WSWS (2021-12-31). Sri Lankan and Indian ruling elites whip up national rivalry between poverty-stricken fishing communities. wsws.org The ongoing military harassment of Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen highlight the reactionary and irrational character of the arbitrary national borders maintained by the ruling classes in both countries.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Scientists denounce French government's inaction amid Omicron wave. wsws.org Only a mobilization of the working class can smash the resistance of the financial aristocracy to health measures scientists are demanding to prevent a surge in deaths.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Stop the reopening of New York City schools! Mobilize the working class to save lives, not profits! wsws.org If the pandemic is ever to be brought under control, the policies taken must be motivated by an entirely different set of social interests than the profit motive, which has blocked all measures to contain the virus.

WSWS (2021-12-31). Workers respond to Socialist Equality Party open letter calling for movement to end the pandemic. wsws.org Educators, pharmacy techs, nursing home and manufacturing workers responded with interest and enthusiasm to Thursday's statement from the Socialist Equality Party, "An open letter to the working class: The pandemic must be ended and lives saved in 2022!"

Richard D. Wolff (2021-12-30). A critique of obscene wealth. canadiandimension.com The obscenely rich have driven economies and societies further from anything remotely resembling a "level playing field," writes Richard Wolff. Photo by aisletwentytwo/ Wherever an…

WSWS (2021-12-30). Daily COVID-19 infections near 1 million as Omicron wave engulfs Europe. wsws.org Without a mass mobilization of the working class to impose a scientific health policy, Europe faces a collapse of hospitals and horrific levels of death.

WSWS (2021-12-30). An open letter to the working class: The pandemic must be ended and lives saved in 2022! wsws.org As we approach the end of the year, workers in the United States and throughout the world must decide to act collectively and finally put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Richard D. Wolff (2021-12-30). A critique of obscene wealth. canadiandimension.com The obscenely rich have driven economies and societies further from anything remotely resembling a "level playing field," writes Richard Wolff. Photo by aisletwentytwo/ Wherever an…

WSWS (2021-12-30). An open letter to the working class: The pandemic must be ended and lives saved in 2022! wsws.org As we approach the end of the year, workers in the United States and throughout the world must decide to act collectively and finally put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WSWS (2021-12-30). Daily COVID-19 infections near 1 million as Omicron wave engulfs Europe. wsws.org Without a mass mobilization of the working class to impose a scientific health policy, Europe faces a collapse of hospitals and horrific levels of death.

teleSUR Desk (2021-12-29). Chaos, poverty and hunger — The U.S. legacy in Afghanistan. mronline.org The U.S.-led mission fled the Afghanistan front of their so-called "war on terror," leaving nothing but trash, extreme poverty and universal unemployment.

Ann Brown (2021-12-29). College Debt Moratorium: Only 10 Percent Of Benefits Goes To Bottom 40 Percent Of Families. moguldom.com Calls for a national student loan debt forgiveness program have grown louder over the last year. Some advocates say such a program would help close the racial wealth gap, but new research shows otherwise. So who would benefit from a college debt moratorium? Americans owe more than $1.59 trillion in student loan debt with Black …

Off the 99 (2021-12-29). In the Wake of Rebellion: An Analysis of Abolitionist and Antifascist Currents in Modesto in 2021. itsgoingdown.org A look at autonomous abolitionist and antifascist organizing in the Modesto area of California over the course of 2021. Originally posted to Off the 99. The police murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the subsequent rebellion that followed saw a new wave of working-class self-activity hit the so-called Central Valley, which was met in…

Paulo Cabral (2021-12-29). New Brazilian form of opportunity for businesses started in the slums. america.cgtn.com In Brazil, there's a new stock market for businesses, started in slums. It's working to encourage entrepreneurship and bring social change to those communities. Find out more.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Volkswagen workers kept in the dark following new union-management consultations on restructuring. wsws.org As COVID-19 spreads unchecked in schools and factories, Volkswagen workers are facing unprecedented attacks on their jobs and working conditions.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-29). Afghan women protest continued denial of rights, extrajudicial killings. peoplesdispatch.org Contrary to its promises, the Taliban government has failed to reopen most of the girls' schools that were shut following its takeover and end restrictions on women working outside their homes. The government has also announced fresh curbs on the movement of women…

Answer Coalition (2021-12-29). Workers in South Korea continue to struggle for equality January 15. answercoalition.org In 13 regions through the Republic of Korea (South Korea), workers at the 2021 People's Congress rededicated their commitment to struggling for economic and social justice in the country. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is preparing for significant demonstrations in Seoul January 15, which are being organized around the slogan, "Let's overthrow inequality through general unity with the people!" The KCTU is the largest umbrella organization of trade unions in the south. | The upcoming action follows the October 20 general strike, the November 17 peasant demonstrations, and the December 2 poor pe…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-29). Hisham Abu Hawwash to continue hunger strike until definitive release. peoplesdispatch.org Abu Hawwash has been on a hunger strike for 135 days protesting his illegal administrative detention and has vowed to continue until he is granted complete freedom…

teleSUR (2021-12-29). Palestinian Prisoner On Hunger Strike Lost Speech And Vision. telesurenglish.net With his health seriously deteriorating, Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash spent 135 days on Wednesday on a hunger strike in protest against the administrative detention imposed by the Israeli authorities without specifying charges against him or allowing him to have a proper trial. | RELATED: | The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported that Abu Hawash was transferred to a hospital due to his critical…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-29). South African court halts Shell's oil exploration, seismic blasting and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org Today we look at an interdict order against Shell's seismic surveys in South Africa, the months-long hunger strike by Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash, and more…

teleSUR Desk (2021-12-29). Chaos, poverty and hunger — The U.S. legacy in Afghanistan. mronline.org The U.S.-led mission fled the Afghanistan front of their so-called "war on terror," leaving nothing but trash, extreme poverty and universal unemployment.

