Fight Back (2022-02-18). United Steelworkers on strike at Sherwin-Williams. fightbacknews.org Pittsburgh, PA – 55 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 14919 began an unfair labor practice strike against Sherwin-Williams on Saturday, February 5 at the company's facility in Bedford Heights, Ohio. | Negotiations started on October 26, 2021, and union members had been working without a contract since the previous agreement expired on November 20. Sherwin-Williams refused to enter into an extension agreement. | Terrell Williams, president of United Steelworkers Local 14919 states, "All we are asking for is a fair and just contract that keeps up with inflation and provides economic sustainability and sec…

Vijay Prashad (2022-02-17). The Western Allied Nations Bully the World While Warning of Threats From China and Russia. towardfreedom.org China and Russia see the West's actions in both eastern Europe and Taiwan as the West working against their ambitions, writes Vijay Prashad.

WSWS (2022-02-17). Canada's ruling elite applauds Trudeau's use of emergency powers against far-right Freedom Convoy. wsws.org If the ruling class is ready to use emergency powers to supress small far-right protests, how will it respond to the eruption of mass working class opposition to its criminal pandemic policy or a new round of capitalist austerity?

Stansfield Smith (2022-02-17). The Gains of Nicaraguan Women During the Second Sandinista Government. orinocotribune.com By Stansfield Smith — Feb 14, 2022 | Women, particularly those in the Third World, often find themselves with limited ability to participate in community organizations and political life because of the bondage poverty and their traditional sex role imposes on them. On them falls sole responsibility to care for their children and other family members, especially when sick; they maintain the home, cook the meals, wash the dishes, the clothes, bathe the children, clean the house, mend the clothes. This labor becomes unending manual labor when households have no electricity (consequently, no lights, no refrigera…

Sharon Zhang (2022-02-17). Sanders Rips Into Billionaires for Creating "Oligarchic" Society in US. truthout.org On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) gave a powerful speech on the Senate floor, excoriating billionaires and CEOs for accumulating unfathomable amounts of wealth while millions of Americans struggle to get by. | Since the start of the pandemic, millions of Americans have struggled economically, gotten ill or died — but for billionaires, "this moment has never been better,"

Staff (2022-02-17). Father sentenced in college admissions scandal, ordered to pay $200,000. rt.com A wealthy parent arrested as part of Operation Varsity Blues was convicted of bribing US schools with $1.2 million | The head of a private equity firm in Massachusetts was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison for his involvement in a US college admissions scandal that also saw high-profile Hollywood celebrities including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman face time behind bars. | John Wilson was charged with using $1.2 million to bribe his three kids' way into college as Division I athletes, despite the fact that they were not athletes competing at such a high division. Wilson's arrest was par…

Editor (2022-02-17). AOC warns failure to cancel student debt has 'demoralized' critical voters. mronline.org "This really isn't a conversation about providing relief to a small, niche group of people," said the congresswoman. "It's very much a keystone action politically." —AOC…

_____ (2022-02-17). Mortgage Servicer Accused Of Pushing Homeowners Onto Its Auction Site. popularresistance.org When Benita Guzman moved from the San Joaquin Valley to Southern California to be closer to family, she was confident that her husband, Alfonso, would find work as a carpenter. The couple bought a $370,000 home in San Jacinto, California, in 2006 with $50,000 in savings, including money withdrawn from Alfonso's retirement account. | But the housing bubble burst the following year. "Nobody was building houses anymore," remembers Benita, 66. She took various jobs working in payroll, including on Native American reservations, but the couple was ultimately unable to keep up with mortgage payments. The Guzmans managed…

imperial.ac.uk (2022-02-17). £2.1 million grant for research into brain activity 'avalanches'. imperial.ac.uk Researchers working to understand how the brain functions in various states of health have received a £2.1 million grant for their project.

Human Rights Working Group, Forum at UUSF (2022-02-17). Sunday 2/27: Dangerous Truths. indybay.org

WSWS (2022-02-17). Inquest into deadly construction accident convenes 12 years after four workers fell to their deaths in Toronto. wsws.org The interminable delay in the hearings reflects the perennially low priority assigned to cases of unsafe working conditions in Canadian labour jurisprudence.

Staff (2022-02-17). Ingenious Venezuelan Inventor Proposes to Make Biofuel from Poisonous Tuber Waste. orinocotribune.com For more than a decade, the technologist José Gregorio Jiménez has been working on this alternative that could reduce the costs of gasoline production by up to 70%, in the midst of the privations caused by the economic blockade. | Curiosity led a Venezuelan to become interested in a fetid and poisonous liquid that emerged from the pressing of cassava, a tuber native to South America and popular in traditional cuisine. After experimenting in his laboratory, Jiménez verified that he could obtain biofuel from this substance, which is usually discarded. | José Gregorio Jiménez is a grassroots inventor who was born in…

sputniknews (2022-02-17). Leaked Audio Shows Amazon Official Threatening Workers Over Union Election – Reports. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An Amazon union avoidance official threatened workers with minimum wage and warned that things might get worse if they unionize and enter negotiations with the company, Vice reported on Thursday, citing a leaked audio from an Amazon meeting that it obtained.

Carter Lum (2022-02-17). Homeless community in San Diego resists police terror and demands safe housing. liberationnews.org Early on the morning of February 14, several dozen advocates including the San Diego County Homeless Union and the Poor Peoples' Campaign gathered in defense of an encampment of unhoused community members in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego.

Julie Hollar (2022-02-17). Biden's multi-Billion Afghan theft gets scant mention on TV News. mronline.org Two months ago (FAIR.org, 12/21/21), I noted the striking contrast between vocal media outrage—ostensibly grounded in concern for Afghan people—over President Joe Biden's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and the relative silence over the growing humanitarian crisis in that country, which threatens millions with life-threatening levels of famine.

SAM (2022-02-17). From the Kingpins of Private Equity, A New Dagger to Democracy. inequality.org

WSWS (2022-02-17). Canada's ruling elite applauds Trudeau's use of emergency powers against far-right Freedom Convoy. wsws.org If the ruling class is ready to use emergency powers to supress small far-right protests, how will it respond to the eruption of mass working class opposition to its criminal pandemic policy or a new round of capitalist austerity?

Stansfield Smith (2022-02-17). The Gains of Nicaraguan Women During the Second Sandinista Government. orinocotribune.com By Stansfield Smith — Feb 14, 2022 | Women, particularly those in the Third World, often find themselves with limited ability to participate in community organizations and political life because of the bondage poverty and their traditional sex role imposes on them. On them falls sole responsibility to care for their children and other family members, especially when sick; they maintain the home, cook the meals, wash the dishes, the clothes, bathe the children, clean the house, mend the clothes. This labor becomes unending manual labor when households have no electricity (consequently, no lights, no refrigera…

Staff (2022-02-17). Father sentenced in college admissions scandal, ordered to pay $200,000. rt.com A wealthy parent arrested as part of Operation Varsity Blues was convicted of bribing US schools with $1.2 million | The head of a private equity firm in Massachusetts was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison for his involvement in a US college admissions scandal that also saw high-profile Hollywood celebrities including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman face time behind bars. | John Wilson was charged with using $1.2 million to bribe his three kids' way into college as Division I athletes, despite the fact that they were not athletes competing at such a high division. Wilson's arrest was par…

Editor (2022-02-17). AOC warns failure to cancel student debt has 'demoralized' critical voters. mronline.org "This really isn't a conversation about providing relief to a small, niche group of people," said the congresswoman. "It's very much a keystone action politically." —AOC…

_____ (2022-02-17). Mortgage Servicer Accused Of Pushing Homeowners Onto Its Auction Site. popularresistance.org When Benita Guzman moved from the San Joaquin Valley to Southern California to be closer to family, she was confident that her husband, Alfonso, would find work as a carpenter. The couple bought a $370,000 home in San Jacinto, California, in 2006 with $50,000 in savings, including money withdrawn from Alfonso's retirement account. | But the housing bubble burst the following year. "Nobody was building houses anymore," remembers Benita, 66. She took various jobs working in payroll, including on Native American reservations, but the couple was ultimately unable to keep up with mortgage payments. The Guzmans managed…

WSWS (2022-02-17). Inquest into deadly construction accident convenes 12 years after four workers fell to their deaths in Toronto. wsws.org The interminable delay in the hearings reflects the perennially low priority assigned to cases of unsafe working conditions in Canadian labour jurisprudence.

Staff (2022-02-17). Ingenious Venezuelan Inventor Proposes to Make Biofuel from Poisonous Tuber Waste. orinocotribune.com For more than a decade, the technologist José Gregorio Jiménez has been working on this alternative that could reduce the costs of gasoline production by up to 70%, in the midst of the privations caused by the economic blockade. | Curiosity led a Venezuelan to become interested in a fetid and poisonous liquid that emerged from the pressing of cassava, a tuber native to South America and popular in traditional cuisine. After experimenting in his laboratory, Jiménez verified that he could obtain biofuel from this substance, which is usually discarded. | José Gregorio Jiménez is a grassroots inventor who was born in…

Human Rights Working Group, Forum at UUSF (2022-02-17). Sunday 2/27: Dangerous Truths. indybay.org

imperial.ac.uk (2022-02-17). £2.1 million grant for research into brain activity 'avalanches'. imperial.ac.uk Researchers working to understand how the brain functions in various states of health have received a £2.1 million grant for their project.

sputniknews (2022-02-17). Leaked Audio Shows Amazon Official Threatening Workers Over Union Election – Reports. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An Amazon union avoidance official threatened workers with minimum wage and warned that things might get worse if they unionize and enter negotiations with the company, Vice reported on Thursday, citing a leaked audio from an Amazon meeting that it obtained.

