WSWS (2024-12-28). Rising rents leads to increasing poverty in Germany. wsws.org The policies of federal and state governments of all political colours have led to a massive increase in rents in recent years, which are becoming almost impossible to afford for ever larger sections of the population. At the same time, property companies are making fantastic profits.

Rhoda Wilson (2024-12-28). US Federal Reserve system is designed to funnel wealth to the banking elite. expose-news.com The Federal Reserve is not a government agency. It is a private central bank that was created to make money for the international banking elite. The system is designed to produce debt …

Isabelle Ponet (2024-12-28). Debt cancellation in the land of Canaan in the first millennium BC. cadtm.org The year 2025 is considered by Christians to be a jubilee year under the banner of debt cancellation. To mark the occasion, the CADTM is republishing a series of articles on debt cancellation, the struggles for debt cancellation and the role of debt in political, social and geostrategic conflicts throughout history.
| Social justice, in particular in regard to the cancellation of debts that keep the poor enslaved to the rich, is a leitmotif in the history of ancient Israel.
| The Deuteronomic (…) | – | / |

The Independent (2024-12-28). What gov't is doing to tame rising public debt. independent.co.ug Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has outlined plans aimed at reducing its national debt starting in 2027 the year it is forecast to touch 53 percent of the value of the economy (GDP). The country's national debt stands at 25.6 billion (93 trillion shillings) as of the end of June 2024, or about 46.9 …

The Lever (2024-12-28). The Year Of The Master Plan. levernews.com When we started working on Master Plan more than two years ago, we didn't know what to expect. Would anyone listen to a nearly 10-hour-long investigative audio series about the 50-year plot to legalize corruption in America?The results are in, and they've exceeded our wildest hopes. Since its launch this fall, Master Plan, which detailed how political ideologues and corporate forces spent years orchestrating a secret plan to control the democratic system, has garnered widespread acclaim, topped the charts, won awards, and is well on its way to hitting a million total downloads. |

Elsy Fors Garzon (2024-12-28). Minimum wage increase of 9.5 percent stands out in Colombia. plenglish.com Bogotá, Dec 28 (Prensa Latina) The decision of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, to decree an increase of the minimum wage by 9.5 percent starting in 2025, stands out among the events of the week that ends today.

Jessica Corbett (2024-12-28). Report Finds US Homelessness Soared by a Record 18 Percent Since 2023. truthout.org The controversial federal system for tracking homelessness in the United States recorded an 18% increase from 2023, breaking the record previously set last year, according to a report released Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) process — which advocates and experts have long argued is flawed and results in inaccurate data that understates the homelessness… |

Editor (2024-12-28). 'A Policy Choice': US Report Finds Homelessness Soared 18% This Year. scheerpost.com

John W. Whitehead (2024-12-27). The Child that Christmas Forgot: How Would Jesus Fare in the American Police State? globalresearch.ca The modern-day church has largely shied away from applying Jesus' teachings to modern problems such as war, poverty, immigration, etc., but thankfully there have been individuals throughout history who ask themselves and the world: what would Jesus do?

John White (2024-12-27). The End Days? World War, Tech Takeover, and Global Warming. counterpunch.org One can be excused for worrying over what tomorrow might bring as expanded battle lines are redrawn across the globe, the world's wealthiest nation ever consumes itself in a cataclysm of partisan hate amid a growing digital reformation, and unchecked carbon emissions continue to cause more environmental disaster by the day. Will nuclear conflict, machine control, or climate breakdown ultimately destroy our pale blue dot of a planet or is it all just more apocalyptic blather that never comes to pass?

Isabelle Ponet (2024-12-27). Debt cancellation in the land of Canaan in the first millennium BC. cadtm.org The year 2025 is considered by Christians to be a jubilee year under the banner of debt cancellation. To mark the occasion, the CADTM is republishing a series of articles on debt cancellation, the struggles for debt cancellation and the role of debt in political, social and geostrategic conflicts throughout history.
| Social justice, in particular in regard to the cancellation of debts that keep the poor enslaved to the rich, is a leitmotif in the history of ancient Israel.
| The Deuteronomic (…) | – | / |

WSWS (2024-12-27). Macy's, Big Lots join other US retailers in shutdown of thousands of stores. wsws.org The store closures are driven by cautious consumer spending due to inflation, higher interest rates and crushing levels of household debt.

ecns.cn (2024-12-27). China to accelerate 5G revolution, 6G innovation in 2025. ecns.cn China plans to build 4.5 million 5G base stations and develop more future industries in 2025, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at its working conference on Friday.