WSWS (2021-12-29). San Diego sanitation workers continue strike for wages and safe working conditions. wsws.org San Diego waste management workers went on strike against Republic Services the day after the Teamsters union shut down another strike by Republic workers in Orange County.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Australian SEP supporters: "The only force that can free Assange is the international working class" wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party is today publishing further comments from WSWS readers and supporters of the fight to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Apple employees mount one-day strike on Christmas Eve to demand COVID-19 protections and better working conditions. wsws.org Employees at the tech company Apple launched a one-day strike on December 24 to demand improvements in their wages, benefits and working conditions.

WSWS (2021-12-29). Volkswagen workers kept in the dark following new union-management consultations on restructuring. wsws.org As COVID-19 spreads unchecked in schools and factories, Volkswagen workers are facing unprecedented attacks on their jobs and working conditions.

Michael Arria (2021-12-29). How Can Workers in "The Great Resignation" Harness Leverage Long-Term? zcomm.org If we don't organize and either get living-wage laws passed, or minimum wage drastically increased, [all] of these gains, especially adjusted for inflation, are just going to be lost."

_____ (2021-12-28). The Radical Legacy Of New York's Winter Rent Strike. popularresistance.org From 26 December 1907 to 9 January 1908, 10,000 tenants, predominantly Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe living in New York City's Lower East Side, took part in a historic rent strike. During an economic depression causing mass unemployment and grinding poverty, landlords tried to hike rents by thirty-three percent. With their cry to 'fight the landlord as they had the Czar', the tenants won a partial victory, with rents significantly reduced for 2,000 households. The movement established a tradition of militant working-class housing campaigns that eventually contributed to winning vital rent controls that st…

Editor (2021-12-28). The Oligarchy's Ultimate Political Weapon (Video). scheerpost.com Robert Reich / If you're discouraged by what's happening in the country, that is by design. The forces undermining our democracy, polluting our planet, and stoking hatred are counting on you to give up. But we must not let them. | They use their allies in political office to grind the gears of government to a halt, so people see government as the problem, not the solution. But if there's one thing we learned from this wretched pandemic, it's that government intervention can reduce poverty and suffering, and we can afford to pay for it. | They want us t…

_____ (2021-12-28). After Years Of Setbacks, US Labor Demonstrates Its Power. popularresistance.org For many workers, the pandemic revealed the cruelty of capitalism. Mainstream media and politicians campaigned for a return to business as usual during this second year of COVID. In particular, workers, called "essential" and "heroes" during the pandemic, were expected to continue sacrificing the most while receiving the least in pay and benefits. At the same time, the world's biggest corporations made record-breaking profits and the richest individuals saw their wealth multiply.

_____ (2021-12-28). Richard Wolff: US Capitalism Has Peaked And Is On The Way Down'. popularresistance.org For the end of the year, Clearing the FOG speaks with economist Richard Wolff about the current state of United States capitalism. Wolff explains that the United States is experiencing the greatest crisis in its history – a severe economic crisis at the same time as a pandemic, as well as the climate crisis. This is unprecedented. Unlike the great depression in the last century, when the wealth divide shrank, inequality is worsening. On top of that, US empire is in decline. Wolff discusses the current state of inflation and supply chain disruption and the forces behind them. Instead of facing up to these realitie…

_____ (2021-12-28). Are Nonbank Mortgage Lenders Good For Minority Borrowers? popularresistance.org A loan officer at a mortgage company questions a Black loan applicant about household debts, but subsequently invites a less creditworthy white borrower to fill out an application with "no inquiry about credit standing or debts." He then offers to walk the same white homebuyer through the loan application and preapproval process and follows up with personal emails. The Black borrower receives neither offers of extra help nor emails from the lender. | This unequal treatment played out in Seattle, Washington, and was part of a study in which testers with white and Black-sounding names and similar credit and asset p…

Eshalaxmi Barlingay (2021-12-28). 2021 Year in Review: Afghanistan. america.cgtn.com Four and a half months after the Taliban take-over in Afghanistan, the government is working to improve the country's dire economic situation with little international assistance. With many challenges on the ground, millions of Afghans are still struggling to make a living. Earlier this month, …

Newsroom (2021-12-28). How Has Corporate Training Changed After The Pandemic. moderndiplomacy.eu The training and development of employees is an integral part of the working pedagogy of any organization. Right training and development are enough to propel any company to the path of success and enhanced profitability. When employees are equipped with the right skills and up-to-date knowledge, they are better able to navigate through their jobs, …

WSWS (2021-12-28). Australian governments let loose soaring COVID-19 infections. wsws.org There is shock and outrage among health workers, medical experts and working-class people as governments wash their hands of the developing disaster.

Editor (2021-12-28). Whatever Happened to 'Eight Hours for What You Will'? scheerpost.com Strikes and the pandemic are exposing how many of us, from Frito-Lay and Nabisco factories to movie sets, are working 12-hour shifts, sometimes for many days in a row. Photo: Topeka Frito-Lay Union Members Appreciation Page | By Barbara Madeloni / When Frank Carrico talks about why he and his co-workers at the Heaven Hill distillery

Amanda Winstead (2021-12-28). Challenges homeless people face in getting jobs. nationofchange.org All too often, homeless persons are unfairly blamed for their plight.

WSWS (2021-12-28). Making a killing: Pfizer's domination of the market for COVID jabs. wsws.org Blocking the transfer of vaccine technology, together with the practice of selling to the highest bidder, creating grotesque levels of vaccine inequality, have been critical factors in enabling the conditions for the Omicron variant to emerge.

_____ (2021-12-28). Richard Wolff: US Capitalism Has Peaked And Is On The Way Down'. popularresistance.org For the end of the year, Clearing the FOG speaks with economist Richard Wolff about the current state of United States capitalism. Wolff explains that the United States is experiencing the greatest crisis in its history – a severe economic crisis at the same time as a pandemic, as well as the climate crisis. This is unprecedented. Unlike the great depression in the last century, when the wealth divide shrank, inequality is worsening. On top of that, US empire is in decline. Wolff discusses the current state of inflation and supply chain disruption and the forces behind them. Instead of facing up to these realitie…

Amanda Winstead (2021-12-28). Challenges homeless people face in getting jobs. nationofchange.org All too often, homeless persons are unfairly blamed for their plight.