Carter Lum (2022-02-17). Homeless community in San Diego resists police terror and demands safe housing. liberationnews.org Early on the morning of February 14, several dozen advocates including the San Diego County Homeless Union and the Poor Peoples' Campaign gathered in defense of an encampment of unhoused community members in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego.

Julie Hollar (2022-02-17). Biden's multi-Billion Afghan theft gets scant mention on TV News. mronline.org Two months ago (FAIR.org, 12/21/21), I noted the striking contrast between vocal media outrage—ostensibly grounded in concern for Afghan people—over President Joe Biden's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and the relative silence over the growing humanitarian crisis in that country, which threatens millions with life-threatening levels of famine.

SAM (2022-02-17). From the Kingpins of Private Equity, A New Dagger to Democracy. inequality.org

teleSUR (2022-02-16). Russia: Defense Chief Visiting Syria Warns US and NATO. telesurenglish.net According to a Lebanese expert on military strategy, General Charles Abi Nader, the U.S. and NATO were surprised by the working visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu's visit to Syria, as it was linked to the current tensions between Moscow and Washington over the Ukraine crisis. | RELATED: | "In the conditions when the United States and Western countries are deliberately escalating the international situation, exploiting…

sputniknews (2022-02-16). As Poverty in Gaza Continues to Soar, Hamas Official Explains Origins of the Crisis. sputniknews.com Poverty has always been an issue in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people. Yet, in recent years the coastal enclave has seen an additional spike in numbers. According to reports, poverty rates have skyrocketed, from the 43 percent registered in 2016 to 53 percent in 2021, with unemployment levels exceeding 50 percent in the area.

Pedro Rocha Fleury Curado (2022-02-16). O poder e a revolta no Cazaquistà£o. globalresearch.ca Após um mês do início dos protestos no Cazaquistà£o, que teve por consequência a prisà£o de centenas de manifestantes, a implementaàßà£o de reformas na cúpula do poder cazaque e promessas futuras de maior aàßà£o estatal contra a pobreza e a …

_____ (2022-02-16). Ex-President Arrested In Honduras As US Requests Extradition. popularresistance.org Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández has been arrested, a day after the US Department of Justice requested his extradition over drug trafficking and weapons charges, culminating a spectacular fall from grace for a man who was once considered one of Washington's top allies in Central America. | On Tuesday afternoon Hernández left his home in a wealthy neighborhood in the country's capital, Tegucigalpa, where he was cuffed at the hands and feet and provided a bullet-proof vest before being taken away in a police caravan to a special forces base. He will appear before a judge for his first hearing within…

_____ (2022-02-16). Democrats, The More Effective Evil. popularresistance.org When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are less than 5% of the world's population — when the stock market fluctuates on wild rollercoaster rides of highs and lows, when what little help the government offered to the labor force — half of…

Strike Debt Bay Area (2022-02-16). Saturday 3/19: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Dawn of Everything… by David Graeber et al. indybay.org Online. | Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the the online invite.

Jenny Farrell (2022-02-16). Georg Weerth, first poet of the German working class, on his bicentennial. peoplesworld.org "Weerth, the German proletariat's first and most important poet, the son of Rhineland parents, was born in Detmold, where his father was church superintendent." So wrote Frederick Engels in 1883 of his friend Georg Weerth, who came into the world 200 years ago on February 17, 1822. "In 1843, when I was in Manchester, Weerth …

Fight Back (2022-02-16). FRSO members meeting set for Feb. 17. fightbacknews.org Grand Rapids, MI – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is hosting another online meeting for the growing numbers of members on Thursday, February 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. We will use Zoom to welcome our new members who joined since the last meeting on capitalism destroying the environment. | Tom Burke, the organizational secretary of the FRSO, will speak about the growth of the FRSO, the importance of union solidarity with the George Floyd rebellion, the recent uptick in strikes, and how we can lead the American working class toward revolution. | Emily Butt, a union steward, will speak on the victories of t…

WSWS (2022-02-16). Ruling elite celebrate UK economy's "rebound" at workers' expense. wsws.org It is the removal of all restrictions that might hamper profits and the ever more brutal exploitation of the working class that accounts for the UK economy's rebound, one paid for with the loss of 180,000 lives.

WSWS (2022-02-16). Defying management reprisals and state repression, Maharashtra public transport workers' strike surpasses 100th day. wsws.org To foil the attempts of management, aided by the corrupt unions, to starve them into submission, the MSRTC workers must make their strike the spearhead of a working-class counter-offensive against privatization and precarious contract labour jobs.

WSWS (2022-02-16). Spain's PSOE-Podemos government approve anti-working class labor law. wsws.org In exchange for EU bailouts showering the banks with billions, the PSOE-Podemos government passed an anti-working class labour reform backed by the trade unions.

teleSUR (2022-02-16). Canadian Goverment Outlines Steps to End Anti-Vax Protests. telesurenglish.net One day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a public order emergency, the government on Tuesday outlined further steps to end the trucker protests and blockades. Anyone participating in the blockades is urged to return to their communities immediately. | RELATED: | "These blockades must be brought to an end, and the federal government will continue working on every option to end them," Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said, assuring Ottawa resi…

Yanis Iqbal (2022-02-16). The Workings of Commodified Education. orinocotribune.com By Yanis Iqbal — Feb 11, 2022 | Under the neoliberal accumulation

WSWS (2022-02-16). Spain's PSOE-Podemos government approve anti-working class labor law. wsws.org In exchange for EU bailouts showering the banks with billions, the PSOE-Podemos government passed an anti-working class labour reform backed by the trade unions.

rebekah (2022-02-16). Inside the Campaign to Abolish the Subminimum Wage in 25 States by 2026. inequality.org

teleSUR (2022-02-16). Rains Leave Dozens Of Brazilians Dead In Petropolis. telesurenglish.net Petropolis, a city located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, woke up on Wednesday involved in the tragedy. So far the intense rains have left 54 Brazilians dead, thousands of citizens homeless, and an unknown number of people missing. | RELATED: | During Tuesday night, a record 258.8 mm of rainfall fell in less than six hours, causing 200 landslides in various places, including the residential…

John Rachel (2022-02-16). Regime Change: Up Close and Personal. dissidentvoice.org Let me start out by openly and unequivocally stating that most of the individuals who are in the decision-making and decision-influencing positions which determine U.S. foreign policy and drive its recklessness are a truly shameful bunch. They are morally bankrupt, ignorant, myopic, barbaric, drunk on power, and as far as I can tell, without any …

WSWS (2022-02-16). Pandemic and vaccine inequality have exacerbated global inequality. wsws.org While it does not say so explicitly, an International Labour Organisation report makes clear that the refusal to implement an elimination strategy, using both vaccines and stringent public health measures on the basis that it would cost too much, has worsened economic prospects.

_____ (2022-02-16). Valentines Day Vigil To Promote Aid To Afghanistan. popularresistance.org With the UN reporting that hunger in Afghanistan could kill more civilians than the 20-year Afghanistan war, an international debate is raging over the policy by the U.S. and other governments about getting aid to that country. The president just announced a plan to confiscate $7 Billion in Afghan funds and set aside half of it for families of 9/11 victims and to create a "third-party trust fund" to pay for humanitarian aid with the other half. Critics of the decision, including those who worked for the former U.S.-backed Afghan government, lambasted Biden's decision saying that the currency reserves belong to th…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-16). Report: UK counterterrorism policy Islamaphobic, violates child rights and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we look at the People's Review of Prevent report on the U.K.'s notorious counter-terrorism Prevent strategy and its impact on children and Muslim communities; statements by former president Evo Morales on a destabilization plan by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration against coca growers in Bolivia; a Human Rights Watch report on the indefinite and arbitrary detention of refugees and asylum-seekers in Australia; and a hunger strike launched by Egyptian political prisoner Walid Shawky to protest systemic medical negligence and other rights abuses in the country's prison…

sputniknews (2022-02-16). As Poverty in Gaza Continues to Soar, Hamas Official Explains Origins of the Crisis. sputniknews.com Poverty has always been an issue in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people. Yet, in recent years the coastal enclave has seen an additional spike in numbers. According to reports, poverty rates have skyrocketed, from the 43 percent registered in 2016 to 53 percent in 2021, with unemployment levels exceeding 50 percent in the area.

Pedro Rocha Fleury Curado (2022-02-16). O poder e a revolta no Cazaquistà£o. globalresearch.ca Após um mês do início dos protestos no Cazaquistà£o, que teve por consequência a prisà£o de centenas de manifestantes, a implementaàßà£o de reformas na cúpula do poder cazaque e promessas futuras de maior aàßà£o estatal contra a pobreza e a …

_____ (2022-02-16). Democrats, The More Effective Evil. popularresistance.org When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are less than 5% of the world's population — when the stock market fluctuates on wild rollercoaster rides of highs and lows, when what little help the government offered to the labor force — half of…

Strike Debt Bay Area (2022-02-16). Saturday 3/19: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Dawn of Everything… by David Graeber et al. indybay.org Online. | Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the the online invite.

