Daily News Digest April 14, 2023

Daily News Digest Archives

Capitalism is Now a Worldwide Threat to Humanity! It is on the Fast Track to Global Warming and/or Nuclear War Catastrophes!

Images of the Day:

First, Do No Harm, to My Leagal Status! (Many states with abortion bans point out that those restrictions have exceptions for protecting the life of the mother. In practice, however, doctors believe they have to wait until the mother is actually dying before they can intervene to perform an abortion. There have been several cases where mothers nearly died as a result.)

Since World War I, ‘the war to end all wars’, there have been perpetual wars for perpetual peace, this Laura Gray’s cartoon from the front page of The Militant August 18, 1945, Under the Banner Headline: “There Is No Peace”, is Still True for Today’s World!Capitalism as a Failed  System: World Capitalism Has Been Aware of the Comming Catastrophe of Global Warming  Over 5 Decades Ago and Did Nothing!:  Under Capitalism — Human Lives Don’t Matter  Capitalism Does Not, and Never Has, Worked for the Masses! In Its Death Agony, Capitalism Is Traveling About The World Like The Four Horsemen of the The Apocalypse, Spreading  Racism,  War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. The very future of Humanity Is Now At stake!During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three-Point Political Program: 1. Austerity,2. Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, and 3.  The Iron Heel!    For Decades, Blacks Have Been Subjected to The Iron Heel!   Currently, the US Capitalist Class is Divided Over When — Not If, to Apply It to Everyone!

Due to Years of Austerity, Cuts to Public Health Care, And An Anti-Science and Profiteering President, The United States Now Leads the World In  Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in the World!

Always Remember:  That President Obama, With a Majority Democrat Legislature Supported the Wall Street Bailout and Remember, That he Established, in writing,  the United States Capitalist Austerity Program. —  The Race to the Bottom/Pauperization of the 99%!

Democracy?: As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99%,  Only the 1% Voted For Austerity!   The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not Just The 1%, Who Profit From Austerity!!  Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico.!   Socialism Means True Democracy, that the 99% Will Rule, Not the Few! 

Quotes of the Day:

Aaron Stevens, a Richmond police officer who lives six blocks from the plant, said he first heard the sirens on Tuesday before he saw the pillar of smoke from his backyard that blocked the afternoon sun. The smoke had an acrid odor and he said ash fell on his deck and backyard.     “It was blocking out the sun completely,” he said. “The birds were going crazy.” — ‘Toxic’ Plastic Fire Forces 1,000 People to Evacuate in Indiana

Videos/Podcasts of the Day:

Leaked Pentagon Docs Show U.S. & U.K. Special Forces Already in Ukraine as War Heads to Stalemate

“Terrorism from the Sky”: Burmese Junta Bombs Civilians, Killing 100, Escalating Attack on Resistance

Filipino Activist Condemns U.S. Military Drills, Warns That War with China Would Devastate Philippines

 United States:

The United States is not a Democracy (A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly)! Only the 1%, through their ownership of the Republicrats and who profit from war and the war budget, vote for War and the war budget — A policy, which Gore Vidal called a  Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. — The 99% Should Decide On War — Not Just The 1% Who Profit From War!  Under a Democracy, The 99% would have the right to vote on the policy of Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace! The United States takes from the poor and gives to the Rich. Tax the Rich!  — They Can Afford To Pay! Both Parties Support U.S. Capitalism’s Wars! (The Only War the Democrats Opposed was the Civil War!)

We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both. — Louis D. Brandeis Quotes

The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. MLK, Beyond Vietnam 

War is Profuable/War Profiteers: Peace in Ukraine Is Too Important to Leave in the Hands of Arms Dealers Arms makers are stoking conflicts and then pitching weapons as a path to peace. This spring, Lockheed Martin is expanding operations to meet Ukraine’s demand for arms. In recent months, its Camden, Arkansas, plant won nearly a half-billion dollars in contracts for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) — doubling production targets and prompting Lockheed officials to consider adding a night shift.

‘Every 11th Has Its 13th’: Time To Dismantle Monroe Doctrine Politics The Monroe Doctrine became the ideological basis for US hegemony in the region, justifying the violation of the rights of nations of self-determination, as was the case for Venezuela in 2002 and since then. On April 11, 2002, there was an attempted coup against President Hugo Chavez’s democratically elected government in Venezuela. Chavez had prioritized programs to improve living conditions for those who were previously unrepresented, and established an independent foreign policy in favor of the nation’s interests. Chavez’s stance conflicted with the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which laid the groundwork for the use of U.S. military force and other forms of intervention to oppose any government, be it foreign or regional, that jeopardized U.S. interests. The Monroe Doctrine became the ideological basis for US hegemony in the region, justifying the violation of the rights of nations of self-determination, as was the case for Venezuela in 2002 and since then.