Newsroom (2021-12-28). How Has Corporate Training Changed After The Pandemic. moderndiplomacy.eu The training and development of employees is an integral part of the working pedagogy of any organization. Right training and development are enough to propel any company to the path of success and enhanced profitability. When employees are equipped with the right skills and up-to-date knowledge, they are better able to navigate through their jobs, …

WSWS (2021-12-28). Australian governments let loose soaring COVID-19 infections. wsws.org There is shock and outrage among health workers, medical experts and working-class people as governments wash their hands of the developing disaster.

Eshalaxmi Barlingay (2021-12-28). 2021 Year in Review: Afghanistan. america.cgtn.com Four and a half months after the Taliban take-over in Afghanistan, the government is working to improve the country's dire economic situation with little international assistance. With many challenges on the ground, millions of Afghans are still struggling to make a living. Earlier this month, …

WSWS (2021-12-28). Making a killing: Pfizer's domination of the market for COVID jabs. wsws.org Blocking the transfer of vaccine technology, together with the practice of selling to the highest bidder, creating grotesque levels of vaccine inequality, have been critical factors in enabling the conditions for the Omicron variant to emerge.

Brasil de Fato (2021-12-27). Amidst the chaos of 2021, movements remember victories that helped the people of Brazil. peoplesdispatch.org The year 2021 was full of bad news for Brazilians. The effects of the global pandemic were made much worse due to the gross negligence of the federal government of Jair Bolsonaro leaving no sector untouched. The country reached the sad milestone of 600,000 deaths by coronavirus, the Bolsonaro administrations's avaricious quest for natural resource wealth coupled with the expansion of agribusiness made the country's forests, green areas, and Indigenous and traditional communities victims of this violent offensive. | Despite this scenario, were there any victories? Brasil de Fato asked this question to four popular…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-27). Explained: Reasons behind the massive student debt crisis in the US. peoplesdispatch.org Why are so many American citizens under so much debt from trying to attain education? What is the structure of the education system which has led to this crisis?

Sarah Butrymowicz (2021-12-27). Tuition Debt Financing Companies Help For-Profit Colleges Stay in Business. truthout.org This story was produced by On a muggy June morning in 2019, administrators from for-profit colleges took their seats in breakout rooms on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency in downtown New Orleans. They had arrived for the Career Education Colleges and Universities trade association's annual convention and were getting ready to choos…

Dana Sanchez (2021-12-27). TikTok Beat Google As The Internet's Most Visited Site In 2021. moguldom.com TikTok, the short-form video-sharing and social networking app that has made people famous for lip-synching, hugging animals, or peeling a banana, is more popular than Google. Taking over the internet toward the end of 2021, TikTok became a more dominant domain than Alphabet's Google, the world's No. 1 search engine, which owns 86 percent of …

_____ (2021-12-27). Berliners Win Vote To Expropriate Housing From Corporate Landlords. What's Next? popularresistance.org On 26 September, Berliners voted to expropriate housing from corporate landlords. This referendum became possible after years of struggle to make housing in the city affordable and available to all again. To understand the issue and the movement that led to this vote, Peoples Dispatch spoke to Anisia Petcu, an activist in the expropriation campaign. She works primarily in the working group Right to the City for All, which focuses on facilitating and amplifying the voices of people without German citizenship within the referendum campaign.

_____ (2021-12-27). Berliners Win Vote To Expropriate Housing From Corporate Landlords. popularresistance.org On 26 September, Berliners voted to expropriate housing from corporate landlords. This referendum became possible after years of struggle to make housing in the city affordable and available to all again. To understand the issue and the movement that led to this vote, Peoples Dispatch spoke to Anisia Petcu, an activist in the expropriation campaign. She works primarily in the working group Right to the City for All, which focuses on facilitating and amplifying the voices of people without German citizenship within the referendum campaign.

_____ (2021-12-27). Improvements For NYC's Delivery Workers' Safety And Working Conditions To Start In January. popularresistance.org A slate of city laws for delivery workers is set to kick in the new year and will roll out in stages, commencing in January with more oversight of the delivery apps and increased transparency for the more than 65,000 delivery workers in New York City. | Starting next month, delivery apps must be licensed by the city to operate in the five boroughs. By January 24th, licensed apps that take customer orders directly will be required to notify delivery workers how much each customer tips for each delivery, and the total pay and tips for the previous day. The city will now require that restaurants provide the delivery…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-27). President Maduro Will Travel to Iran to Accelerate Cooperation. libya360.wordpress.com Kawsachun News President Nicolas Maduro has announced upcoming travel Iran "to accelerate the processes of cooperation at all levels and to sign agreements." In an interview for Al Mayadeen, the Venezuelan president said that the Joint Commission between Iran and Venezuela is working on new plans for relations and cooperation. "Very soon I am going…

Final Straw (2021-12-27). Final Straw: Housing Struggles in Asheville. itsgoingdown.org Long-running anarchist radio and podcast The Final Straw speaks with people involved in resisting homeless sweeps and housing crisis in so-called Asheville, NC. photo: Asheville Solidarity Network This week on the show, you'll hear from Doug, Onion and Papi, three folks involved in the Aston Park Build, a daily event to hold space in Aston…

Jamal Rich (2021-12-27). Homeless for the holidays: D.C. to continue encampment evictions during pandemic. peoplesworld.org

_____ (2021-12-27). Media Forget Afghan Plight As US Sanctions Drive Mass Famine Risk. popularresistance.org As the United States withdrew militarily from Afghanistan in August, US TV news interest in the plight of the country's citizens spiked, often focusing on "the horror awaiting women and girls" (CNN Situation Room, 8/16/21) to argue against withdrawal (FAIR.org, 8/23/21). | Four months later, as those same citizens have been plunged into a humanitarian crisis due in no small part to US sanctions, where is the outrage? | Experts warned of an impending humanitarian crisis in the wake of the US withdrawal (IRC, 8/20/21). In recent months, the messages have become more urgent. A UN report (10/25/21) warned that "combi…

Labor Video Project (2021-12-27). Sausalito Homeless Protest Police Attacks & Arrest Of Journalist Jeremy Portje. indybay.org Homeless are under attack in Sausalito as well as an independent journalist Jeremy Portje. California Homeless Union counsel Anthony Price is interviewed about these struggles.