WSWS (2022-02-16). Spain's PSOE-Podemos government approve anti-working class labor law. wsws.org In exchange for EU bailouts showering the banks with billions, the PSOE-Podemos government passed an anti-working class labour reform backed by the trade unions.

WSWS (2022-02-16). Defying management reprisals and state repression, Maharashtra public transport workers' strike surpasses 100th day. wsws.org To foil the attempts of management, aided by the corrupt unions, to starve them into submission, the MSRTC workers must make their strike the spearhead of a working-class counter-offensive against privatization and precarious contract labour jobs.

Yanis Iqbal (2022-02-16). The Workings of Commodified Education. orinocotribune.com By Yanis Iqbal — Feb 11, 2022 | Under the neoliberal accumulation

Human Rights Working Group, Forum at UUSF (2022-02-16). Sunday 2/27: Dangerous Truths. indybay.org

Fight Back (2022-02-16). FRSO members meeting set for Feb. 17. fightbacknews.org Grand Rapids, MI – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is hosting another online meeting for the growing numbers of members on Thursday, February 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. We will use Zoom to welcome our new members who joined since the last meeting on capitalism destroying the environment. | Tom Burke, the organizational secretary of the FRSO, will speak about the growth of the FRSO, the importance of union solidarity with the George Floyd rebellion, the recent uptick in strikes, and how we can lead the American working class toward revolution. | Emily Butt, a union steward, will speak on the victories of t…

WSWS (2022-02-16). Spain's PSOE-Podemos government approve anti-working class labor law. wsws.org In exchange for EU bailouts showering the banks with billions, the PSOE-Podemos government passed an anti-working class labour reform backed by the trade unions.

rebekah (2022-02-16). Inside the Campaign to Abolish the Subminimum Wage in 25 States by 2026. inequality.org

John Rachel (2022-02-16). Regime Change: Up Close and Personal. dissidentvoice.org Let me start out by openly and unequivocally stating that most of the individuals who are in the decision-making and decision-influencing positions which determine U.S. foreign policy and drive its recklessness are a truly shameful bunch. They are morally bankrupt, ignorant, myopic, barbaric, drunk on power, and as far as I can tell, without any …

WSWS (2022-02-16). Pandemic and vaccine inequality have exacerbated global inequality. wsws.org While it does not say so explicitly, an International Labour Organisation report makes clear that the refusal to implement an elimination strategy, using both vaccines and stringent public health measures on the basis that it would cost too much, has worsened economic prospects.

_____ (2022-02-16). Valentines Day Vigil To Promote Aid To Afghanistan. popularresistance.org With the UN reporting that hunger in Afghanistan could kill more civilians than the 20-year Afghanistan war, an international debate is raging over the policy by the U.S. and other governments about getting aid to that country. The president just announced a plan to confiscate $7 Billion in Afghan funds and set aside half of it for families of 9/11 victims and to create a "third-party trust fund" to pay for humanitarian aid with the other half. Critics of the decision, including those who worked for the former U.S.-backed Afghan government, lambasted Biden's decision saying that the currency reserves belong to th…

teleSUR (2022-02-15). Shuttle Diplomacy Continues to De-Escalate Ukraine Crisis. telesurenglish.net As tensions on the Ukrainian situation keep mounting, multiple countries have been engaged in shuttle diplomacy, trying to de-escalate the crisis. | RELATED: | German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kiev on Monday for a working visit. After their talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two parties discussed the peace process in and around Ukraine and the legal guarantees that would help to protect Ukraine. I…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-15). The Gains of Nicaraguan Women During the Second Sandinista Government. libya360.wordpress.com Stansfield Smith Women, particularly those in the Third World, often find themselves with limited ability to participate in community organizations and political life because of the bondage poverty and their traditional sex role imposes on them. On them falls sole responsibility to care for their children and other family members, especially when sick; they maintain…

_____ (2022-02-15). Puerto Rico: March Of Indignation Against 'Shakedown Plan' Of More Austerity. popularresistance.org Tens of thousands of teachers and other public workers have taken to the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a March of Indignation to protest a debt restructuring plan given the green light by Judge Taylor Swain of New York. Puerto Ricans call it the "Shakedown Plan" because it will enforce more austerity on a land where disinvestment in education and health care and privatization of the energy system have already caused great hardship. A National Strike has been called for February 18. Clearing the FOG speaks with Monisha Rios, a Puerto Rican social worker and psychologist, about who and what are behind the pro…

Brittani Banks (2022-02-15). How Young Workers Are Being Exploited in the COVID-19 Economy. independentmediainstitute.org The newcomer to Bob Garrou's high school wrestling program had won his first match, and was growing in confidence, when he abruptly quit the team. It sickened Garrou to learn why. A local store summarily fired the teen when he balked at working more than the 16 hours he already put in each week, leading …

Sudore RL, Hickman SE, Walling AM. (2022-02-15). Controversies About Advance Care Planning. jamanetwork.com To the Editor The opinions expressed in the recent Viewpoint may represent a semantic rather than philosophical disagreement with the ACP field. We agree that ACP should focus on "training clinicians and preparing patients and families to engage in high-quality discussions…and medical decisions." The good news is that the ACP field has been evolving over the past decade beyond a focus on future, hypothetical situations to focus on exactly this "different" approach. This evolution to a new and improved ACP model is informed by research and, we believe, is an example of "science working."

WSWS (2022-02-15). Dana Fort Wayne workers speak on death of their coworker. wsws.org John Saraceno passed away under unknown circumstances on January 31 while working at the auto parts maker's Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant.

WSWS (2022-02-15). Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act to end far-right Ottawa siege, border blockades. wsws.org While today the Emergencies Act is being employed against the far-right enemies of the working class, as the class struggle intensifies, it will inevitably be turned against workers.

WSWS (2022-02-15). Thousands of Australian nurses strike in NSW, defying government-court ban. wsws.org The first nurses' stoppage since 2013 reflects a growing mood of resistance among nurses, health staff and the working class more broadly.

WSWS (2022-02-15). What's at stake in the struggle by US rail and oil workers. wsws.org Over the last several weeks, railroad and oil refinery workers in the United States have come to the forefront of a growing movement in the working class against exhausting and dangerous work schedules and the explosive rise in the cost of living.

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-15). Political prisoner Walid Shawky goes on hunger strike to expose medical negligence in Egyptian jails. peoplesdispatch.org Walid Shawky is accused of being a member of a terrorist organization and has been in jail since October 2018. Under the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi regime, tens of thousands of political prisoners have faced harrowing conditions, especially medical negligence…

teleSUR (2022-02-15). Shuttle Diplomacy Continues to De-Escalate Ukraine Crisis. telesurenglish.net As tensions on the Ukrainian situation keep mounting, multiple countries have been engaged in shuttle diplomacy, trying to de-escalate the crisis. | RELATED: | German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kiev on Monday for a working visit. After their talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two parties discussed the peace process in and around Ukraine and the legal guarantees that would help to protect Ukraine. I…

_____ (2022-02-15). Puerto Rico: March Of Indignation Against 'Shakedown Plan' Of More Austerity. popularresistance.org Tens of thousands of teachers and other public workers have taken to the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a March of Indignation to protest a debt restructuring plan given the green light by Judge Taylor Swain of New York. Puerto Ricans call it the "Shakedown Plan" because it will enforce more austerity on a land where disinvestment in education and health care and privatization of the energy system have already caused great hardship. A National Strike has been called for February 18. Clearing the FOG speaks with Monisha Rios, a Puerto Rican social worker and psychologist, about who and what are behind the pro…

WSWS (2022-02-15). Dana Fort Wayne workers speak on death of their coworker. wsws.org John Saraceno passed away under unknown circumstances on January 31 while working at the auto parts maker's Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant.

WSWS (2022-02-15). Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act to end far-right Ottawa siege, border blockades. wsws.org While today the Emergencies Act is being employed against the far-right enemies of the working class, as the class struggle intensifies, it will inevitably be turned against workers.

WSWS (2022-02-15). What's at stake in the struggle by US rail and oil workers. wsws.org Over the last several weeks, railroad and oil refinery workers in the United States have come to the forefront of a growing movement in the working class against exhausting and dangerous work schedules and the explosive rise in the cost of living.

WSWS (2022-02-15). Thousands of Australian nurses strike in NSW, defying government-court ban. wsws.org The first nurses' stoppage since 2013 reflects a growing mood of resistance among nurses, health staff and the working class more broadly.

Anonymous Contributor (2022-02-14). Police Continue Harassment and Repression as Tent Protest Enters Week Four in Boise, Idaho. itsgoingdown.org Report on continuing police harassment and repression of ongoing tent protests in Boise, Idaho. Today marks 4 weeks of ongoing protest across from the Capitol building in so-called Boise, Idaho. The state and city continue to prove their insistence on criminalizing poverty and doing all they can to crush resistance. Another raid occurred, with tons…

Tom Engelhardt (2022-02-14). Tomgram: Belle Chesler, Teaching in a World No Student Deserves. warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Honestly, it's been hell on earth for grown-ups. Thanks largely to Donald Trump and crew, we're in the country with by far the highest Covid-19 death rate of any wealthy nation on earth. The U.S. has already left …

Brian Mier, Benjamin Norton (2022-02-14). From Canada to Brazil, rich right-wing elites are astroturfing 'trucker' protests. multipolarista.com Supported by wealthy right-wing elites, so-called "trucker" protests (led by non-truckers) have paralyzed the capitals of Brazil and Canada in less than six months. The campaigns have many similarities – including some of the same well-funded conservative networks.

