(2019-03-31). DoD Orders $250 Million of Gas Masks — What Do They Know? globalresearch.ca The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Avon Protection Systems Inc., Cadillac, Michigan, a $245,961,250 firm-fixed-price contract for production of M53A1 Chemical Biological Protective Mask systems, according to the DoD contract website. | The Army estimates M53A1 gas masks …
(2019-03-31). Cyclone Idai Causes Devastation Compounding Economic Challenges in the Southern Africa Region. globalresearch.ca Governments throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are working feverishly to provide relief to millions of people affected by cyclone Idai, a category three-to-four storm which has severely impacted three states, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with some damage extending …
(2019-03-31). Syria — The West Destroyed Our Homes but Not Our Dreams. globalresearch.ca Time before the war, Syria was a peaceful place where we used to live at peace. Peace meant to us life. But now we lost life since we lost peace. My daughter, that little girl at that time of peace …
(2019-03-31). Golan Heights, Kosovo and Crimea: A Case Study in Hypocrisy and Double Standards. globalresearch.ca The recent announcement by United States President Donald Trump that the US will recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights draws attention yet again to the double standards applied by NATO and its satraps including Australia to the issues of …
(2019-03-31). China — and Macron's U-Turn. globalresearch.ca Less than a week ago, President Macron was lambasting Italy for signing agreements with China in the context of their New Silk Road, alias President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in the same breath he was criticizing …
(2019-03-31). Selected Articles: NATO Expansion Could Trigger Nuclear War. globalresearch.ca Online independent analysis of US-led wars, rampant corruption, corporate greed, civil rights and fraudulent monetary transactions is invariably relegated to the bottom rung of search engine results. | As a result we presently do not cover our monthly running costs which …
(2019-03-31). Venezuela Under Siege. globalresearch.ca "This opposition campaign has been one of what was called the other day in the media, circus. It's PR stunts. It's about media publicity. As ever, the opposition has not learned the fundamental key root to change that they want …
(2019-03-31). Ukraine Presidential Vote Begins Under Bribe Claim Cloud. truthdig.com KIEV, Ukraine — Voters in Ukraine are casting ballots in a presidential election Sunday after a campaign that produced a comedian with no political experience as the front-runner and allegations of voter bribery. | Opinion polls have shown Volodymyr Zelenskiy who stars in a TV sitcom about a teacher who becomes president after a video of him denouncing corruption goes viral, leading a field of 39 candidates. The polls also had Zelenskiy outpacing incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the other top candidates, by a broad margin. | "Zelenskiy has shown us on the scre…
(2019-03-31). NRA's Playbook Shows Why the US Does not Stop Mass Shootings. therealnews.com 
After the Chistchurch shooting, New Zealand moves to ban assault weapons, while the US is promoting plans to arm school teachers instead. Al-Jazeera exposes NRA's "playbook" on media responses after mass shootings…
(2019-03-31). Concerning Humanity's Future: Interview with Nick Humphrey, Climatologist and Geoscientist. indybay.org I first discovered the writings of Meteorologist/geoscientist Nick Humphrey with his brutally honest essay The Conversation No One Knows How To Have and since then have followed his posts and comments. He has been featured or quoted in a number of publications such as Mother Jones, New York Times, Washington Post, and Science Alert. Few scientists will publicly tell you how dire things are, but Nick Humphrey is not one to shy away from the truth. What follows is a Q&A interview I held with him on a variety of questions concerning humanity's future.