Julia Conley (2021-12-26). Desmond Tutu, Fierce Opponent of South African and Israeli Apartheid, Dies at 90. truthout.org Leaving behind a legacy of fighting for oppressed people in South Africa and around the world, Archbishop Desmond Tutu died Sunday at age 90 in Cape Town, South Africa. The cause was reportedly cancer. | Advocates for human rights, health equity, economic justice, and nonviolence honored Tutu, who helped lead the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was formed afterwards. | The Elders, the independent group of global leaders working for j…

Liberation Staff (2021-12-26). Socialists distribute essentials, build working-class solidarity during holiday season. liberationnews.org These actions include coat and clothing distributions, toy and gift drives, serving breakfast in homeless shelters, and providing household essentials to working-class residents.

Newsroom (2021-12-26). The Future of Work is About People, not Tech. moderndiplomacy.eu The future of work—with advanced technologies and new working arrangements—is here and is changing economic opportunities and employment relationships. However, according to the 2021 APEC Economic Policy Report, certain economic structures, laws and institutions across APEC remain products of the past. The report highlighted four megadrivers of the future of work. These are technological change, climate …

Fight Back (2021-12-26). FRSO greetings to Communist Party of the Philippines on 53rd anniversary. fightbacknews.org From: Freedom Road Socialist Organization | To: Communist Party of the Philippines | Dear Comrades, | The leadership and members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization send our warm and militant greetings to the Communist Party of the Philippines on the occasion of the of your 53rd anniversary and we wish the CPP every success in developing the people's democratic revolution. | Working and oppressed people around the world, including here in the U.S., take inspiration from heroic struggle of the people of the Philippines and the great advances made by the CPP. Your party has grown from a relatively small organiza…

Newsroom (2021-12-26). The Future of Work is About People, not Tech. moderndiplomacy.eu The future of work—with advanced technologies and new working arrangements—is here and is changing economic opportunities and employment relationships. However, according to the 2021 APEC Economic Policy Report, certain economic structures, laws and institutions across APEC remain products of the past. The report highlighted four megadrivers of the future of work. These are technological change, climate …

Julia Conley (2021-12-26). Desmond Tutu, Fierce Opponent of South African and Israeli Apartheid, Dies at 90. truthout.org Leaving behind a legacy of fighting for oppressed people in South Africa and around the world, Archbishop Desmond Tutu died Sunday at age 90 in Cape Town, South Africa. The cause was reportedly cancer. | Advocates for human rights, health equity, economic justice, and nonviolence honored Tutu, who helped lead the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was formed afterwards. | The Elders, the independent group of global leaders working for j…

Fight Back (2021-12-26). FRSO greetings to Communist Party of the Philippines on 53rd anniversary. fightbacknews.org From: Freedom Road Socialist Organization | To: Communist Party of the Philippines | Dear Comrades, | The leadership and members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization send our warm and militant greetings to the Communist Party of the Philippines on the occasion of the of your 53rd anniversary and we wish the CPP every success in developing the people's democratic revolution. | Working and oppressed people around the world, including here in the U.S., take inspiration from heroic struggle of the people of the Philippines and the great advances made by the CPP. Your party has grown from a relatively small organiza…

_____ (2021-12-25). The Real Antidote To Inflation. popularresistance.org The Federal Reserve is caught between a rock and a hard place. Inflation grew by 6.8% in November, the fastest in 40 years, a trend the Fed has now acknowledged is not "transitory." The conventional theory is that inflation is due to too much money chasing too few goods, so the Fed is under heavy pressure to "tighten" or shrink the money supply. Its conventional tools for this purpose are to reduce asset purchases and raise interest rates. But corporate debt has risen by $1.3 trillion just since early 2020; so if the Fed raises rates, a massive wave of defaults is likely to result. According to financial advisor…

Editor2 (2021-12-25). 'These People Lived Under Terrorist Rule'. orinocotribune.com Ordinary Syrians have a different take from Western commentators on the events of 2016 when Aleppo was retaken by government forces. Patrik Paulov reports | WHAT happened when the Syrian army took control of eastern Aleppo five years ago? Was there a massacre with 50,000 victims? Did Putin and Assad wipe out the city? | The Swedish peace researcher Jan Oberg, head of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, was present in Aleppo in December 2016. | An emotional taxi driver told him that the liberation of eastern Aleppo was one of the three biggest events of his life. The others were the day he…

Brett Wilkins (2021-12-25). Apple Workers Held Christmas Eve Walkout for Their Safety Amid Holiday Shopping. truthout.org A group of Apple employees organized a Christmas Eve walkout, demanding better working conditions and calling on customers to not shop in the tech giant's retail or online stores. | "We are Apple," Apple Together, the group organizing the walkout, The worke…

Brett Wilkins (2021-12-25). Apple Workers Held Christmas Eve Walkout for Their Safety Amid Holiday Shopping. truthout.org A group of Apple employees organized a Christmas Eve walkout, demanding better working conditions and calling on customers to not shop in the tech giant's retail or online stores. | "We are Apple," Apple Together, the group organizing the walkout, The worke…