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-14). Haiti, San Martin and the Odious Foreign Debt. transcend.org 7 Feb 2022 – The colonising logic of the centres of conditioning capital, from the very beginning, sought to take over Latin America, dominating it in different ways, according to their interests, beyond the principles that were proclaimed and the freedom that was promised.

Moderator (2022-02-14). Hedges: Democrats, the More Effective Evil. scheerpost.com "Let's Make a Deal," an original work by Mr. Fish. | By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost | When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are less than 5% of the world's population — when the stock market fluctuates on wild rollercoaster rides…

Jake Johnson (2022-02-14). Biden Urged to Cancel Student Debt During Super Bowl at "Student Debt Stadium" truthout.org Of the many commercials and advertisements displayed during Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, perhaps the most prominent was for the personal finance company with naming rights to SoFi Stadium, the game's multibillion-dollar venue in Inglewood, California. | SoFi offers a range of financial products and services, but what drew the most attention — and ire — during Sunday's game was the company's role in the lucrative student loan refinancing business, which is set to receive a major boost…

_____ (2022-02-14). Cost Of Living Protesters Around The Country Say Enough Is Enough. popularresistance.org Protests were held in several regions on Saturday 12 February to highlight the injustice of of the cost of living crisis. | In Newcastle, a placard referred to "Tory tricksters". Meanwhile another sign held next to a baby said "I can do a better job than Boris". | Laura Pidcock, national secretary of the People's Assembly, said there's "real anger" at what she described as a "growing crisis". | The former Labour MP added: | Working people could not be working harder and yet life is getting so much more difficult.

Dana Sanchez (2022-02-14). Knowing The Probabilities: Actual Facts And Research On Day Traders Mostly Losing Money. moguldom.com The lure of being your own boss and making potentially unlimited profits while working in your pajamas proves irresistible but unachievable for 95 percent of day traders trying to make a living on very short-term price movements, and that may be generous. Day trading is defined as buying and selling on small price movements throughout a trading day, …

David Sanchez (2022-02-14). Strike victory: King Soopers grocery workers in Colorado win major wage increases. liberationnews.org The wage increases that King Soopers workers' collective action won them will make a difference for thousands of working class families in Colorado and sets a standard for grocery store workers across the country…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-14). Seducing People with the Communal Model: A Conversation with Robert Longa. libya360.wordpress.com Cira Pascual Marquina A key spokesperson of the Alexis Vive Patriotic Force talks about the challenges of building an urban commune. The Alexis Vive Patriotic Force was born in the working-class barrio 23 de Enero during the 2002 counter-coup. The organization, which considers itself both Guevarist and Leninist, aims to carry out Chávez's project of building…

Fight Back (2022-02-14). Minnesota public defenders, support staff, taking strike vote. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Public defense workers in Minnesota are ready to strike. The negotiating committees of both the lawyer bargaining unit and the support staff bargaining unit voted unanimously to reject a "last best final offer" from management. That unanimous vote carries with it a recommendation to strike if better terms are not reached. The membership of Teamsters Local 320 will begin voting on the offer next week, with ballots counted March 7. | At issue are wages and working conditions. Public defense workers in Minnesota are both underpaid and overworked. Pay parity with those who work in prosecutors' offic…

_____ (2022-02-14). Ottawa Trucker Protests Do Not Represent The Working Class. popularresistance.org Ottawa truckers have been blocking roads, airports, and border crossings from the U.S. to Canada to protest coronavirus restrictions and vaccine requirements. Despite the many illegal activities associated with the right-wing protests, they have not been attacked or sabotaged by police — in stark contrast to the many Indigenous protests over access to ancestral land and water. Q. Anthony Omene, columnist for The Globe and Mail & co-host of TheKulture.TV, joins The Freedom Side to explain more about what's going on.

WSWS (2022-02-14). Young workers in Australia speak on dire working conditions amid pandemic. wsws.org "I guess the government is looking at it as 'We saved enough people, it's time to just move on and whoever suffers now, it's too bad.' It's so depressing."

isabella (2022-02-14). For New York Home Care Workers, Fair Pay Is Possible. inequality.org

WSWS (2022-02-14). Puerto Rico: Teachers strikes and protests continue against debt payment deal. wsws.org Over the last two weeks a powerful movement of Puerto Rican teachers and public employees has been defying the governor and the Financial Oversight Management Board which controls the island's finances.

WSWS (2022-02-14). UK HGV drivers respond to WSWS coverage of working conditions. wsws.org "If you consider that the average school pupil can concentrate for an hour and an HGV driver who has 40 tons behind him is expected to concentrate for four hours on increasingly busy roads—it just leads to mental fatigue."

Yanis Iqbal (2022-02-14). The workings of commodified education. mronline.org The product of pedagogical labour becomes something set apart from life and abstracted into the commodity of "degrees" which can be bought and sold on the educational market.

WSWS (2022-02-14). Spain's pseudo-left covers for Podemos as it threatens Russia with war. wsws.org Mobilizing the working class against the danger of all-out war in Europe requires conscious political opposition to groups like the Morenoite Izquierda Diario web site.

WSWS (2022-02-14). Young workers in Australia speak on dire working conditions amid pandemic. wsws.org "I guess the government is looking at it as 'We saved enough people, it's time to just move on and whoever suffers now, it's too bad.' It's so depressing."

WSWS (2022-02-14). Students in Germany go on strike against herd immunity policies. wsws.org In contrast to the hostility young people confront from the political establishment, they are receiving overwhelming support from working people.

Fight Back (2022-02-14). Minnesota public defenders, support staff, taking strike vote. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Public defense workers in Minnesota are ready to strike. The negotiating committees of both the lawyer bargaining unit and the support staff bargaining unit voted unanimously to reject a "last best final offer" from management. That unanimous vote carries with it a recommendation to strike if better terms are not reached. The membership of Teamsters Local 320 will begin voting on the offer next week, with ballots counted March 7. | At issue are wages and working conditions. Public defense workers in Minnesota are both underpaid and overworked. Pay parity with those who work in prosecutors' offic…

_____ (2022-02-13). Rethinking Land And Relation In Berlin's Struggle For Housing Justice. popularresistance.org Across Europe, affordable housing is being pushed farther and farther out of reach. Homes are increasingly owned not by the people who live in them, but by companies who rent them out for profit. Housing is no longer treated as a public good, but as a commodity and vehicle for wealth and investment. | In Berlin, which currently boasts some of the fastest-rising housing prices in the world, the situation is particularly extreme. Following the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1992, private investors flocked to the city to capitalize on the state-supported financialization of the housing market. As of today, more than…

Strike Debt Bay Area (2022-02-13). Saturday 3/19: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Dawn of Everything… by David Graeber et al. indybay.org Online. | Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the the online invite.

Strike Debt Bay Area (2022-02-13). Saturday 3/19: Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Dawn of Everything… by David Graeber et al. indybay.org Online. | Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the the online invite.

_____ (2022-02-12). Working Class In The UK Gears Up To Protest The Cost Of Living Crisis. popularresistance.org Broad sectors of the working class in the UK will take to the streets in cities across the country on February 12 against the rise in the cost of living. The protests are organized under the banner of the People's Assembly Against Austerity and have been endorsed by organizations such as the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), Young Communist League (YCL), Unite Trade Union, Socialist Appeal, Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), Fuel Poverty Action, and others. Around 30 cities are expected to mobilize on this day of action.

Editor (2022-02-12). The Left has culture, but the World still belongs to the banks: The Sixth Newsletter (2022). mronline.org Dear friends, Greetings from the desk of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. '[T]here is great intellectual poverty on the part of the right wing', Héctor Béjar says in our latest dossier, A Map of Latin America's Present: An Interview with Héctor Béjar (February 2022). 'There is a lack of right-wing intellectuals everywhere'. Béjar speaks …

Irvin Jim (2022-02-12). Solidarity is the road to liberation. peoplesdispatch.org This is a lightly edited version of a speech given to an international meeting held on 1 February under the banner: Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and All Anti-Imperialist Freedom Fighters! Speakers included Abu-Jamal (via a recorded statement), Angela Davis and a number of trade unionists. | Around the world, imperialism — with its dehumanization and brute violence — has allowed for a small minority to permanently accumulate wealth at the expense of the masses of our people. In recent years, women and men have been killed — from Afghanistan and Iraq to South Africa and the prison archipelago of the US.

Andreína Chávez Alava (2022-02-12). Venezuela: Storage Bottleneck Causes Setback in Oil Output and Exports. venezuelanalysis.com Caracas is reportedly in talks with bondholders to restructure its debt while Chevron is allegedly lobbying Washington for a sanctions waiver.