To Capitalism/Jim Crow States: Ignorance is Bliss!:  Missouri State House Republicans Pass Budget Bill That Removes Library Funding Republicans are retaliating against a librarians’ organization for suing the state over a law on book banning.     Republicans are retaliating against a librarians’ organization for suing the state over a law on book banning.     Republican lawmakers in the Missouri state House of Representatives followed through on threats they previously made to librarians, passing a state budget this week that eliminates all funding to public libraries throughout the “Show Me State.”     Around $4.5 million in funds that would have been included in the budget for libraries were instead dropped down to zero, after cuts proposed by Rep. Cody Smith (R), chair of the state House Budget Committee, were included.

Environment — Ecosocialism of Ecocide!:

Global Warming is Systemic to Capitalisn!

If the EPA was Serious it would Designate theses areas as Hazardous Waste Superfund Sites— Subject to HAZMAT     Refulations , Making the Poluters Pay for the Cleanup!  EPA Proposes Major Reforms to Reduce Cancer Risk Near Industrial Facilities The new rules could reduce exposed residents’ unacceptable cancer risk by 96 percent.     The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a series of major reforms this past week to slash toxic air pollution at chemical plants and facilities that sterilize medical equipment, nearly 18 months after ProPublica reported how an estimated 74 million Americans were exposed to elevated cancer risk from these businesses.    The first set of rules place stricter limits on roughly 80 air pollutants, according to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. The list includes potent cancer-causing chemicals such as ethylene oxide, which is used to sterilize medical equipment, and chloroprene, an ingredient in synthetic rubber. The proposal, which would affect more than 200 manufacturers, requires routine air monitoring around these chemical plants, something local communities have long requested

Carcinogenic Plastcs Fire: It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way’: Major Plastics Fire Triggers Toxic Fears in Indiana“There is a host of different chemicals that plastics give off when they’re on fire, and it’s concerning,” said the state fire marshal. . . . Chemicals that can be released from plastic when it burns include dioxins, furans, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Dioxins, furans, and PCBs have similar toxicity levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says that “people who have been unintentionally exposed to large amounts of these chemicals have developed a skin condition called chloracne, liver problems, and elevated blood lipids.”

A Few of the Chemical Hazards from a Plastics Fire:

  • Learn About Dioxin: Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system, and can interfere with hormones. 
  • PCBs have been classified as probably carcinogenic by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There are a few studies in workers exposed to PCBs that show associations with cancer of the liver and biliary tract.  
  • Health Effects 0f Mercury Exposure: Elemental and methylmercury are toxic to the central and peripheral nervous systems. The inhalation of mercury vapour can produce harmful effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys, and may be fatal. The inorganic salts of mercury are corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested. Neurological and behavioural disorders may be observed after inhalation, ingestion or dermal exposure of different mercury compounds. Symptoms include tremors, insomnia, memory loss, neuromuscular effects, headaches and cognitive and motor dysfunction. Mild, subclinical signs of central nervous system toxicity can be seen in workers exposed to an elemental mercury level in the air of 20 μg/m3 or more for several years. Kidney effects have been reported, ranging from increased protein in the urine to kidney failure.

Civil Rights/Black Liberation:

The Courts Assuming Legislative and Executive Powers: Right-Wing Appeals Court Judges Allow Abortion Pill Limits to Take Effect The decision upheld part of a ruling that halted the FDA’s decision allowing mifepristone to be distributed by mail.

Black Agenda Report

Labor:

Economy:

Michael Roberts Facebook Blog: UNCTAD follows the IMF and the World Bank with an even more pessimistic forecast for global growth this year – just 2.1%”This could set the world onto a recessionary track.”  With the era of cheap credit coming to an end at a time of “polycrisis” and growing geopolitical tensions, the risk of systemic calamities cannot be ruled out.The damage to developing countries from unforeseen shocks, particularly where indebtedness is already a source of distress, will be heavy and lasting.      Without the kind of financial safety net enjoyed by private actors in advanced economies, the year ahead will be a challenging one even for those developing countries not in immediate distress. In this sense, inequalities, both within and across countries, that emerged with the lop-sided recovery from the pandemic, are likely to increase.     Over the last decade, debt servicing costs have consistently increased relative to public expenditure on essential services. The number of countries spending more on external public debt service than healthcare increased from 34 to 62 during this period.”

Shadow Government Statistice Alternate Inflation Charts The CPI chart on the home page reflects our estimate of inflation for today as if it were calculated the same way it was in 1990. The CPI on the Alternate Data Series tab here reflects the CPI as if it were calculated using the methodologies in place in 1980. In general terms, methodological shifts in government reporting have depressed reported inflation, moving the concept of the CPI away from being a measure of the cost of living needed to maintain a constant standard of living.

Shadow Government Satatistics New “Daily Update” Coverage and Related Graphs  April 11, 2023  ©2023Shadowstats.com

  • Money Supply and The Monetary Base February 2023 U.S. Systemic Liquidity Held AT A 52-YEAR HIGH Relative Systemic Liquidity is measured here as the ratio of Basic M1 to total Money Supply M2 (or as a percent of).
  • Where Basic M1 is Currency plus Demand Deposits (Checking Accounts), the higher that ratio, the higher is Systemic Liquidity.