_____ (2021-12-25). The Real Antidote To Inflation. popularresistance.org The Federal Reserve is caught between a rock and a hard place. Inflation grew by 6.8% in November, the fastest in 40 years, a trend the Fed has now acknowledged is not "transitory." The conventional theory is that inflation is due to too much money chasing too few goods, so the Fed is under heavy pressure to "tighten" or shrink the money supply. Its conventional tools for this purpose are to reduce asset purchases and raise interest rates. But corporate debt has risen by $1.3 trillion just since early 2020; so if the Fed raises rates, a massive wave of defaults is likely to result. According to financial advisor…

_____ (2021-12-24). Amazon Warehouse Workers Walk Off The Job In Illinois. popularresistance.org On Wednesday morning, several dozen Amazon workers at two separate Chicago-area delivery stations staged a walkout to demand raises and safer working conditions, making it the first time the tech giant has seen a multi-site work stoppage in the United States. | Coming just three days before Christmas to ensure maximum impact, the action caps a year of intense organizing and protest by Amazon warehouse workers who have been on the frontlines of both the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather events. | Organized by the labor network Amazonians United, the walkouts occurred during the morning shifts at the company's…

Jay Janson (2021-12-24). No USA Christmas Love for Afghans, Venezuelans, Cubans, Syrians, Iranians, and North Koreans. dissidentvoice.org This Christmas season, as always, CIA controlled mainstream media is filled with unctuous images of the hungry homeless in America being charitably served food by private citizens and institutions. It has long become an American tradition of kindness during the season celebrating the birth of all loving Jesus along with gift giving Santa Claus, and …

Lucrecia Franco (2021-12-24). Fighting hunger in Brazil. america.cgtn.com Nearly 60 million people across Latin America are currently not getting enough to eat, according to a recent United Nations report. In Brazil, the region's largest and most populous country, the number of people enduring hunger is dramatic. Against this backdrop, a Christmas food donation …

Jake Johnson (2021-12-24). Sanders Takes Aim at Manchin's Argument Against Build Back Better: "Not True" truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday countered fellow Sen. Joe Manchin's recent Fox News appearance with an "Manchin, the Republicans, and corporate America say this bill will add to our national debt and make inflation worse. Not true," wrote Sanders (…

WSWS (2021-12-24). To oppose government austerity, Sri Lankan workers need to build action committees and fight for socialist policies. wsws.org The critical lesson of this year's strikes and protests is that determination and militancy is not enough. The working class cannot defend its rights without independently mobilising on a socialist program.

WSWS (2021-12-24). An intensive care physician's report to the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org The physician's report clearly shows the ongoing physical and psychological strains for those working in intensive care and why the path to the elimination of COVID-19 can only proceed via the independent mobilisation of the working class.

teleSUR (2021-12-24). 'Bolsonaro Is a Psychopath': Lula Da Silva Says. telesurenglish.net Brazil's former President Lula da Silva promised to repair the country and rid it of the "hate crisis" prompted by President Jair Bolsonaro, whom he described as a "psychopath". | RELATED: | "If we win the elections, we will dedicate every minute, every hour, every week to repairing this country," said the leader of the Workers' Party (PT), in a meeting with homeless people and waste pickers in Sao Paulo. | "Brazil…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-24). After repeated appeals, UNSC approves resolution for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. peoplesdispatch.org 22.8 million people in Afghanistan are facing potentially life-threatening food insecurity this winter. The World Food Programme has warned that 8.7 million people are nearing famine-like conditions.

Sarah Anderson (2021-12-24). Rev. Barber: 'Our Deadline is Victory'. inequality.org

_____ (2021-12-24). Former Hunger Strikers Reflect On Their Experiences. popularresistance.org The huelga de hambre has been used for thousands of years. It has won many struggles," said Ana Ramirez, 42, who fasted for 24 days this spring to demand that undocumented people and other excluded workers in New York receive stimulus and unemployment money. "Esther the reina won a battle with the hunger strike." | Ramirez is referring to Queen Esther of the Old Testament's Book of Esther. The queen and her supporters fasted for three days in advance of going to ask her husband, Persian King Ahasuerus, for permission to have her enemies — who were trying to wipe out all Jews in the empire — killed. Sh…

_____ (2021-12-24). Amazon Warehouse Workers Walk Off The Job In Illinois. popularresistance.org On Wednesday morning, several dozen Amazon workers at two separate Chicago-area delivery stations staged a walkout to demand raises and safer working conditions, making it the first time the tech giant has seen a multi-site work stoppage in the United States. | Coming just three days before Christmas to ensure maximum impact, the action caps a year of intense organizing and protest by Amazon warehouse workers who have been on the frontlines of both the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather events. | Organized by the labor network Amazonians United, the walkouts occurred during the morning shifts at the company's…

WSWS (2021-12-24). An intensive care physician's report to the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org The physician's report clearly shows the ongoing physical and psychological strains for those working in intensive care and why the path to the elimination of COVID-19 can only proceed via the independent mobilisation of the working class.

WSWS (2021-12-24). To oppose government austerity, Sri Lankan workers need to build action committees and fight for socialist policies. wsws.org The critical lesson of this year's strikes and protests is that determination and militancy is not enough. The working class cannot defend its rights without independently mobilising on a socialist program.

Jay Janson (2021-12-24). No USA Christmas Love for Afghans, Venezuelans, Cubans, Syrians, Iranians, and North Koreans. dissidentvoice.org This Christmas season, as always, CIA controlled mainstream media is filled with unctuous images of the hungry homeless in America being charitably served food by private citizens and institutions. It has long become an American tradition of kindness during the season celebrating the birth of all loving Jesus along with gift giving Santa Claus, and …

Sarah Anderson (2021-12-24). Rev. Barber: 'Our Deadline is Victory'. inequality.org

_____ (2021-12-24). Former Hunger Strikers Reflect On Their Experiences. popularresistance.org The huelga de hambre has been used for thousands of years. It has won many struggles," said Ana Ramirez, 42, who fasted for 24 days this spring to demand that undocumented people and other excluded workers in New York receive stimulus and unemployment money. "Esther the reina won a battle with the hunger strike." | Ramirez is referring to Queen Esther of the Old Testament's Book of Esther. The queen and her supporters fasted for three days in advance of going to ask her husband, Persian King Ahasuerus, for permission to have her enemies — who were trying to wipe out all Jews in the empire — killed. Sh…