Julia Rock (2022-02-12). YOU LOVE TO SEE IT: Biden Faces Mounting Pressure On Student Debt. dailyposter.com

Dominique McGee (2022-02-12). Movement Politics Field Manager. peoplesaction.org About PAI People's Action Institute (501c3), and sister organization People's Action (501c4), are national progressive organizations supporting the mobilization and leadership of the grassroots in support of an agenda that reflects people over profits. People's Action/Institute builds the power of poor and working people in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue …

Editor2 (2022-02-12). 'Freedom Convoy': A Dangerous Movement for the Working Class, but Useful for the Ruling Class. orinocotribune.com By Communist Party of Canada — Feb 4, 2022 | The Communist Party of Canada views the "Freedom Convoy" as a public expression of the increasingly organized and assertive far right. The clear links between the organizers of the convoy and far-right networks indicate that this is not a spontaneous working-class demonstration. On the contrary, it is part of a global phenomenon: the rise and mainstreaming of the far right, which is demonstrated by the strong support (ideologically and financially) from the US far right and circles close to Donald Trump and the Jan. 6thinsurrection. The convoy is filled with Nazi…

Industrial Workers of the World (2022-02-12). Dill Pickle Co-op Workers Walk Out Over Unsafe Conditions. itsgoingdown.org Report on recent job actions from Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) workers in so-called Chicago. Last month, workers at the Dill Pickle Food Co-op in Chicago walked out over unsafe working conditions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Workers at the grocery store are organized as the Dill Pickle Worker's Union with the Industrial…

Lyn Neeley (2022-02-12). Portland city workers warn: 'Don't force a strike'. workers.org Portland, Oregon Workers at Portland's Bureau of Development Services have been working without a contract for a year and a half. On Feb. 5, they held a rally and march of over 150 workers to demand that bosses and City Council agree to provide fair wages and respectful working conditions. . . . |

WSWS (2022-02-12). Unite tries to corral opposition to Labour's strike breaking against Coventry bin workers. wsws.org Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham has threatened to consider withdrawing the union's funding to the Labour Party. This is a belated and insincere attempt to placate the 70 refuse drivers faced with a scabbing operation and to head off a broader rebellion by the working class against the Labour Party and its allies in the trade union bureaucracy.

Fight Back (2022-02-12). Celebrate International Women's Day, Resist Attacks on Reproductive Freedom. fightbacknews.org Across the world, March 8th honors the contributions of women to the people's struggle. This year, Freedom Road Socialist Organization will hold events to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD). | | IWD was founded to honor the sacrifices of heroes named and unnamed. Some capitalists have tried to sanitize and co-opt International Women's Day. The origins of this day are clearly anti-capitalist. Our celebrations will carry forward that spirit. | | Long History, Global Reach | | International Women's Day originates in the struggle of working women in New York City. In 1908 there was a determined battle…

Seth Galinsky (2022-02-12). Drivers, delivery workers rally for union, higher pay. themilitant.com NEW YORK — More than 100 Uber, Lyft and other app-based ride and food-delivery workers and their supporters from New York City and Long Island rallied here Feb. 1 demanding higher pay, better working conditions, an end to arbitrary employer deactivations and for access to bathrooms and the right to form a union. | The rally was called to announce the formation of Justice for App Workers, a coalition of mainly local groups of drivers and delivery workers. Speakers addressed the rally in English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Tibetan and Uzbek, reflecting the heavily immigrant workforce. | There are 100,000 or mor…

WSWS (2022-02-12). Sri Lankan nurses defy court ban and remain on indefinite strike with other health workers. wsws.org The court ban on industrial action by health workers indicates that the Rajapakse government is moving into direct confrontation with the entire working class.

Betsey Stone (2022-02-12). Socialist Workers Party campaign offers working-class road forward. themilitant.com OAKLAND, Calif. — More than 300 people, way over the 65 required, have signed the petition to put Eleanor García, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. Senate, on the California ballot. In addition, over $5,000 has been raised to pay the filing fee. | Over the weekend of Feb. 5-6, campaigners fanned out to cities in the Bay Area and southern California, knocking on doors and setting up tables at supermarkets, introducing the party's program and the Militant. Supporters of the campaign from Seattle, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, traveled here to participate. | "I like what you are doing," Jo…

_____ (2022-02-12). Africa Is Bringing Vaccine Manufacturing Home. popularresistance.org African countries continually find themselves at the back of the vaccine queue, but two developments could begin to change this narrative. Last week, researchers at a company in South Africa said that they have nearly completed the process of reproducing Moderna's mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. Working with the WHO's technology-transfer hub, the researchers at Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines in Cape Town made very small quantities of vaccine, based on Moderna's data, but without the company's involvement. The WHO advised them to copy Moderna's vaccine in part because the company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts,…

Joachim Hagopian (2022-02-12). Reaching COVID-19 "Turning Point of Critical Mass": Is Nuremberg 2 Next? London Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation. globalresearch.ca Not only is Britain's largest police force actively involved in the probe, the Hammersmith Police alongside the ICC are working together in what's being called the world's largest international crime investigation.

Juan Cole (2022-02-12). US Sanctions on Afghanistan are Complicit in Mass Hunger, even as Biden withholds $3.5 bn in Afghan Money. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Kevin Liptak and Natasha Bertrand report at CNN that the Biden administration has decided to split the $7 billion in Afghanistan government money held in the US and confiscated last August when the Taliban took over the country. $3.5 billion will be released for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan itself, while …

Editor (2022-02-12). The Left has culture, but the World still belongs to the banks: The Sixth Newsletter (2022). mronline.org Dear friends, Greetings from the desk of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. '[T]here is great intellectual poverty on the part of the right wing', Héctor Béjar says in our latest dossier, A Map of Latin America's Present: An Interview with Héctor Béjar (February 2022). 'There is a lack of right-wing intellectuals everywhere'. Béjar speaks …

Irvin Jim (2022-02-12). Solidarity is the road to liberation. peoplesdispatch.org This is a lightly edited version of a speech given to an international meeting held on 1 February under the banner: Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and All Anti-Imperialist Freedom Fighters! Speakers included Abu-Jamal (via a recorded statement), Angela Davis and a number of trade unionists. | Around the world, imperialism — with its dehumanization and brute violence — has allowed for a small minority to permanently accumulate wealth at the expense of the masses of our people. In recent years, women and men have been killed — from Afghanistan and Iraq to South Africa and the prison archipelago of the US.

Dominique McGee (2022-02-12). Movement Politics Field Manager. peoplesaction.org About PAI People's Action Institute (501c3), and sister organization People's Action (501c4), are national progressive organizations supporting the mobilization and leadership of the grassroots in support of an agenda that reflects people over profits. People's Action/Institute builds the power of poor and working people in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue …

Editor2 (2022-02-12). 'Freedom Convoy': A Dangerous Movement for the Working Class, but Useful for the Ruling Class. orinocotribune.com By Communist Party of Canada — Feb 4, 2022 | The Communist Party of Canada views the "Freedom Convoy" as a public expression of the increasingly organized and assertive far right. The clear links between the organizers of the convoy and far-right networks indicate that this is not a spontaneous working-class demonstration. On the contrary, it is part of a global phenomenon: the rise and mainstreaming of the far right, which is demonstrated by the strong support (ideologically and financially) from the US far right and circles close to Donald Trump and the Jan. 6thinsurrection. The convoy is filled with Nazi…

Lyn Neeley (2022-02-12). Portland city workers warn: 'Don't force a strike'. workers.org Portland, Oregon Workers at Portland's Bureau of Development Services have been working without a contract for a year and a half. On Feb. 5, they held a rally and march of over 150 workers to demand that bosses and City Council agree to provide fair wages and respectful working conditions. . . . |

WSWS (2022-02-12). Sri Lankan nurses defy court ban and remain on indefinite strike with other health workers. wsws.org The court ban on industrial action by health workers indicates that the Rajapakse government is moving into direct confrontation with the entire working class.

WSWS (2022-02-12). Unite tries to corral opposition to Labour's strike breaking against Coventry bin workers. wsws.org Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham has threatened to consider withdrawing the union's funding to the Labour Party. This is a belated and insincere attempt to placate the 70 refuse drivers faced with a scabbing operation and to head off a broader rebellion by the working class against the Labour Party and its allies in the trade union bureaucracy.

David Ruccio (2022-02-11). How to lie with inequality statistics. mronline.org It's a "simple story," with clear political implications. Maybe that's the reason the Krugmans of the world don't want to tell it. . .

