LIFE UNDER CAPITALISM

ERIC ZUESSE—Biden has the same holier-than-thou ‘policy’ on Iran: he demands that though the U.S. — under Trump — broke the Iran deal, America won’t even negotiate for a return to it unless Iran will first come back into full compliance with it and (in addition) reduce its missile forces (which weren’t part of that deal). On March 19th, the Washington Post headlined “Biden’s window with Iran is starting to close”.

The big bully, the U.S., under its new President, is having a big tantrum. So: What’s new? How will he respond when the nations that he hates and demands to conquer reject what he ‘offers’ for their capitulation? Will it be yet more invasions by the U.S.? Whom will that benefit, except, perhaps, corporations such as Lockheed Martin?

As regards Putin’s offer to have a live telecast debate with Biden, the White House promptly said that the U.S. President is too busy to do that.

MoA—There is an additional passage of interest which sets out rules for future talks that I have not seen reported in ‘western’ media:

I know that the United States and its leaders are determined to maintain certain relations with us, but on matters that are of interest to the United States and on its terms. Even though they believe we are just like them, we are different. We have a different genetic, cultural and moral code. But we know how to uphold our interests. We will work with the United States, but in the areas that we are interested in and on terms that we believe are beneficial to us. They will have to reckon with it despite their attempts to stop our development, despite the sanctions and insults. They will have to reckon with this.

We, with our national interests in mind, will promote our relations with all countries, including the United States.

GLENN GREENWALD—In a January Wall Street Journal op-ed, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Yale Law School’s constitutional scholar Jed Rubenfeld warned that Congress is rapidly approaching this constitutional boundary if it has not already transgressed it. “Using a combination of statutory inducements and regulatory threats,” the duo wrote, “Congress has co-opted Silicon Valley to do through the back door what government cannot directly accomplish under the Constitution.” Added: Deleted: That article compiled just a small sample of case law making clear that efforts to coerce private actors to censor speech implicate core First Amendment free speech guarantees.

According to Washington correspondent John Solomon, last night the White House confirmed the declassification of the FBI’s entire Russia Probe cache of files and documents. The documents will be released over the coming days, and will contain a number of revelations of the FBI’s shambolic investigation and the full scope of the Obama administration and Democratic Party official Russiagate hoax.

Revelations found in remaining FBI documents are said to reveal how the Hillary Clinton camp initially invented the ‘Russian collusion’ hoax to deflect from her own crippling scandals.

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE—We’re so far from justice that even the table scraps of “You’re too crazy to extradite” are welcomed. You want justice? Free Assange, shower him with awards and compensation, and lock up everyone who helped persecute him. That would be justice. Then you’d be getting somewhere.