Staff (2021-12-23). Pentagon Clamps Down on Extremism & White Supremacy After Dozens of Jan. 6 Rioters Had Military Ties. democracynow.org The Pentagon has announced new rules to slow the spread of extremism in the military, one of which will discipline soldiers for liking or resharing white nationalist and other extremist content on social media. The Pentagon announcement comes just two weeks before the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, where more than 80 of the 700 individuals charged with the attack had ties to the U.S. military. Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project Susan Corke says these rule changes are welcomed by her organization but don't go far enough to stop extremism in the armed forces. "It sh…

_____ (2021-12-23). Who Actually Owns Corporations, Anyway? popularresistance.org According to elementary students of economics and Wall Street financiers alike, the answer to this question is as simple as it is intuitive: the shareholders. The standard narrative goes like this: a share is a "piece of a company." Accordingly, the holders of those shares are the company's collective owners. Shareholder ownership explains why an army of retail investors coordinating trades on Reddit could claim they "owned a piece" of the struggling video game retailer GameStop and why Warren Buffet is as certain he "owns" companies as varied as GEICO and Dairy Queen as less wealthy Americans are certain they ow…

Dana Sanchez (2021-12-23). Silicon Valley Execs Quit Good-Paying Jobs For Crypto Startups, Quick Riches. moguldom.com Some of the biggest tech companies are scrambling to retain employees as a wave of engineers and executives quit jobs that pay as much as seven-figure salaries for what's seen as a once-in-a-generation opportunity — to join crypto startups. Stories of massive crypto wealth amassed by early investors in Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptos including …

Editor2 (2021-12-23). àÅlvaro García Linera: The Central Command of the Latin American Right is the US, not Spain. orinocotribune.com The conservative command of the Latin American right is in the United States, not in Spain. Vox is small and clumsy. On the other hand, Washington promotes a series of basic values: market, individuality, institutionality against social convulsions and wealth as the goal of life, affirms àÅlvaro García Linera. | The vice president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia between 2006 and 2019 is one of the most prominent contemporary leftist intellectuals. His extensive and provocative intellectual production is the result of a political commitment that led him to imprisonment for seven years and of a solid th…

Isheka N. Harrison (2021-12-23). NAACP President Sends Message To Biden: If You Can Afford To Pause Student Loan Payments Over And Over, You Can Cancel Them. moguldom.com Some rejoiced when President Joe Biden announced that he was extending the pause on making student loan payments for three additional months while others urged Biden to go further and cancel student loan debt altogether. Among the latter group are NAACP president Derrick Johnson and renowned wealth inequality expert and economist William "Sandy" Darity. Biden …

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-23). Working towards development and peace: Imperial and SDG 16. imperial.ac.uk Sustainable energy solutions for peacebuilding and supporting academics from at-risk areas: how Imperial is meeting Sustainable Development Goal 16.

teleSUR (2021-12-23). Venezuela To Vaccinate 90% Of Its Population To Face Omicron. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced that the first seven COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant were detected in citizens who traveled abroad and recently returned to the states of Miranda, Lara and Caracas. | RELATED: | "It was inevitable that Omicron would arrive in Venezuela. Therefore, we reiterate the call to reinforce biosecurity measures and vaccination. We continue working to care fo…

WSWS (2021-12-23). UK Tory government weaponises Christmas against COVID restrictions. wsws.org The government's brutal determination to keep the profits flowing at all costs is meeting widespread opposition. Workers are defying all instructions from the mass murderers in Westminster to just keep on shopping and socialising in pubs, clubs and restaurants. Millions have stopped using public transport, are working from home and are already limiting their contacts with other people.

WSWS (2021-12-23). As Omicron spreads, German intensive care workers warn of already intolerable working conditions. wsws.org An incendiary letter from intensive care nurses at a university clinic in Hamburg gives voice to the frustration and dissatisfaction widespread among nursing staff throughout Germany.

Staff (2021-12-23). Pentagon Clamps Down on Extremism & White Supremacy After Dozens of Jan. 6 Rioters Had Military Ties. democracynow.org The Pentagon has announced new rules to slow the spread of extremism in the military, one of which will discipline soldiers for liking or resharing white nationalist and other extremist content on social media. The Pentagon announcement comes just two weeks before the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, where more than 80 of the 700 individuals charged with the attack had ties to the U.S. military. Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project Susan Corke says these rule changes are welcomed by her organization but don't go far enough to stop extremism in the armed forces. "It sh…

_____ (2021-12-23). Who Actually Owns Corporations, Anyway? popularresistance.org According to elementary students of economics and Wall Street financiers alike, the answer to this question is as simple as it is intuitive: the shareholders. The standard narrative goes like this: a share is a "piece of a company." Accordingly, the holders of those shares are the company's collective owners. Shareholder ownership explains why an army of retail investors coordinating trades on Reddit could claim they "owned a piece" of the struggling video game retailer GameStop and why Warren Buffet is as certain he "owns" companies as varied as GEICO and Dairy Queen as less wealthy Americans are certain they ow…

WSWS (2021-12-23). As Omicron spreads, German intensive care workers warn of already intolerable working conditions. wsws.org An incendiary letter from intensive care nurses at a university clinic in Hamburg gives voice to the frustration and dissatisfaction widespread among nursing staff throughout Germany.

imperial.ac.uk (2021-12-23). Working towards development and peace: Imperial and SDG 16. imperial.ac.uk Sustainable energy solutions for peacebuilding and supporting academics from at-risk areas: how Imperial is meeting Sustainable Development Goal 16.