_____ (2022-02-11). New Survey: One In Four Temp Workers Reports Wage Theft. popularresistance.org A stunning 24% of workers in the temp industry say they have had their wages stolen from them by their employers, according to a survey, released Feb. 3, that examines cycles of poverty and precarity for the industry's disproportionately Black and Brown workers. | The findings are based on surveys carried out by seven worker advocacy groups, including the National Employment Law Project (NELP) and Temp Worker Justice, across the country. In the study, 1,337 temp workers in 47 states answered questions about pay, safety, job mobility, workplace discrimination and employer retaliation. | Temporary staff, or temp wo…

_____ (2022-02-11). The Left Has Culture, But The World Still Belongs To The Banks. popularresistance.org '[T]here is great intellectual poverty on the part of the right wing', Héctor Béjar says in our latest dossier, A Map of Latin America's Present: An Interview with Héctor Béjar (February 2022). 'There is a lack of right-wing intellectuals everywhere'. | Béjar speaks with a great deal of authority on these matters because, for the past sixty years, he has been intimately involved in the intellectual and political debates which have taken place in his native Peru and across Latin America. 'In the cultural world', Béjar notes, 'the left has everything, the right has nothing'. When it comes to the great cultural deba…

Camila Escalante (2022-02-11). How Nicaragua Fights Poverty & Empowers Women Through the Ministry of Family Economy (Interview). orinocotribune.com In Managua, Nicaragua, Kawsachun News interviewed Minister Justa Pérez of the Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative and Associative Economy, known as MEFCCA. | Could you start us off with a summary of what MEFCCA does to stimulate, develop and promote the popular economy? | With pleasure, greetings. I would like to tell you that the Ministry of Family Economy arose as part of the strategy of the Sandinista government in the fight against poverty. When Comandante Daniel took office in 2007, he decided to launch a National Plan for Human Development in which a number of public policies and a number of program…

Isheka N. Harrison (2022-02-11). US Household Debt Increased By $1T In 2021, The Most Since Before Financial Crisis In 2007. moguldom.com U.S. household debt is on the rise and it hit a peak in 2021 when Americans collectively took on $1 trillion-plus in debt — the highest since 2007 before the financial crisis. The total amount of household debt held by consumers jumped from $14.6 trillion to $15.6 trillion, according to a report by the Federal …

WSWS (2022-02-11). Australia: New South Wales government agency uses "unlawful" automated debt collection system to target poor. wsws.org Thousands of vulnerable families and individuals had their bank accounts drawn down to zero without notice, a report from the state ombudsman reveals.

WSWS (2022-02-11). IG Metall's idea of solidarity: Wage and social cuts for all. wsws.org Since IG Metall works council representatives agreed to the "bidding war" between Ford plants in Germany and Spain, they have offered wage cuts, longer working hours, shorter breaks, unpaid overtime and further social cuts.

Kathryn Joyce (2022-02-11). Christian Nationalists Are Rewriting Jan 6 History. Alarmingly, It's Working. truthout.org Earlier this week, a new Pew survey

WSWS (2022-02-11). Hospital merger creates Michigan's largest chain and biggest employer. wsws.org The creation of a $12 billion company will be followed by intensified attacks on the jobs and working conditions of health care workers.

WSWS (2022-02-11). "The working class has the most power it's ever had": US oil refinery workers speak out on contract battle. wsws.org In letters to the WSWS, oil refinery and petrochemical workers expressed their determination to fight the highly profitable energy companies and denounced the United Steelworkers for keeping them on the job and imposing an information blackout.

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-11). Working class in the UK gears up to protest the cost of living crisis. peoplesdispatch.org The rise in energy prices, cuts in wages and pensions, along with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has made the working class households across the UK reel under a devastating cost of living crisis.

imperial.ac.uk (2022-02-11). Imperial and Brazilian universities launch project to inspire women scientists. imperial.ac.uk Imperial is working with universities in Brazil to inspire the next generation of women scientists.

_____ (2022-02-11). US Deaths Among Those Without Housing Are Surging. popularresistance.org The number of Americans dying while homeless has surged dramatically in the past five years, an exclusive analysis by the Guardian in conjunction with an academic expert at the University of Washington has shown. | An examination of 20 US urban areas found the number of deaths among people living without housing shot up by 77% in the five years ending in 2020. | The rise from 2016 through 2020 was driven by many factors, including ever-rising numbers of people living on the street and the growing dangers they face, such as violence, untreated disease and increasingly deadly illicit drug supplies. | From 65-year-o…

SAM (2022-02-11). A Super Bowl Musing: Can Pro Sports Be More Than a Billionaire Bacchanalia? inequality.org

Fight Back (2022-02-11). New York rallies for Amir Locke and Isaiah Williams. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Over 80 people rallied in Union Square in New York City on February 8 in honor of Amir Locke and Isaiah Williams, two young Black men murdered by police. Locke was murdered by Minneapolis PD under a no-knock warrant, and Williams by Metro Police near Las Vegas while police executed a warrant for a murder he did not commit. | Speeches addressed the injustice of cops murdering Black people and it being rooted in racist inequality. They emphasized how no-knock warrants are disproportionately used as an excuse to murder Black people. The rally was followed by a march.

Camila Escalante (2022-02-11). How Nicaragua Fights Poverty & Empowers Women Through the Ministry of Family Economy (Interview). orinocotribune.com In Managua, Nicaragua, we interviewed Minister Justa Pérez of the Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative and Associative Economy, known as MEFCCA. | Could you start us off with a summary of what MEFCCA does to stimulate, develop and promote the popular economy? | With pleasure, greetings. I would like to tell you that the Ministry of Family Economy arose as part of the strategy of the Sandinista government in the fight against poverty. When Comandante Daniel took office in 2007, he decided to launch a National Plan for Human Development in which a number of public policies and a number of programs and projec…

WSWS (2022-02-11). Australia: New South Wales government agency uses "unlawful" automated debt collection system to target poor. wsws.org Thousands of vulnerable families and individuals had their bank accounts drawn down to zero without notice, a report from the state ombudsman reveals.

WSWS (2022-02-11). Hospital merger creates Michigan's largest chain and biggest employer. wsws.org The creation of a $12 billion company will be followed by intensified attacks on the jobs and working conditions of health care workers.

WSWS (2022-02-11). IG Metall's idea of solidarity: Wage and social cuts for all. wsws.org Since IG Metall works council representatives agreed to the "bidding war" between Ford plants in Germany and Spain, they have offered wage cuts, longer working hours, shorter breaks, unpaid overtime and further social cuts.

David Ruccio (2022-02-11). How to lie with inequality statistics. mronline.org It's a "simple story," with clear political implications. Maybe that's the reason the Krugmans of the world don't want to tell it. . .

Fight Back (2022-02-11). New York rallies for Amir Locke and Isaiah Williams. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Over 80 people rallied in Union Square in New York City on February 8 in honor of Amir Locke and Isaiah Williams, two young Black men murdered by police. Locke was murdered by Minneapolis PD under a no-knock warrant, and Williams by Metro Police near Las Vegas while police executed a warrant for a murder he did not commit. | Speeches addressed the injustice of cops murdering Black people and it being rooted in racist inequality. They emphasized how no-knock warrants are disproportionately used as an excuse to murder Black people. The rally was followed by a march.

Estevan Hernandez (2022-02-10). Atlanta Homeless Union resists police sweep and win month's stay at hotel. liberationnews.org On Feb. 8, Fulton County Sheriffs reportedly threatened to forcibly remove all people from from a homeless encampment in front of Atlanta City Hall at 4 a.m. and arrest anyone who refused to leave.

Vijay Prashad (2022-02-10). The Left Has Culture, but the World Still Belongs to the Banks. dissidentvoice.org Greta Acosta Reyes (Cuba), Women Who Fight, 2020. '[T]here is great intellectual poverty on the part of the right wing', Héctor Béjar says in our latest dossier, A Map of Latin America's Present: An Interview with Héctor Béjar (February 2022). 'There is a lack of right-wing intellectuals everywhere'. Béjar speaks with a great deal of authority on …

Staff (2022-02-10). "Dignity in the Digital Age": Rep. Khanna Calls for Wealth Tax & Decentralizing, Diversifying Big Tech. democracynow.org We speak with Congressmember Ro Khanna, whose district is in the heart of Silicon Valley, about his new book "Dignity in the Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us." He argues more federal regulation in the tech industry can secure an equitable society while encouraging innovation. "We need to understand that if you care about social justice and racial justice, that you have to look at the wealth generation gap," says Khanna.

_____ (2022-02-10). Puerto Rico Hasn't Had The Opportunity To Develop Its Own Economic Future. popularresistance.org "Puerto Rico received approval from a federal judge on Tuesday to leave bankruptcy under the largest public sector debt-restructuring deal in the history of the United States." The executive director of the unelected Fiscal Oversight and Management Board declared it "truly a momentous day," and a "new day for Puerto Rico." How new, exactly, is the question of many who don't see this debt deal as fundamentally changing the story for most Puerto Ricans, because that story has everything to do with the more than 100-year colonial relationship to the United States, and their enforced inability to determine their own…

WSWS (2022-02-10). Workers in Australia face soaring prices and debt. wsws.org For working-class households, the cost of living is rising far faster than incomes, deepening the decline in average real pay levels over the past decade.

Fight Back (2022-02-10). San José protests against U.S. war on Russia. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Saturday, February 5, anti-war protesters gathered in front of San José's City Hall to demand an end to imperial saber rattling in eastern Europe. Speakers from CODEPINK, Freedom Road Socialism (FRSO), National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the El Barrio Defense Committee gathered a crowd of 30 onlookers while calling for end to the war drive against Russia. | Mike Paradela of FRSO said "We called the protest because what the U.S. government is doing is not good for working people. NATO does not benefit working people, it began as an al…

WSWS (2022-02-10). Mobilise the working class to support Sri Lankan national health strike. wsws.org Over 65,000 Sri Lankan health workers, including nurses, paramedic services, public health inspectors, medical laboratory technologists and pharmacists, began an indefinite strike over wages, allowances and working conditions on Monday.

