(2021-04-02). Let's end the insanity of colossal military spending during a global health emergency. dissidentvoice.org 
Imagine what could be achieved if just a portion of the money spent on military expenditures were pooled into a global fund, and redirected towards ending hunger and massively investing in public health systems. ***** If nations had a referendum, asking the public if they want their taxes to go to military weapons that are …
(2021-04-02). China Isn't the Problem, Neoliberalism Is. counterpunch.org 
The ascendance of Wall Street, and of a managerial bureaucracy (PMC) more generally, largely explains the political realignments that have been playing out in the U.S. Beginning in the 1970s, the American political class made decisions at the behest of business interests and oligarchs to restructure the U.S. economy in ways intended to shift the balance of political and economic power towards capital. Finance was, and still is, the method of affecting this transfer of power. However, the current epoch of finance capitalism has run its course. Its logic has been lost. The threats to the neoliberal order are now in…
(2021-04-02). Drone Whistleblower Charged With Violating Espionage Act Pleads Guilty. popularresistance.org Daniel Hale, who blew the whistle on the United States government's targeted assassination program that includes drones, pled guilty to transmitting and retaining "national defense information" in violation of the Espionage Act. | The guilty plea by Hale makes him the first whistleblower to be convicted under the Espionage Act during President Joe Biden's administration. | A change of plea hearing was held on March 31 in the Eastern District of Virginia, around a week before Hale was scheduled to go to trial. | Judge Liam O'Grady permitted Hale to remain under supervision by a probation officer until sentencing o…
(2021-04-02). US weekly combined unemployment claims spike above 950,000. wsws.org Despite the fact that millions remain out of work, states are cutting back on unemployment eligibility in a bid to force workers back on the job.
(2021-04-02). Headlines for April 2, 2021. democracynow.org Ex-Supervisor Says Derek Chauvin's Fatal Restraint of George Floyd Violated Use-of-Force Policies , Texas Senate Passes Republican-Led Voter Suppression Bill, Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium to Open at Full Capacity Despite Surging Coronavirus Cases, U.N. Warns Burma Headed for Civil War as Military Junta Continues Brutal Crackdown, At Least 51 Dead, Dozens More Injured in Taiwan Train Crash , Arizona ICE Jail Violated Prisoners' Rights and Failed to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreak, Biden Holds First Cabinet Meeting as Debate over Infrastructure Plan Continues, Unemployment Claims Rise as Pandemic Recovery Remains Uneve…
(2021-04-02). Friday 4/2: Virtual Forum: 60-year Blockade on Cuba & Unions Fight for Safe Schools. indybay.org bit.ly/education4thepeople…
(2021-04-02). Taiwan's Deadliest Railway Disaster Leaves Dozens Dead (Video, Photos). southfront.org 
Source: japan.cna.com.tw | A truck rolled down a hill and smashed into a passing train in Taiwan, near the Toroko Gorge scenic area. At least 36 people were killed in the accident and dozens were injuring. The death toll continues to grow.Railways news officer Weng Hui-ping said that it was Taiwan's deadliest railway disaster. | According to the official claims, a truck slid onto the rail track from a work site on the hillside above. The truck was off duty at the time. | The crash occurred early on a public weekend…
(2021-04-02). Economy Adds 916,000 Jobs in March; Unemployment Falls to 6.0 Percent. cepr.net The strong productivity growth from last year seems to be continuing The March employment reports show the economy bouncing back sharply due to the spread of vaccines and the first effects of the Biden recovery package. The establishment survey showed the economy adding 916,000 jobs in the month. The household survey was also encouraging, with …
(2021-04-01). Opposing All Governments Equally Is Supporting The Most Powerful Government. popularresistance.org The US-centralized empire is waging nonstop wars that have killed millions of human beings just since the turn of this century, and people will still say things like "We've really got to do something about Cuba." | The US-centralized empire is circling the planet with hundreds of military bases, working to destroy any nation which disobeys its dictates and brandishing armageddon weapons at its enemies like a drunken hillbilly with a shotgun, and people are still like "Something must be done about China's intellectual property theft!" | Among the violent and destructive governments in our world, one towers high ab…
(2021-04-01). Biden unveils infrastructure plan tied to corporate tax hike. wsws.org Despite overblown rhetoric, the $2.25 trillion plan, stretched out over 8—10 years, would not represent any fundamental change in the direction of American capitalism.