  • FEBRUARY 2023 MONEY SUPPLY AND PRELIMINARY MARCH 2023 MONETARY BASE March 28th and April 10th, — (released March 28th, Federal Reserve Board [FRB], with ShadowStats Supplement) February 2023 Money Supply activity reflected a continuing and intensifying 52-year record-high flight to liquidity in “Basic M1” (Currency plus).

New Bombshells Filed in Court in the Jeffrey Epstein/JPMorgan Child Sex Trafficking Case Jamie Dimon, the Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, is desperately attempting to redirect the media’s focus to anything other than two federal lawsuits that name his bank as a knowing facilitator and cash conduit for Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring. One lawsuit has been filed by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands where Epstein owned an island-compound and air-lifted young girls in and out. The other lawsuit has been filed by an alleged underage victim of Epstein’s, Jane Doe 1.

World:

Settlers Get Away With Terrorizing Palestinian Children Under Israeli Apartheid Under a militarized legal system, Palestinians face mass incarceration and torture as settlers attack with impunity. Palestinian children living in the occupied West Bank cannot walk to school without a military escort, assuming their classrooms have not been demolished or confiscated by Israelis in the first place. Palestinian kids face constant attacks and harassment from violent Israeli “settlers” pushing to colonize the West Bank with illegal settlements, if not wipe Palestine off the map altogether.     Last month, weeks before the latest outbreak of regional violence made headlines, settlers attacked international activists accompanying a young Palestinian girl on the outskirts of Masafer Yatta, a collection of hamlets in the southern West Bank. Cassandra Dixon, a 64-year-old interfaith human rights defender from the United States, was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken skull after a settler beat her repeatedly with a heavy stick. Another settler threatened the child with an iron bar, but a fellow activist managed to carry her to safety.

Burmese Junta Escalates Attack on Resistance: Bombs Civilians, Killing 100 The junta increasingly uses airstrikes to crush resistance, targeting schools and clinics run by the opposition.     Burma’s military junta carried out its deadliest attack yet on civilians in rebel-held areas when it bombed a meeting of community leaders Tuesday in the Sagaing region, killing an estimated 100 people, including 30 children. The military junta has increasingly used airstrikes to crush the resistance since it seized power in 2021, often targeting schools and clinics run by the opposition. The United Nations has warned of worsening humanitarian and human rights crises in Burma, with mass arrests, torture of prisoners, the killing of civilians, and media repression. To discuss this latest attack and the ongoing crisis in Burma, we’re joined by Maung Zarni, a Burmese scholar, dissident and human rights activist. His recent piece is titled “Myanmar Military’s Acts of Terrorism from the Sky & Savage Beheadings on the Ground.”

Education. Health, and Welfare:

The government of the United States can pass laws in a few days to spend tens of trillions of dollars for war and the bailout of Wall Street and the bankers. Yet, those who, pass universal healthcare for themselves, but cannot spend even one trillion dollars for universal health for those who are ‘governed’! This is what is considered, by the powers to be,  a democracy and part of the democratic way. — Roland Sheppard, Let the People  Vote on Healthcare  

The Looming Threat of Antibiotic Tolerance It can lead to antibiotic resistance, which has killed millions, and yet researchers have only recently begun to explore it.  Have you ever had a nasty infection that just won’t seem to go away? Or a runny nose that keeps coming back? You may have been dealing with a bacterium that is tolerant of, though not yet resistant to, antibiotics.     Antibiotic resistance is a huge problem, contributing to nearly 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019. But antibiotic tolerance is a covert threat that researchers have only recently begun to explore.     Antibiotic tolerance happens when a bacterium manages to survive for a long time after being exposed to an antibiotic. While antibiotic-resistant bacteria flourish even in the presence of an antibiotic, tolerant bacteria often exist in a dormant state, neither growing nor dying but putting up with the antibiotic until they can “reawaken” once the stress is gone. Tolerance has been linked to the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Where Is My Mind? Researchers Have Found This Chemical May Be Driving Up Cases Of The Fastest-Growing Neurological Condition In The World  Yesterday (April 11) was World Parkinson’s Day.     Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and debilitating neurological disorder affecting millions of people throughout the world.     Despite significant advancements in treatment, there is still no known cure for the disease, and those living with Parkinson’s must navigate its ongoing impact on their health and well-being.    The number of people with PD has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and experts believe it will double again by 2040, making it the fastest growing brain disease in the world.     Today, PD affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide.     Yet the causes of this degenerative condition remain unclear. Researchers theorize that a combination of genetic and environmental factors are at play.     A new study published last month, calls out an invisible cause—trichloroethylene (TCE), a ubiquitous chemical that has contaminated countless sites, tainted drinking water, and posed health risks to those who are, often unknowingly, exposed via their work or their environment.     For the study, a team of international researchers reviewed previous research and cited data that suggests TCE is associated with as much as a 500 percent increased risk for PD.