Tuesday’s news links – Sept. 14, 2021

Revolt of the NYC delivery workers The Verge

Ubiquitous Surveillance and Civil Rights Infringements: A Tragic Legacy of 9/11 Gotham Gazette

‘Why am I still being punished?’: how a 1996 law makes it harder for former drug felons to get food in the US Guardian

Up to Half of the $14 Trillion Spent by Pentagon Since 9/11 Has Gone to War Profiteers Common Dreams

A new analysis shows that a “large portion” of Pentagon contracts in recent years have gone to just five companies: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman.

Americans Expect their Earnings to Get Whacked by Red-Hot Inflation, Blow Off Fed’s Sermons about “Temporary” Wolf Street

Shortages of everyday products have become the new normal. Why they won’t end soon. Jaana Remes and Sajal Kohli

Cuba

Cuba to receive 8.7 million syringes thanks to solidarity Prensa Latina

New Comprehensive Research Shows ‘Sonic Attack’ Claims Were False Kawsachun News

Palestine

Activists Rally in US Cities in Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners Palestine Chronicle

#COVID19

Delta variant vaccinated vs. unvaccinated: This new CDC chart shows how well COVID-19 vaccines work FastCompany

Fully vaccinated individuals have a much greater chance of not being impacted by COVID-19, whether that impact is via infection, hospitalization, or death.

FDA vaccine regulators argue against Covid-19 vaccine boosters in new international review STAT

A group of international experts — including, notably, two outgoing Food and Drug Administration vaccine regulators — argues in a new paper against offering Covid-19 vaccine boosters to the general population. The paper, published Monday in the Lancet, is based on a review of available data about the durability of vaccine protection. That it was co-authored by Marion Gruber and Phil Krause, two veteran FDA officials who have been leading the agency’s review of Covid-19 vaccine applications, amounts to a strikingly direct rebuff to the Biden administration as it lays plans for booster shots. Gruber and Krause announced last month they would be leaving the agency this fall.

The Huge Economic Stakes Behind Joe Biden’s Vaccine Mandate John Cassidy

In announcing the new vaccine mandate and other covid policies, the White House promoted them as public-health measures. But Biden’s economic advisers, who didn’t appear at Thursday’s announcement, have long shared Goolsbee’s belief that checking the virus is of paramount importance for reviving the economy. The recovery “will not be complete until the public health situation is under control,” Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, wrote in a blog post after the release of the disappointing August job figures.

China successfully controlled COVID-19: This is how they were able to do it. Life is back to normal! Rafa Goes Around! (on YouTube)

Big Pharma — How much power do drug companies have? DW (on YouTube)

Big Pharma is crooked and has been massively inflating prices, plus some of their drugs are dangerous, which they have been covering up.

Many drug regulatory agencies have become corrupted by the pharmaceutical companies.

The pharmaceutical industry exerts a huge amount of influence on health policy. Some companies develop highly profitable drugs with public money, while others have been found to have covered up serious side effects.

The fight against Covid-19 is further fueling the greed of pharmaceutical companies. Does the industry’s influence threaten public health systems?

The industry has seen major changes in the last decade. Most of the world’s pharmaceuticals are produced by a handful of large corporations, so-called Big Pharma. They’re richer and more powerful than ever. In some cases, they can even call the shots on governmental health policies.

This documentary is the result of more than a year of research, and brings together patients, whistleblowers, lawyers, doctors and politicians, as well as representatives of the industry. Large laboratories are accused of concealing or downplaying research results to maintain their monopolies. Take the manufacturer Sanofi, whose epilepsy drug Depakine triggered a scandal throughout Europe. In the US, Johnson & Johnson has had to stand trial for driving millions of people into opioid addiction. And Novartis is one of several companies now facing huge fines over improper practices in the treatment of macular degeneration, an eye disease.

The pharmaceutical industry gets support from influential doctors. But only one-fifth of German doctors declare what they receive from drug companies. As the world battles the Coronavirus pandemic, this documentary also looks at the lobbying efforts of manufacturer Gilead, as it seeks approval for a promising drug developed largely with public money. Every company is vying to find the next miracle treatment that will help it succeed against the competition.

The Historical Backdrop to the Coup in Myanmar Yanis Iqbal

See yesterday’s news links here

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