M.K. Bhadrakumar (2022-02-10). Moscow confronts 'Good Cop, Bad Cop'. peoplesdispatch.org People in the United States use the slang "lockstep," recalling a characteristic trait of their prisons of the 19th century when inmates had to shuffle step due to the chain that linked their legs. But US president Joe Biden used that powerful evocative metaphor to convey on Monday that his country and Germany are aligned on fighting any Russian aggression in Ukraine. | "Germany is one of America's closest allies," he said, adding the two nations were "working lockstep" to address the alleged Russian aggression. Biden was speaking ahead of his bilateral meeting with new German chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White…

JANET (2022-02-10). Stop the U.S. war machine! iacenter.org By Minnie Bruce Pratt February 8, 2022 During the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 6., an ad hoc coalition of U.S. anti-imperialist organizations in the United States held over 70 protests against U.S. and NATO aggressive actions directed at Russia. These ranged from holding signs and banners in well-trafficked areas or on highway overpasses to days of protest Feb. 5-6 to show the breadth of opposition to a U.S. war. The groups called the actions because the U.S., working through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is threatening war on Russia, using the pretext that Russia is trying to invade Ukraine. The underlying…

_____ (2022-02-10). Teachers In Puerto Rico Strike For Wages, Benefits. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, February 9, teachers across Puerto Rico called for a national strike to protest the government and the Fiscal Control Board's (FCB) cutting of wages and pensions. Other public sector workers, namely firefighters and police, have also joined them. Teachers are demanding a decent salary, an end to pension cuts, and the resignation of Puerto Rican governor Pedro Pierluisi. Teachers have been protesting since February 4. That same day, the FCB imposed by the US Congress that has been in charge of Puerto Rico since 2016, was boasting because it supposedly already put the end of the bankruptcy process on…

Sameena Rahman (2022-02-10). Supreme Court OKs Alabama state government plot against Black voters. liberationnews.org With a slew of high-profile cases the Supreme Court is slated to hear this year, it is increasingly clear that the rightwing justices will use every opportunity to take away key rights won by mass movements and move us backwards to greater inequality.

_____ (2022-02-10). National Day Of Action: Love To Afghanistan. popularresistance.org After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, Peace Action welcomed the withdrawal of troops from the country and an end to the war. | Yet when the United States military pulled out of Afghanistan, the Biden administration also responded by choking off assets to Afghan banks and the economy by freezing the reserves of the Afghan Central Bank held in the U.S. They also imposed sanctions on those doing business with Afghanistan and cut aid. Jobs and income disappeared, people cannot afford to buy food and mass starvation is now occurring. | The Afghan people are suffering now more than ever. Hunger could kill more now than…

Estevan Hernandez (2022-02-10). Atlanta Homeless Union resists police sweep and win month's stay at hotel. liberationnews.org On Feb. 8, Fulton County Sheriffs reportedly threatened to forcibly remove all people from from a homeless encampment in front of Atlanta City Hall at 4 a.m. and arrest anyone who refused to leave.

Staff (2022-02-10). "Dignity in the Digital Age": Rep. Khanna Calls for Wealth Tax & Decentralizing, Diversifying Big Tech. democracynow.org We speak with Congressmember Ro Khanna, whose district is in the heart of Silicon Valley, about his new book "Dignity in the Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us." He argues more federal regulation in the tech industry can secure an equitable society while encouraging innovation. "We need to understand that if you care about social justice and racial justice, that you have to look at the wealth generation gap," says Khanna.

WSWS (2022-02-10). Workers in Australia face soaring prices and debt. wsws.org For working-class households, the cost of living is rising far faster than incomes, deepening the decline in average real pay levels over the past decade.

WSWS (2022-02-10). Mobilise the working class to support Sri Lankan national health strike. wsws.org Over 65,000 Sri Lankan health workers, including nurses, paramedic services, public health inspectors, medical laboratory technologists and pharmacists, began an indefinite strike over wages, allowances and working conditions on Monday.

Fight Back (2022-02-10). San José protests against U.S. war on Russia. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Saturday, February 5, anti-war protesters gathered in front of San José's City Hall to demand an end to imperial saber rattling in eastern Europe. Speakers from CODEPINK, Freedom Road Socialism (FRSO), National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the El Barrio Defense Committee gathered a crowd of 30 onlookers while calling for end to the war drive against Russia. | Mike Paradela of FRSO said "We called the protest because what the U.S. government is doing is not good for working people. NATO does not benefit working people, it began as an al…

Sameena Rahman (2022-02-10). Supreme Court OKs Alabama state government plot against Black voters. liberationnews.org With a slew of high-profile cases the Supreme Court is slated to hear this year, it is increasingly clear that the rightwing justices will use every opportunity to take away key rights won by mass movements and move us backwards to greater inequality.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-09). How Nicaragua Fights Poverty & Empowers Women Through the Ministry of Family Economy. libya360.wordpress.com Camila EscalanteMinister Justa Pérez of the Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative and Associative Economy (MEFCCA) in Managua. January 2022. In Managua, Nicaragua, we interviewed Minister Justa Pérez of the Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative and Associative Economy, known as MEFCCA. Could you start us off with a summary of what MEFCCA does to stimulate, develop…

_____ (2022-02-09). On Contact: The Gig Economy. popularresistance.org After the end of World War II, two generations of workers in the United States were blessed with a period of unprecedented prosperity. Wages for the working class were high. Jobs were stable and came with benefits and health insurance. Unions protected workers from abuse by the business elites. Taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations was as high as 91%. The public school system provided a quality education to the poor and the rich. The nation's infrastructure and technology were cutting edge and unrivaled. But by the 1970s, it all began to go south. Wages stagnated. Income inequality grew, until by 2…

Staff (2022-02-09). European banks panicking over Russia-Ukraine crisis — reports. rt.com Banks in Italy, France, and Austria are most exposed | European banks are concerned that the payment system which connects them to Russia could become a casualty of the Ukraine crisis, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing its sources. The banks describe the potential disconnection of Russia from SWIFT as an "atomic bomb" for the industry because it would prevent the repayment of debts, it said. | According to research by JPMorgan, European banks with subsidiaries in Russia are most at risk from economic restrictions. The study said a handful of lenders, including UniCredit, RBI, France's Societe Generale, and…

_____ (2022-02-09). Drug Decriminalization Is Working In Oregon. popularresistance.org As COVID-19 continues to rage, another health crisis persists — one that is decades long. In the first year of the pandemic, the United States hit the devastating milestone of 100,000 overdose deaths, a nearly 28.5 percent surge from the record numbers we saw the previous year. Now, fentanyl is the leading cause of death in Americans ages 18-45. The reaction from many of our leaders has been to call for more arrests and criminalization, but this response is rooted in fear, not science. We have spent the last 50 years trying to treat a public health issue with a criminalization response, yet people are dying…

Dean Baker (2022-02-09). The Big Lie of the Elites. cepr.net The key point, that is repeatedly misrepresented in this piece, is that the harm to the working class in the last four decades was the result of deliberate policy, not something that just happened.

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2022-02-09). President Maduro Condemns Indolence of Some Officials Toward Workers. orinocotribune.com With a tenacious call to end the indolence of some state institutions and private entities, President Nicolás Maduro asked for the support of Venezuela's working class through the functions carried out by the Productive Councils of Workers (CPT). | The statements were issued this Monday, February 7, during a meeting with workers of state-owned PDVSA subsidiary Pequiven. At the same time, President Maduro noted that Venezuela currently has sufficient funds to finance small and medium industries, including through the bank's credit portfolio. | "The assets are there, what is not there is a connection with the grass…

ALETH (2022-02-09). ww3 : a wall street crime against humanity. indybay.org wall street working both sides against eac other for double war profits…

WSWS (2022-02-09). Australia: New South Wales nurses vote for statewide strike. wsws.org The union is doing everything to isolate and divide up action which expresses immense anger among not only nurses and other health staff, but broad sections of the working class.

TASS (2022-02-09). Kiev's attempts to manipulate information not conductive to peace — Donetsk. tass.com A significant portion of the 178th session of the working group on security issues was wasted on countering the Ukrainian side's manipulative rhetoric, said Alexey Nikonorov, a negotiator for the self-proclaimed DPR in the security subgroup of the Contact Group…

_____ (2022-02-09). Wanting Peace With Russia To Focus Aggressions On China Is Just Being An Imperialist Warmonger. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz criticized the Biden administration's dangerous escalations against Russia on the House floor on Monday, not because he thinks needlessly ramping up cold war brinkmanship with a nuclear-armed nation is an insane thing to do, nor because he believes the US government should cease trying to dominate the world by constantly working to subvert and undermine any nation who disobeys its commands, but because he wants US aggressions to be focused more on China. | "While the Biden administration, the media, and many in congress beat the drums of war for Ukraine, th…

WSWS (2022-02-09). Oakland, California, school closures and budget cuts are an attack on the entire working class! wsws.org Attempts to present school closures in racial terms obscures their underlying cause and divides a unified struggle of the working class against capitalist budget cuts.

Sarah Anderson (2022-02-09). President Trump Axed an IRS Report on the Richest 400 Americans. Let's Bring It Back. inequality.org

Staff (2022-02-09). Headlines for February 9, 2022. democracynow.org Heads of State Hold More Talks as U.S. Threatens Sweeping Sanctions Amid Russia-Ukraine Tensions, NY Drops Indoor Mask Mandate; Pfizer Projects Over $50 Billion in Revenue from COVID Treatments, Canadian Truckers Shut Down Bridge Linking to U.S. as "Freedom Convoy" Grows, Israeli Soldiers Shoot Dead 3 Palestinians in West Bank City of Nablus, Millions in Horn of Africa Face Severe Hunger After Years of Drought, U.S. Approves $100 Million Military Sale to Taiwan, Outrage Mounts over School Hijab Ban in Indian State of Karnataka, Ex-Pope Benedict Asks for Forgiveness for Church's Sexual Abuse But…

ecns.cn (2022-02-09). China Red Cross donates flour to hungry Afghanistan. ecns.cn The Red Cross Society of China recently donated 130 metric tons of flour to its Afghan counterpart to help the country through its severe food crisis.