WSWS (2024-12-27). New Zealand economy in deepening slump. wsws.org Amid the historic decline in the position of New Zealand capitalism, the ruling elite is intensifying its assault on the working class.

Michel Moushabeck, Truthout. (2024-12-27). Palestinians Endure Another Christmas Of Genocide And Displacement. popularresistance.org Over the past 14 months, I have watched in horror as fellow Palestinians in Gaza have been subjected to Israel's relentless bombardment — targeting refugee camps, residential neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, universities and bakeries — and forced to live the nightmare of homelessness in leaky tents without food, water or medical care. I have listened to friends and family in the West Bank and East Jerusalem talk about their despair and describe the daily terror they are subjected to at the hands of the Israeli military and armed settlers, whose aim is to get them to leave their homes and land.

WSWS (2024-12-27). Syracuse Opera files for bankruptcy, one of numerous smaller companies in the US in trouble or simply closing down. wsws.org Classical music ensembles and opera companies face immense difficulties, aside from a handful of prestigious, well-endowed institutions.

Sharon Zhang (2024-12-27). Biden Officials Pressured US-Funded Food Monitor to Retract Gaza Famine Warning. truthout.org A key international food insecurity monitor retracted a report warning of imminent famine in Israeli-sieged north Gaza after the Biden administration pressured the group to do so, new reporting finds. Earlier this week, the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) put out a report warning that deaths due to starvation were reaching the threshold of famine in north Gaza… |

Staff (2024-12-27). Headlines for December 27, 2024. democracynow.org Israel Forces Evacuation of Northern Gaza Hospital After Attack That Killed 50, Watchdog Finds 75,000 in Gaza at Risk of Famine, Buries Report After U.S. Ambassador to Israel Objects, Israel Bombs Yemeni Capital and Port City of Hodeidah, Killing 6 and Wounding Dozens, Famine Spreads as Fighting Escalates in Sudan, Prompting Exodus of Refugees, More Than 10,000 Asylum Seekers Have Died at Sea Attempting to Reach Spain in 2024, CDC Warns Sample of First Severely Ill U.S. Bird Flu Patient Contains Troublesome Mutations, South Korean Parliament Impeaches Acting President 2 Weeks After Former President's Ouster…

The Independent (2024-12-27). Karamoja women trained in financial literacy. independent.co.ug Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Straight Talk Foundation, with support from Welt Hunger under the Grow Together project, has trained 152 women in financial literacy across Napak and Moroto districts.The nine-month training focused on financial literacy, entrepreneurship skills, and the production of reusable pads. The project targeted vulnerable women to equip them with business management …

Bernie Sanders (2024-12-26). Making America Healthy Again. counterpunch.org Yes. In the wealthiest country on Earth let us Make America Healthy Again. We should be leading the world in terms of life-expectancy, happiness, and productivity. This is some of what we have to do. Medicare for All. Every American, regardless of age or income, must be entitled to health care as a human right. It

Andrea GIORGETTA (2024-12-26). Laos/Thailand: United Nations body petitioned over the enforced disappearance of Thai dissident. fidh.org On 20 December 2024, the International Federation for Human Rights and (FIDH) and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) submitted a communication to the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) concerning the enforced disappearance of exiled Thai political activist Surachai Danwattananusorn.
Bangkok, Paris, 23 December 2024. Surachai's enforced disappearance occurred in the context of efforts by Thai authorities to persecute dissidents who fled to (…) | – |

newarab (2024-12-26). The best MENA films of 2024. newarab.com At a time when people of Arab, Middle Eastern or North African heritage are being rampantly maligned across the globe, in both news bulletins and on social media, cinema has never played such a vital role in shifting negative perceptions. | Looking back at 2024 in film, there has been an excellent number of stories from and about the MENA world that humanise those from the region. | From powerful documentaries cutting through mainstream Zionist propaganda to an exquisite character study of a queer Arab drag queen in London working out the kinks in their identity, here are some of the best MENA films released i…

ICRC (2024-12-26). OEWG: ICRC Statement on International Law. icrc.org Delivered by Kosuke Onishi, Legal Adviser, at the 9th Substantive Session of the Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025, New York…

Adriaan Alsema (2024-12-26). Minimum wage in Colombia up 9.5% in 2025. colombiareports.com Colombia's government decreed a 9.5% minimum wage hike after employers and labor unions failed to reach agreement. The wage hike that will take force in January is significantly higher than…

aljazeera (2024-12-26). Israeli public focused on hostages as famine looms in Gaza. aljazeera.com "The Israeli public is overwhelmed with the issue of the hostages."