WSWS (2021-12-23). UK Tory government weaponises Christmas against COVID restrictions. wsws.org The government's brutal determination to keep the profits flowing at all costs is meeting widespread opposition. Workers are defying all instructions from the mass murderers in Westminster to just keep on shopping and socialising in pubs, clubs and restaurants. Millions have stopped using public transport, are working from home and are already limiting their contacts with other people.

teleSUR (2021-12-23). Venezuela To Vaccinate 90% Of Its Population To Face Omicron. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced that the first seven COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant were detected in citizens who traveled abroad and recently returned to the states of Miranda, Lara and Caracas. | RELATED: | "It was inevitable that Omicron would arrive in Venezuela. Therefore, we reiterate the call to reinforce biosecurity measures and vaccination. We continue working to care fo…

Brett Wilkins (2021-12-23). New Campaign for $15 Minimum Wage Kicks Off in Michigan. zcomm.org "Michigan persists as one of 43 states with a legacy of slavery—a subminimum wage—and a very low overall wage of just under $10 an hour. Neither is enough for people to live on."

WSWS (2021-12-22). Quebec's discriminatory Bill 21 causes hijab-clad teacher to be permanently removed from the classroom. wsws.org The decision to remove Fatemeh Anvari from her classroom underscores the reactionary aim of Bill 21, which is to foment hatred and prejudice against immigrants and religious minorities in order to divide the working class.

Dennis Broe (2021-12-22). The year in global streaming: Welcome to the Om(n)i(cron)verse. peoplesworld.org This year's Top 40 Serial TV Series unfolds against a background of continually rising inequality as Thomas Piketty (Capital in the 21st Century) and company released their figures charting global disparities exacerbated by COVID, front page news in Le Monde and ignored in the U.S. Billionaires have captured much more of the global wealth since …

Life Site News (2021-12-22). Top Pfizer, Moderna shareholders get richer quickly, make $10 billion the week after Omicron hits. globalresearch.ca The top eight Pfizer and Moderna shareholders saw their combined wealth rise by $10 billion in a seven-day windfall after the Omicron variant was discovered, according to a report in the

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teleSUR (2021-12-22). WHO: Warns Booster Campaigns Won't End the COVID-19 Pandemic. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, the WHO chief noted that the rush by wealthy countries to distribute additional COVID-19 jabs proliferates the inequity in accessing them. The United Nations health agency has warned about the inequalities that accessing Covid vaccines brings to the world, leaving too many people vulnerable in poorer nations. | RELATED: | "Blanket booster programs are likely to prolong the Covid-19 pandemic, rather tha…

Betsey Piette (2021-12-22). COVID-19 death of student propels teachers' walkout. workers.org Philadelphia The Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down a school mask mandate imposed by the Commonwealth at the beginning of the 2021 school year on Dec. 10. The court's ruling left it up to each school district to set policy. Three days later, Alayna Thach, a beloved 17-year-old student at Aspira . . . |

Juan Cole (2021-12-22). Vaccinating 200 million Americans. zcomm.org The Commonwealth Fund finds that without Biden's vaccination drive, a million and a half Americans would have died this year…

Sharon Zhang (2021-12-22). Sanders Urges Biden to Cancel All Student Loans After Biden Announces Freeze. truthout.org After the Debt advocates and lawmakers have been pressuring Joe Biden to follow through with his campaign promise to cancel up to $10,000 of student debt per borrower,…

_____ (2021-12-22). Chile: Another Good-Sized Nail In Neoliberalism's Coffin. popularresistance.org This brings us to a central political issue: what has the October 2019 Rebellion and all its impressively positive consequences posed for the Chilean working class? What is posed in Chile is the struggle not (yet) for power but for the masses that for decades were conned into accepting (however grudgingly) neoliberalism as a fact of life, until the 2019 rebellion that was the first mass mobilization not only to oppose but also to get rid of neoliberalism. The Rebellion extracted extraordinary concessions from the ruling class: a referendum for a Constitutional Convention entrusted legally with the task to draft a…

WSWS (2021-12-22). VIDEO: Join emergency online meeting today to demand Julian Assange's immediate release. wsws.org "We need an independent movement of the working class, students and youth to free Assange."

Roxanne Barnes (2021-12-22). Jailhouse Lawyers Are Often Punished With Solitary Confinement. truthout.org This article was published in partnership with Timothy Phillips was in the middle of working on multiple legal cases when jail staff called him away from his cell in Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail. When he returned hours later, he found all his papers were disorganized and his room assignment had been changed. While frustrating, this experience…

Brett Wilkins (2021-12-22). Big Business Defeated as Sawant's Victory Certified in Seattle. zcomm.org "We have defeated Big Business and the right wing in their attempt to use… trumped-up charges against me personally in order to push back against the success of working-class movements in Seattle."

Tim Wheeler (2021-12-22). The Christmas tree we chose. peoplesworld.org Next year I will write my third book. It is my New Year's Resolution for 2022, when I am 82. I have even come up with a title: "News to Heal the Sick, Feed the Hungry, Shelter the Homeless." This Christmas story will be the last chapter in the book. When Christmas Eve arrived in …

Isheka N. Harrison (2021-12-22). After Selling Brand For An Estimated $70 Million, Diddy Wins Bid To Buy Back Sean John From Bankrupt Owner. moguldom.com Five years after selling a majority stake in his signature streetwear brand Sean John, Sean "Diddy" Combs has regained full ownership and control of the company. The hip-hop mogul once again became the sole owner after the previous majority owner, Global Brands Group, went bankrupt. Diddy won a bidding war against four other parties, purchasing …

Julie Hollar (2021-12-22). Media forget Afghan plight as US sanctions drive mass famine risk. nationofchange.org Afghan citizens have been plunged into a humanitarian crisis due in no small part to U.S. sanctions, but where is the outrage?>

Peter Certo (2021-12-22). In OtherWords: December 22, 2021. otherwords.org If you're the kind of person who reads our op-eds each week, chances are you're feeling a little beat up at the end of the year — from the constant rush of political news, the pandemic that just won't quit, or, as Sam Pizzigati writes in his column about Amazon this week, that ominous intersection of climate disasters, extreme inequality, and workplace injustice. | But for the rest of our package this week, I wanted to take a look at good things that happened this year — and the good we might see in the year to come. | This week in OtherWords, I look both at home and abroad for inspiring stories of pr…