(2019-03-31). Eating Disorders and Body Love: The Things Mama Didn't Tell You. indybay.org Cabrillo College, Room 609 | 6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos, CA 95003…
(2019-03-30). Senator Calls for Investigation of Bernhardt's Role in Suppressing Science Showing Pesticide Harmed Nearly 1,400 Protected Species. globalresearch.ca U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today called on the inspector general for the Department of the Interior to investigate Acting Secretary David Bernhardt's role in blocking a scientific assessment showing the pesticide chlorpyrifos threatens the existence of nearly 1,400 …
(2019-03-30). 'We Are Running Concentration Camps': Images from El Paso Stir Outrage over Migrant Treatment. globalresearch.ca Hundreds of migrants are being held by border agents in a fenced in encampment under a bridge in El Paso, leading to anger and accusations that the American government is holding people in "concentration camps." | Images posted online by reporters …
(2019-03-30). The BRICS New Development Bank: Corruption-riddled Development Finance. globalresearch.ca The BRICS New Development Bank is having its Annual General Meeting on 1-2 April, here in South Africa. There's information about the meeting here, including public sessions. Critics meet to discuss the Bank on 31 March — 3 …
(2019-03-30). Video: Houthis Kill or Injure 250 Saudi-backed Fighters, Capture 100 Positions in Large-scale Attack in Dhale. globalresearch.ca The Houthis captured 100 positions in the central Yemeni province of Dhale from the Saudi-led coalition and its proxies during a recent large-scale operation, Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman of the pro-Houthis wing of the Yemeni Armed Forces, …
(2019-03-30). Angles of Tolerance: Yusuf Islam in Christchurch. globalresearch.ca Let's not be too churlish about this; but then again, let us not be ignorant. The singer once known as Cat Stevens (in pre-conversion state), and known as Yusuf Islam to others, made a considerable impression on the stage in …
(2019-03-30). Trump Regime Approves Sale of Sensitive Nuclear Technology to Saudis. globalresearch.ca Saudi nuclear power ambitions are well known. For months, the Trump and Saudi regimes have been negotiating the sale of US nuclear technology to the kingdom. | Anti-nuclear expert Helen Caldicott explained that any country operating nuclear power plants "can theoretically …
(2019-03-30). Why Canada Should Get Out of NATO. globalresearch.ca Concerns are growing across this country about the disturbing tilt in Canadian foreign policy toward increasing militarization and aggression — about our participation in foreign wars and US-led 'regime change' operations abroad, and about burgeoning defence budgets and rearmament programs, …
(2019-03-30). Xi's Visit Sets Tone for China-EU Relations. globalresearch.ca Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Wednesday after his visit to Europe, bringing a fruitful outcome and the visit assures the cooperative trend of China-EU relations, analysts noted. | The outcome of Xi's visit to Europe is "beyond …
(2019-03-30). China-Italy Cooperation and the "Devil's Alternative" globalresearch.ca The complex Sino-American trade negotiation is going through a period that is not turbulent but is nevertheless marked by objective difficulties: too much distance separates the American warnings from the concessions that China is willing to make without penalizing its …
(2019-03-30). Video: "Dumb Bombs", Indiscriminate Strikes and Civilian Casualties in Syrian War. globalresearch.ca A recent series of Russian strikes on positions of militant groups in the Syrian province of Idlib has once again caused a wave of mainstream media reports regarding civilian casualties caused by Russian bombings. According to "local activists" quoted by …
(2019-03-30). Neoliberals and Neocons Declare "All Options on the Table" in Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Even though we now know there is zero evidence Donald Trump colluded with the Russians, neocon talking heads are still babbling about the discredited conspiracy theory and working it into facile monologues. | For instance, Samatha Vinograd, a "national security" analyst …
(2019-03-30). US Threatens Turkey over Russian S-400 Air Defence Purchase. globalresearch.ca Turkish-US relations have deteriorated in recent weeks, with Washington threatening reprisals if Ankara goes ahead with the purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defence system. | Relations between the two countries have been in a downward spiral for some time—especially since …
(2019-03-30). Workers' Rights and Canada's Auto Industry: GM Oshawa: Lowered Expectations, Unexplored Opportunities. globalresearch.ca Following an aggressive public relations campaign in which union officials questioned GM's loyalty to 'Canadian taxpayers', General Motors has apparently agreed to keep its Oshawa facility partially open. No official announcement has yet been made, but there are rumours of …
(2019-03-30). Juan Guaidó Confesses Being Behind the Sabotage of Venezuela's Electric System. globalresearch.ca "A confession from [America's] puppet pointing to evidence," said journalist Gustavo Villapol Wednesday, noting that the deputy of the National Assembly in contempt Juan Guaidó confessed to be behind the attacks perpetrated against …