Staff (2022-02-09). European banks panicking over Russia-Ukraine crisis — reports. rt.com Banks in Italy, France, and Austria are most exposed | European banks are concerned that the payment system which connects them to Russia could become a casualty of the Ukraine crisis, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing its sources. The banks describe the potential disconnection of Russia from SWIFT as an "atomic bomb" for the industry because it would prevent the repayment of debts, it said. | According to research by JPMorgan, European banks with subsidiaries in Russia are most at risk from economic restrictions. The study said a handful of lenders, including UniCredit, RBI, France's Societe Generale, and…

José Manuel Blanco Diaz (2022-02-09). President Maduro Condemns Indolence of Some Officials Toward Workers. orinocotribune.com With a tenacious call to end the indolence of some state institutions and private entities, President Nicolás Maduro asked for the support of Venezuela's working class through the functions carried out by the Productive Councils of Workers (CPT). | The statements were issued this Monday, February 7, during a meeting with workers of state-owned PDVSA subsidiary Pequiven. At the same time, President Maduro noted that Venezuela currently has sufficient funds to finance small and medium industries, including through the bank's credit portfolio. | "The assets are there, what is not there is a connection with the grass…

TASS (2022-02-09). Kiev's attempts to manipulate information not conductive to peace — Donetsk. tass.com A significant portion of the 178th session of the working group on security issues was wasted on countering the Ukrainian side's manipulative rhetoric, said Alexey Nikonorov, a negotiator for the self-proclaimed DPR in the security subgroup of the Contact Group…

WSWS (2022-02-09). Oakland, California, school closures and budget cuts are an attack on the entire working class! wsws.org Attempts to present school closures in racial terms obscures their underlying cause and divides a unified struggle of the working class against capitalist budget cuts.

ALETH (2022-02-09). ww3 : a wall street crime against humanity. indybay.org wall street working both sides against eac other for double war profits…

WSWS (2022-02-09). Australia: New South Wales nurses vote for statewide strike. wsws.org The union is doing everything to isolate and divide up action which expresses immense anger among not only nurses and other health staff, but broad sections of the working class.

ecns.cn (2022-02-09). China Red Cross donates flour to hungry Afghanistan. ecns.cn The Red Cross Society of China recently donated 130 metric tons of flour to its Afghan counterpart to help the country through its severe food crisis.

_____ (2022-02-08). How Targeting Programs To Poor People Leaves Out Poor People. popularresistance.org Less than one year ago, the United States government enacted one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in modern history. The Child Tax Credit (CTC), originally established in 1997, was expanded through the American Rescue Plan to provide families with children substantially larger payments, delivered monthly, while making low-income families eligible for the full benefits. This expansion changed the face of child poverty in the United States, lifting over 4 million children above the poverty line—a decrease in poverty of more than 40%‚Äâ—‚Äâand decreasing food…

Editor2 (2022-02-08). How US Meddling Split Sudan, Creating an Oil Republic Drowning in Poverty and Conflict. orinocotribune.com By T.J. Coles — Feb 1, 2022 | Following decades of US soft power aid interventions to exploit South Sudan's energy reserves and counter China's influence, the republic is trapped in humanitarian crisis. | Like most countries, the Republic of South Sudan is a complex nation of shifting alliances and external influences. | Recently, President Salva Kiir, who sports a Stetson hat

WSWS (2022-02-08). UK rail cleaners strike against poverty pay. wsws.org During the pandemic, rail cleaners have braved hazardous conditions to protect the public from infection. But outsourced cleaners have been paid a pittance and were even denied sick pay.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-08). New Gates Foundation a US Regime Change Front. libya360.wordpress.com ALEXANDER RUBINSTEIN Zimbabwean telecom billionaire Strive Masiyiwa (right) with Melinda French Gates Listed as a US asset while spearheading Zimbabwean regime change plans, billionaire Strive Masiyiwa joins a cast of technocratic zealots on Gates' new board of trustees. In a shake-up of an institution named for one of the world's wealthiest and most influential oligarchs,…

Dana Sanchez (2022-02-08). US Government National Debt Now $30 Trillion: 3 Things About Impaired US Ability To Print Its Way Out Of Debt. moguldom.com Modern monetary theory or MMT is a popular theory that gives an apparent blank check to the government for printing money, which made it appealing to both the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations, as evidenced by the gross national debt exceeding $30 trillion for the first time on Feb. 1, 2022. The debt skyrocketed …

Staff (2022-02-08). Talk World Radio: Braxton Brewington: End Debt. davidswanson.org AUDIO: Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm. Here is this week's video and all the videos on Youtube. VIDEO: This week on Talk World Radio we're talking about debt, including student debt. Our guest Braxton Brewington is a spokesperson and organizer for The Debt Collective. See debtcollective.org The Debt Collective …

Mark Gruenberg (2022-02-08). Construction union leaders hail Biden's pro-union executive order. peoplesworld.org

WSWS (2022-02-08). Turkish health workers strike as COVID-19 pandemic, living costs surge. wsws.org As COVID-19 cases explode and real annual inflation exceeds 110 percent in Turkey, many layers of the working class are increasingly taking strike action.

WSWS (2022-02-08). The far-right occupation of Ottawa: January 6 conspiracy hits Canada. wsws.org Absent the political intervention of the working class, all possible outcomes to the current standoff in Ottawa will only produce a further lurch to the right, imperiling the most fundamental democratic and social rights of the working class.

WSWS (2022-02-08). The far-right occupation of Ottawa: January 6 goes global. wsws.org Absent the political intervention of the working class, all possible outcomes to the current standoff in Ottawa will only produce a further lurch to the right, imperiling the most fundamental democratic and social rights of the working class.

JANET (2022-02-08). Olympic Games & U.S. propaganda: Have you been lied to about Xinjiang, human rights ‚àí and China? iacenter.org February 7, 2022 Feb. 6 update — The U.S. war propaganda machine is working overtime during the Olympics to defame China with false accusations of "human rights abuse" against the Turkic-speaking Muslim Uyghurs, based in its Xinjiang Province. As readers evaluate these claims, keep in mind these facts: 1) There is a centuries-long history of racist U.S. crimes — through state force and economic exploitation — against Indigenous, Black, Latinx and Asian and other oppressed peoples, on land now occupied by the U.S. These crimes, which continue to this day, are integral to U.S. tactics of military…

TASS (2022-02-08). Political and humanitarian subgroups of Contact Group for Donbass start work. tass.com Meetings of working groups on security and economic issues are also scheduled for Tuesday, and the Contact Group is due to hold a meeting on Wednesday…

Xiaolu Sun (2022-02-08). NFL to host vaccination clinic at Super Bowl. america.cgtn.com This year, the NFL is working with the local department to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for fans. And they're also offering free tickets to the Super Bowl experience for anyone who receives any dose of the vaccine at the on-site clinic. Find out more.

WSWS (2022-02-08). BNSF railroad unions pen letter begging Biden administration to intervene against punitive new attendance policy. wsws.org The letter is an attempt to divert attention from the unions' own treachery and promote illusions in the same capitalist state, which is robbing BNSF workers of their right to strike and to free speech.

Staff (2022-02-08). Hunger-Striking Teachers Say Oakland Plan to Close Schools Will Hurt Black & Brown Communities. democracynow.org We go to Oakland, where a group of teachers are on a hunger strike to protest a plan to close and merge over a dozen schools due to under-enrollment. This comes ahead of a critical school board vote Tuesday that will decide whether to proceed with the plan. Activists argue the move threatens to divert resources to charter schools and displace hundreds of Black and Brown children from their neighborhood schools. The hunger strike across multiple different schools has empowered many to speak up against longtime systemic racism, says Moses Omolade, one of the striking workers and a community schools manager at Westl…

Amy Goodman (2022-02-08). Hunger-Striking Teachers Say School Closures Will Hurt Black and Brown Kids. truthout.org Image Credit: Instagram: @westlakewarrioreagles | We go to Oakland, where a group of teachers are on a hunger strike to protest a plan to close and merge over a dozen schools due to under-enrollment. This comes ahead of a critical school board vote Tuesday that will decide whether to proceed with the plan. Activists argue the move threatens to divert resources to charter schools and displace hundreds of Black and Brown children from their neighborhood schools. The hunger strike across multiple di…

JANET (2022-02-08). U.S.-EU hide their role in Afghan hunger crisis. iacenter.org By Zach Kerner February 7, 2022 On Jan. 24, U.S. and European Union representatives met with representatives of the Taliban in Oslo to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. The meeting's purpose, according to the U.S. State Department, was the "urgency in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan" and the need to "help alleviate the suffering of Afghans across the country." (state.gov, Jan. 27) Credit: sanctionskill.org The U.S.-E.U. statement focuses primarily on the Taliban's conduct, particularly charges of women's and human rights violations. It fails to acknowledge that the ongoing crisis in Afghanis…