Luis Linares Petrov (2024-12-26). UN warns of alarming escalation of hunger and malnutrition in Sudan. plenglish.com United Nations, Dec 26 (Prensa Latina) The conflict in Sudan is extending famine conditions, which have already been confirmed in five regions of the country, while the UN foresees an alarming escalation of hunger and malnutrition.

Jessica Corbett (2024-12-26). Sudan Suspends Cooperation With Global Hunger Monitor as War Expands Famine. truthout.org The Sudanese government suspended cooperation with a global hunger monitor on Monday, on the eve of the initiative announcing that the African country's civil war has driven the expansion of a famine first declared at a refugee camp earlier this year and expected to keep growing next year without a cease-fire. Alarm over widespread hunger in Sudan has mounted since fighting erupted between… |

aljazeera (2024-12-26). The US won't reign in Israel in Gaza. aljazeera.com International relations professor Hassan Barari says the US will allow Israel to continue causing hunger in Gaza…

Lawrence Wittner (2024-12-25). A Global Minimum Wage Would Reduce Poverty and Corporate Power. counterpunch.org In today's world of widespread poverty and unprecedented wealth, how about raising the wages of the most poorly paid workers? This October, the World Bank reported that "8.5 percent of the global population―almost 700 million people―live today on less than $2.15 per day," while "44 percent of the global population―around 3.5 billion people―live today on less than

Staff (2024-12-25). A Tribute to Blacklisted Lyricist Yip Harburg: The Man Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz. democracynow.org His name might not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Today, we take a journey through the life and work of Yip Harburg, the Broadway lyricist who wrote such hits as "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and who put the music into The Wizard of Oz, the movie that inspired the hit Broadway musical and now Hollywood blockbuster, Wicked. Born into poverty on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Harburg always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism and poverty. A lifelong socialist, Harburg was blacklisted and hounded throughout much of…

Dean Baker (2024-12-25). A Note on Trade and Inequality. counterpunch.org We saw millions of workers displaced in manufacturing, as our trade deficit ballooned from 1997 to 2007. Communities across the industrial heartland were devastated as the factories that supported them downsized or shut altogether. We can have lengthy debates about the motives of working-class people who switched from Democrats to Trump voters, but the fact that Democratic presidents pushed trade policies that destroyed millions of good paying jobs for non-college educated workers is not really in dispute.

ICRC (2024-12-25). OEWG: ICRC Statement on International Law. icrc.org Delivered by Kosuke Onishi, Legal Adviser, at the 9th Substantive Session of the Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025, New York…

Alina Ramos Martin (2024-12-25). Colombian workers pleased with minimum wage hike. plenglish.com The president of the Central Unitaria Trabajadores de Colombia (CUT), Fabio Arias, said, for example, that the increase will allow Colombians to have greater purchasing power. | This, he said, considering that the real increase is more than 200,000 pesos (about 45 dollars at the current exchange rate), which means an average increase of 11% over last year. | "We have called on the central workers to reduce the wage gap that we have with the previous decisions of the neoliberal and business governments," the union leader said. | Meanwhile, the president of the Confederation of Workers of Colombia, Jhon Caicedo, e…

Michel Moushabeck (2024-12-25). Palestinians Endure Another Christmas of Genocide and Displacement. truthout.org Over the past 14 months, I have watched in horror as fellow Palestinians in Gaza have been subjected to Israel's relentless bombardment — targeting refugee camps, residential neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, universities and bakeries — and forced to live the nightmare of homelessness in leaky tents without food, water or medical care. I have listened to friends and family in the West Bank and… |

Alex Press, Dissent Magazine. (2024-12-25). How Union Democracy Builds Labor's Strike Power. popularresistance.org Scott Houldieson had some questions. He had worked at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant, United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 551, since 1989, but in the late 2000s the company was in a financial hole following the Great Recession, and the leaders of the UAW told him and his fellow coworkers that they were going to have to give up some of the benefits that had long made auto work a good blue-collar job. | Houldieson understood that times were hard; he'd seen the quarterly reports showing gigantic losses for the company, even if it wasn't facing bankruptcy like its competitors, but something still didn't compute.

newarab (2024-12-25). War-torn Sudan faces 'widening' famine crisis: UN-backed report. newarab.com

Chris Hedges, Scheer Post. (2024-12-25). How Fascism Came. popularresistance.org President-elect Donald Trump does not herald the advent of fascism. He heralds the collapse of the veneer that masked the corruption within the ruling class and their pretense of democracy. He is the symptom, not the disease. The loss of basic democratic norms began long before Trump, which paved the road to an American totalitarianism. Deindustrialization, deregulation, austerity, unchecked predatory corporations, including the health-care industry, wholesale surveillance of every American, social inequality, an electoral system that is plagued by legalized bribery, endless and futile wars, the largest prison po…