(2021-04-01). Subnational Elections in Bolivia: Another Vote of Confidence for MAS Party. orinocotribune.com By Peoples Dispatch — Mar 28, 2021 | The 240 out of the 336 elected mayors and 3 of the 5 elected governors in Bolivia belong to the ruling government of the progressive Movement Towards Socialism party | The results of the subnational elections held in Bolivia on March 7 confirm the faith of the Bolivian people in the ruling government of the progressive Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party and its transformation project. According to the results of the departmental, regional and municipal elections released on March 22, the MAS is the only party that has a broad presence in all the nine departments of th…
(2021-04-01). Security forces suppress protest against unemployment in southern Tunisia. peoplesdispatch.org The protesters were demanding that the government implement a long overdue deal from 2017 which promised to create jobs in the oil and infrastructure sectors in the region to tackle the issue of unemployment…
(2021-04-01). America's Military-Industrial Complex Squanders $1.7 Trillion on a Lame Fighter Jet While the President Begs for Infrastructure Cash. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/f35_2.jpg …
(2021-04-01). Cuba Libre to be COVID-Libre: Five Vaccines and Counting… orinocotribune.com By Helen Yaffe — Mar 30, 2021 | On 23 March 2021, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a group of Conservative Party backbenchers: 'The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed, my friends.' Johnson was articulating the dogma that the pursuit of private profit through capitalist free markets leads to efficient outcomes. In reality, however, Britain's accomplishments in developing the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and in the national vaccination rollout have more to do with state investments than the market mechanism. Government money subsidised the vaccine development a…
(2021-04-01). US Envoy Sees Productive Meetings on Yemen Peace Talks. news.antiwar.com US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking has returned to the US after a series of meetings in Saudi Arabia and Oman. The State Department Details aren't all clear, but the meetings were with Omanis, Saudis, and Yemenis. It isn't clear if the Yemeni participant included any members of the Houthi opposition, or just the Saudi-backed government. | Six years into the war there have…
(2021-04-01). Houthi Suicide Drones Hit ¥Sensitive' Targets In Saudi Capital. southfront.org 
Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wingH | On April 1, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced that they had attacked several "sensitive" and "important" targets in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. | Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Yemeni group, said that the targets were struck with four suicide drones. The spokesman claimed that the attack was successful, without providing any further details."Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege are ongoing," the spokesman said, calling the att…
(2021-04-01). Iranian-Backed Liwa Fatemiyoun Held Live-Fire Drills In Southeastern Syria (Photos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image. By Mohamad Jaffari. Source: t.me/Fatemiyoun1434 | On March 29, Liwa Fatemiyoun, an Iranian-backed Afghan group, announced that its fighters had held live-fire drills in Syria. | The drills were held in a unspecified desert area in the southeastern region of Syria, likely near the town of al-Bukamal on the border with Iraq. | Liwa Fatemiyoun shared photos of the live-fire drills, which saw the group's fighters firing heavy weapons. Furthermore, the fighters used night-vision a…
(2021-04-01). Military Situation In Afghanistan On April 1, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 1, six security personnel were killed in Taliban attacks in Herat | On April 1, three police force members, including an officer, were killed in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Nahre Siraj district | On April 1, an IED blast in Jalalabad city killed one civilian | On March 31, 74 Taliban members were killed and 38 others were wounded as a result of ANDSF operation during 24 past hours in Laghman, Ghazni, Wardak, Helmand, Badakhshan, Balkh and Kandahar pro…
(2021-04-01). How Tax Haven States Enable Billionaires to Hide Trillions. thenation.com How Tax Haven States Enable Billionaires to Hide Trillions…