IWOC (2021-12-22). Phone Zap for John Bramble and Ronald Maxime: On Hunger Strike at James T. Vaughn Prison. itsgoingdown.org Call for a phone zap for John Bramble and Ronald Maxime. Originally posted by DC Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee. Comrade John Bramble (SBI 450202) and Comrade Pound, aka Ronald Maxime (SBI 646319), went on hunger strike at James T. Vaughn prison on Saturday, demanding to get transferred out to another facility. John Bramble was moved…

WSWS (2021-12-22). Quebec's discriminatory Bill 21 causes hijab-clad teacher to be permanently removed from the classroom. wsws.org The decision to remove Fatemeh Anvari from her classroom underscores the reactionary aim of Bill 21, which is to foment hatred and prejudice against immigrants and religious minorities in order to divide the working class.

WSWS (2021-12-22). VIDEO: Join emergency online meeting today to demand Julian Assange's immediate release. wsws.org "We need an independent movement of the working class, students and youth to free Assange."

_____ (2021-12-21). New Program Is Secretly Privatizing Medicare. popularresistance.org A new program is placing Medicare recipients into private health insurance plans without their knowledge or consent in a final effort to fully privatize our national Medicare system. Known as "Direct Contract Entities (DCEs)," this program is putting more of our healthcare system into the hands of private equity to generate enormous profits at the expense of our health. Clearing the FOG speaks about this with Kay Tillow, a long time health care, civil rights and union activist. Tillow explains what these entities are, why they threaten the future of our entire healthcare system and how they block our ability to a…

Editor2 (2021-12-21). Want to Know How to Beat COVID? Look at China. orinocotribune.com By Scott Scheffer — Dec 17, 2021 | The world is now nearing the end of the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States has the highest death toll in the world — 823,390 as of Dec. 16. | With all the scientific resources available, and billions of dollars in the vaults of the richest capitalist class in history, the U.S. should have been able to succeed in a vaccination campaign and treat everyone before they were infected. Vaccines should have made their way throughout the world, including the global south where the challenges of poverty magnify the horrors of the pandemic. | Instead, the W…

_____ (2021-12-21). Why Poorer Nations Aren't Falling For Green-Washed Imperialism. popularresistance.org Fighting global warming is not just about providing a path to net-zero carbon emissions for all countries. It is also about figuring out how best to meet the energy needs of people across the world while working toward net-zero emissions. If fossil fuels have to be given up, which has now become an urgent need given the current environmental challenges, countries in Africa and a significant part of Asia, including India, need an alternate path for providing electricity to their people. What then is the best alternate course for poorer countries to follow for electricity production—if they do not use the fos…

_____ (2021-12-21). Unions Are Not Only Good For Workers. popularresistance.org We know that unions promote economic equality and build worker power, helping workers to win increases in pay, better benefits, and safer working conditions. | But that's not all unions do. Unions also have powerful effects on workers' lives outside of work. | In this report, we document the correlation between higher levels of unionization in states and a range of economic, personal, and democratic well-being measures. In the same way unions give workers a voice at work, with a direct impact on wages and working conditions, the data suggest that unions also give workers a voice in shaping their communities. Wher…

Uzay Bulut (2021-12-21). Cyprus: Turkish Occupation and Unpunished Crimes Against Women and Children. moderndiplomacy.eu On December 16 and 17, Democracy Today, an NGO that focuses on human rights issues, organized its annual international conference in Armenia's capital of Yerevan. This was part of a cooperation with the Working Group (WG) on women and gender realities in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region. This year's agenda …

WSWS (2021-12-21). Retail pharmacy workers speaking out after nationwide walkout action to oppose unsafe working conditions. wsws.org While it is unknown how many total pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy clerks walked off the job, social media postings make clear a determination to fight against intolerable conditions.

Fight Back (2021-12-21). U of MN AFSCME reaches tentative agreement including essential worker bonuses, worksite flexibility. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On December 16, around 2500 hundred clerical, technical and healthcare workers at the University of Minnesota reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The workers are members of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Locals 3800, 3801, 3260 and 3937 and have been working with an expired contract since July 1. The agreement is for a one-year contract, which means even as this long round of negotiations and contract campaign actions wraps up, the locals are already gearing up to begin bargaining their next contract. | At the start of negotiations, the loca…

Julia Conley (2021-12-21). Displaying 'inhuman disdain' for working families, Manchin said child tax credit would be used for drugs. nationofchange.org "Sen. Joe Manchin—who is a multimillionaire—doesn't think his poor constituents can be trusted with a little help."

_____ (2021-12-21). Prisoners Sue Prison System Following Targeted Raid Against Black People. popularresistance.org California prisoner, Talib Williams, is bringing a class action lawsuit on his behalf as well as other Black incarcerated people who were targeted by a July 20, 2020 raid at Soledad, California's Correctional Training Facility (CTF). The suit seeks a reprieve from the state-sponsored terror that is their norm. Injunctive and declaratory relief, among other remedies, are necessary to stop the violence, change CDCR policy, and compensate the prisoners for the degradation they have suffered. | The raid took place against the backdrop of nationwide Black-led uprisings that occurred after the murder of George Floyd on…

Newsroom (2021-12-21). A Climate Change Solution Direct from the Congo. moderndiplomacy.eu A revealing account authored by former US Diplomat and World Bank Group (IFC) official Oliver Griffith provides a compelling perspective on a scalable solution for climate change. Investigating the impact of UN backed projects that work to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), Griffith makes his case for listening to the people on the …

The Socialist Program (2021-12-21). Joe Manchin's War Against Workers. liberationnews.org After months of talking, begging and offering concessions the Biden administration's dead-end strategy of appeasing right wing Democrat Joe Manchin has gone up in flames.