(2019-03-30). Syria: Is US Fighting ISIS or Liquidating Assets? globalresearch.ca That the "final stronghold" of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) resides in US occupied territory in Syria says it all. | From US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) memos dating back to 2012 noting efforts to create a "Salafist" [Islamic] "principality" [State] …
(2019-03-30). NATO's Unrelenting Expansion Could Trigger a Major Nuclear War. globalresearch.ca Less than two years ago Montenegro became the 29th state to join NATO, an American-led military alliance that has become a far-reaching intervention force since the USSR's demise. The accession of mighty Montenegro to NATO must have set hearts fluttering …
(2019-03-30). Marijuana Brought in Millions in Tax Revenue Last Year. theantimedia.com (ZH) — Despite the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track job creation in the U.S. marijuana industry, a recent report claimed that the sector has created around 300,000 direct and indirect jobs in the states where the drug has been given the green light for recreational use. While job creation has been one of the more …
(2019-03-30). UK MPs Reject May's No-Brexit/Brexit Deal for the Third Time. globalresearch.ca Theresa May's no-deal/deal went down by a 344 — 286 margin. Did her latest defeat signal three strikes and she's out — her coup de grace of no return? | Britain has until April 12 to crash out of the EU …
(2019-03-29). Review: 'Captive State' puts sci-fi and resistance center stage in Chicago. peoplesworld.org 
"As long as we fight, we have a chance." — Captive State Throughout the history of the science fiction and horror genre of film and literature, there have been stories that hold a mirror to the realities of our world. Through fantastical plotlines, socio-political themes such as corruption, sexism, racism, and a general questioning of …
(2019-03-29). Kamala Harris Calls for Teacher Raises—An Anomaly in Presidential Politics. therealnews.com 
Democratic frontrunner calls for $315 billion investment—education activists, such as Lois Weiner, say it's still not enough…
(2019-03-29). Why Is the Government Allowing Its Own Drug Research to Be Monopolized for Profit? commondreams.org "In the United States, Truvada is monopolized by the pharmaceutical giant Gilead, which charges between $1,600 and $2,000 a month for the treatment," Cooper writes. (Photo: Reuters) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-03-29). Re: The Green New Deal: First, Shoot the Economists. counterpunch.org 
Soon to be released research from the United Nations is expected to place species loss, a/k/a mass extinction, as an environmental threat equal to or greater than climate change. Industrial agriculture— vast expanses of monoculture crops managed with chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, will feature prominently as a cause. This plant agriculture supplies people with increasingly toxic and processed food and antibiotic and hormone dependent factory farms with animal feed. Together, these link the model of capitalist efficiency economists have been selling for the last two centuries to environmental c…
(2019-03-29). Venezuela's Oil Production Plummets in February Due to New US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington DC analyzes the "very harsh impact" of the latest sanctions imposed on Venezuela's oil sector.
(2019-03-29). Me and the Maoists. counterpunch.org As I was reading through You Say You Want a Revolution: SDS, PL, and Adventures in Building a Worker-Student Alliance for a review in last week's CounterPunch, I kept emailing co-author John Levin about my connections to a number of the 23 mini-memoir contributors to this essential volume. It got to the point when John asked More
(2019-03-29). AFT members to drive presidential endorsement. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—This time around, members of the American Federation of Teachers will drive its presidential endorsement process — and it's going to demand Oval Office hopefuls walk in teachers' shoes, too. The March 20 decision came after a 30,000-person mass conference call convened the night before by AFT President Randi Weingarten to hash out the details, …
(2019-03-28). The Trump Administration's Ableist Cuts to the Special Olympics. thenation.com The Trump Administration's Ableist Cuts to the Special Olympics…
(2019-03-28). The System, Youth and Democracy. consortiumnews.com When masses of students from all over the world mobilize around a utopia, adults become uncomfortable, writes Roberto Savio. By Roberto Savio in Rome Inter Press Service If we ever needed proof of how the political system has become self-referential… Read more →
(2019-03-28). NAACP-supported bill promoting equal pay for equal work passes the US House. naacp.org Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women in the United States are typically paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the statistics are even worse for women of color. As a result, women were 35% more likely to live in poverty than men. While the Equal Pay Act of 1963 has helped to narrow …
(2019-03-27). "The Opioid Crisis Isn't White": How the Lethal Epidemic Affects Communities of Color. democracynow.org 
As Oklahoma and Purdue Pharma reach a $270 million agreement in a lawsuit claiming the company knowingly helped create the opioid crisis responsible for nearly 50,000 deaths per year in the United States, we look at how the opioid crisis affects communities of color with Abdullah Shihipar, a graduate student of public health at Brown University who wrote an op-ed about his research for The New York Times headlined "The Opioid Crisis Isn't White."
