rural-coalition/

Cuomo Has Worked to Protect Himself, Not New York’s People, Says State Senator.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is refusing to step down despite growing calls for his resignation.
https://truthout.org/video/cuomo-has-worked-to-protect-himself-not-new-yorks-people-says-state-senator/

Biden’s Escalation of War on Syria Amid the Pandemic. Having just taken office amid a pandemic, the Biden administration quickly ordered an airstrike that dropped 1.75 tons of explosives on a town in Syria near the Iraq border, re-inflaming tensions between Washington and Damascus.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/vanessa-beeley-biden-war-against-syria-amid-pandemic/276129/

# Law Enforcement / Incarceration
9 arrested in Polk County search for laced drug source. On Facebook, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office advises a dangerous trend of drug dealers and cartels cutting various drugs with fentanyl which is leading to death and or serious hospitalizations.
https://www.kltv.com/2021/03/15/arrested-polk-county-search-laced-drug-source/

The Violent Online Persona Tied to an Accused Proud Boy Cop. The brewing scandal shows officers remain deeply involved with some of the same right-wing groups that stormed the Capitol.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/violent-online-persona-tied-to-accused-proud-boy-cop-in-fresno-california

“Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a scathing warning to Democrats on Tuesday, amid growing pressure to nix the legislative filibuster.” https://bit.ly/38LuWyg

# Legal / Judicial / DOJ
Attorney General Merrick Garland faces press freedom cases and leftover First Amendment questions from the Trump years. One is a quirky situation that would effectively transform the new president’s Justice Department into Trump’s law firm in a private defamation case
https://www.lawfareblog.com/heres-merrick-garlands-orientation-memo-trump-era-hangover-press-freedom?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=37610

Blockbuster/Exclusive: Two with ties to Israeli Intelligence Arrested in the Murder of Capitol Police Officer (updating)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-capitol-arrests/two-charged-for-pepper-spraying-police-officer-who-died-after-assault-on-u-s-capitol-idUSKBN2B7213

Can Cyrus Vance, Jr., Nail Trump? Insiders say that the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation has dramatically intensified since the former President left office.
https://outline.com/vw9HL6

FBI Lab Flaws Traced To 3,000 Cases: More than six years after the FBI crime laboratory was rocked by controversy, the Justice Department has identified about 3,000 criminal cases that could have been affected by flawed science and skewed testimony.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-lab-flaws-traced-to-3000-cases/

NAACP’s Trump Suit Delayed Amid Hunt for Mysterious ‘Ricky’: Last month, “Ricky” signed for a federal lawsuit delivered to former President Trump, and vanished. Now, the “Ricky” mystery has spilled into federal court.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-naacp-lawsuit-against-trump-is-delayed-after-some-guy-named-ricky-took-the-paperwork

Judge Thinks QAnon Shaman Is Lying—and Has Vids to Prove It. A federal judge says Jacob Chansley “blatantly lied” during a jailhouse interview with CBS News.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-plays-videos-to-prove-qanon-shaman-jacob-chansley-lied-in-60-minutes-interview-on-capitol-riot

Gov’t Job Applicant Admits Terror Plot on Polygraph: Feds say Ethan Collins told a polygraph examiner he admires ISIS for their “courage and conviction” and believes the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer was “justified.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ethan-collins-applied-for-a-govt-job-then-fessed-up-to-terror-plots-on-the-polygraph-test-feds-say

# LGBTQ
Actor Elliot Page has made history as the first openly transgender man to appear on the cover of Time magazine https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/543377-elliot-page-becomes-first-openly-transgender-man-on-time-cover

# Medical / Health
Purdue Pharma Reveals Plan to End Sackler Family’s Control. However, two dozen state attorneys general immediately rejected the bankruptcy plan.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/purdue-pharma-reveals-plan-to-end-billionaire-sackler-familys-control

Purdue’s Sackler embraced plan to conceal OxyContin’s strength from doctors, sealed deposition shows https://www.statnews.com/2019/02/21/purdue-pharma-richard-sackler-oxycontin-sealed-deposition/

‘Remarkable’ decline in fertility rates: There has been a remarkable global decline in the number of children women are having, say researchers. Their report found fertility rate falls meant nearly half of countries were now facing a “baby bust” – meaning there are insufficient children to maintain their population size.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-46118103

# Military / DOD
DARPA is officially looking into jetpacks for US special forces. DoD is considering a “portable personal air mobility system” that could be used on special forces, search and rescue and logistics missions.
https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/military-jetpack-research-drape/

# Other News
Jared Kushner Bids Adieu to Taxpayers With $24K Hotel Tab. The expenditure for “accommodation and food services” during Kushner’s December 2020 trip to Jerusalem came out of the State Department budget.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jared-kushner-says-farewell-to-us-taxpayers-with-dollar24000-jerusalem-hotel-tab

# Social
Water Crises and Environmental Racism Continue in Jackson, Miss. After Winter Storm. Even now, city officials cannot show the water is potable, forcing those residents for whom service has been restored to boil water to drink, brush their teeth, and attempt to clean themselves.
https://www.ecowatch.com/water-crisis-mississippi-2651079800.html

Albuquerque’s racist history haunts its housing market. Policymakers and activists fight to remove pro-segregation, anti-immigrant provisions from property deeds.
https://www.hcn.org/issues/53.4/south-race-racism-albuquerques-racist-history-haunts-housing-market

# Space
Researchers find four strains of bacteria on the ISS — three are completely new to science https://www.voanews.com/science-health/3-new-strains-bacteria-discovered-iss-researchers

# Veterans / VA
Camp Lejeune: Marine vets petition for registry for toxic water victims.
The veterans claim a registry could uncover more medical conditions and lead to more compensation for those harmed by toxic water at the Marine base https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2021/03/16/marine-veterans-petition-for-medical-health-registry-for-camp-lejeune-toxic-water-victims/

# Water
Premature or precautionary? California is first to tackle microplastics in drinking water. California is about to set the world’s first health guidelines for microplastics in drinking water. Yet no one agrees how to test water for the tiny bits of plastic, or how dangerous they are.
https://patch.com/california/pleasanton/s/hh0j7/premature-or-precautionary-california-first-tackle-microplastics-drinking-water

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