(2019-03-27). SPLC reacts to Facebook policy on white nationalism. splcenter.org The internet, and social media in particular, continues to be a powerful tool used by the radical right to accelerate the spread of hate into the mainstream.
(2019-03-27). OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma to Pay $270 Million Legal Settlement That Will Fund Addiction Center. democracynow.org 
The state of Oklahoma has reached a $270 million agreement with Purdue Pharma—the makers of OxyContin—settling a lawsuit that claimed the company contributed to the deaths of thousands of Oklahoma residents by downplaying the risk of opioid addiction and overstating the drug's benefits. The state says more Oklahomans have died from opioids over the last decade than have been killed in vehicle accidents. More than $100 million from the settlement will fund a new addiction treatment and research center at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa. "It's really just the first move in what is a very complicated…
(2019-03-27). Phrase 'cultural Marxism' only antisemitic if you research it, Tories confirm. thecanary.co On 26 March, Tory MP Suella Braverman said: As Conservatives, we are engaged in a battle against cultural Marxism. The phrase 'cultural Marxism' is … | Read more Phrase 'cultural Marxism' only antisemitic if you research it, Tories confirm | By John Shafthauer
(2019-03-27). Are Federal Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids Hurting Patients with Chronic Pain? democracynow.org 
As Oklahoma and Purdue Pharma reach a landmark settlement, we look at an underreported result of the opioid crisis: the underprescribing of opioids for patients who rely on them for pain management. This month, more than 300 doctors and medical researchers sent an open letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning patients have been harmed by a lack of clarity in guidelines for prescribing opioids. The CDC revised the guidelines for primary care physicians in 2016 in order to improve safety and reduce risks associated with long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. But many say the new guidelin…
(2019-03-27). Islamic Center of Tallahassee and Students For Justice in Palestine hold solidarity vigil honoring Christchurch victims. liberationnews.org 
There was a touching show of unity as over 40 community members, both Muslim and non-Muslim, came to the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol to observe the candlelit vigil. The event started out with a few words from Imam Munir Alfarra, who said, "If I could tell him something I would say he did not waste his time to know about Muslims. To know how they pray, and when and where. To know that Muslims' doors are always open…"
(2019-03-27). Boston Teachers Union "All In" to fight for a fair contract. liberationnews.org 
"Do you realize we are the only school district in Massachusetts that does not have a full time nurse in every school?"
(2019-03-27). Beto O'Rourke's Free Ride on Charter Schools Won't Last for Long. theintercept.com When Beto O'Rourke ran for Senate in 2018, he highlighted the importance of public education and consistently said that he stood squarely in support of teachers. Given that his opponent was Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, that was more than enough to secure endorsements from both the Texas State Teachers Association and its parent union, the National Education Association. Teachers across the country helped fuel his small-dollar donor machine. | There was little reason, then, to probe Beto O'Rourke on charter schools. In the Democratic pres…
(2019-03-26). Tampa students hold vigil for victims of Christchurch mosque shootings. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On March 21 University of South Florida (USF) students and Tampa community members gathered to commemorate the lives of the victims of the Christchurch New Zealand mosque shootings. Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hosted the event and laid out 50 flowers on the lawn in front of the Marshall Student Center to represent each victim of the attack. | The shootings were committed by Brenton Tarrant. Tarrant was motivated by white-supremacist and alt-right ideas, such as xenophobia and anti-immigration, which he rambled about in a written statement. | "The bottom line is that white suprema…
(2019-03-25). Students call next big climate action. greenleft.org.au 
Hundreds of people turned out to the #ClimateElection kickstart event on March 25. This was the major event organisers encouraged participants in the March 15 School Strike to attend. | The most inspiring part of the night was the announcement of the next big action on May 3. Details are still being worked out. | Demands of this campaign are: Stop Adani; No new coal, oil or gas; and for 100% renewable energy by 2030. | The timing has been set for just bef…
(2019-03-24). Indiana legislature ends elections for state education leader. liberationnews.org 
Only a socialist democracy, where workers wield state power, will fully fund public schools.