John W. Whitehead — Nisha Whitehead (2024-12-25). What If Jesus Had Been Born into the American Police State? counterpunch.org "When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the

Lawrence Wittner (2024-12-25). A Global Minimum Wage Would Reduce Poverty and Corporate Power. counterpunch.org In today's world of widespread poverty and unprecedented wealth, how about raising the wages of the most poorly paid workers? This October, the World Bank reported that "8.5 percent of the global population―almost 700 million people―live today on less than $2.15 per day," while "44 percent of the global population―around 3.5 billion people―live today on less than

Dean Baker (2024-12-25). A Note on Trade and Inequality. counterpunch.org We saw millions of workers displaced in manufacturing, as our trade deficit ballooned from 1997 to 2007. Communities across the industrial heartland were devastated as the factories that supported them downsized or shut altogether. We can have lengthy debates about the motives of working-class people who switched from Democrats to Trump voters, but the fact that Democratic presidents pushed trade policies that destroyed millions of good paying jobs for non-college educated workers is not really in dispute.

ICRC (2024-12-25). OEWG: ICRC Statement on International Law. icrc.org Delivered by Kosuke Onishi, Legal Adviser, at the 9th Substantive Session of the Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025, New York…

Alina Ramos Martin (2024-12-25). Colombian workers pleased with minimum wage hike. plenglish.com The president of the Central Unitaria Trabajadores de Colombia (CUT), Fabio Arias, said, for example, that the increase will allow Colombians to have greater purchasing power. | This, he said, considering that the real increase is more than 200,000 pesos (about 45 dollars at the current exchange rate), which means an average increase of 11% over last year. | "We have called on the central workers to reduce the wage gap that we have with the previous decisions of the neoliberal and business governments," the union leader said. | Meanwhile, the president of the Confederation of Workers of Colombia, Jhon Caicedo, e…

Michel Moushabeck (2024-12-25). Palestinians Endure Another Christmas of Genocide and Displacement. truthout.org Over the past 14 months, I have watched in horror as fellow Palestinians in Gaza have been subjected to Israel's relentless bombardment — targeting refugee camps, residential neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, universities and bakeries — and forced to live the nightmare of homelessness in leaky tents without food, water or medical care. I have listened to friends and family in the West Bank and… |

Alex Press, Dissent Magazine. (2024-12-25). How Union Democracy Builds Labor's Strike Power. popularresistance.org Scott Houldieson had some questions. He had worked at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant, United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 551, since 1989, but in the late 2000s the company was in a financial hole following the Great Recession, and the leaders of the UAW told him and his fellow coworkers that they were going to have to give up some of the benefits that had long made auto work a good blue-collar job. | Houldieson understood that times were hard; he'd seen the quarterly reports showing gigantic losses for the company, even if it wasn't facing bankruptcy like its competitors, but something still didn't compute.

newarab (2024-12-25). War-torn Sudan faces 'widening' famine crisis: UN-backed report. newarab.com

Chris Hedges, Scheer Post. (2024-12-25). How Fascism Came. popularresistance.org President-elect Donald Trump does not herald the advent of fascism. He heralds the collapse of the veneer that masked the corruption within the ruling class and their pretense of democracy. He is the symptom, not the disease. The loss of basic democratic norms began long before Trump, which paved the road to an American totalitarianism. Deindustrialization, deregulation, austerity, unchecked predatory corporations, including the health-care industry, wholesale surveillance of every American, social inequality, an electoral system that is plagued by legalized bribery, endless and futile wars, the largest prison po…

John W. Whitehead — Nisha Whitehead (2024-12-25). What If Jesus Had Been Born into the American Police State? counterpunch.org "When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the

Lawrence S. Wittner (2024-12-24). A Global Minimum Wage Would Reduce Poverty and Corporate Power. fpif.org In today's world of widespread poverty and unprecedented wealth, how about raising the wages of the most poorly-paid workers? | This October, the In early 2024, the charit…

Pablo Rafael Fuentes (2024-12-24). Organizaciones argentinas celebran Nochebuena con necesitados. radiohc.cu La Habana, 24 dic (RHC) Agrupaciones sociales argentinas realizarán hoy una cena de Nochebuena frente al Congreso para miles de personas pobres y en situación de calle.

WSWS (2024-12-24). Pabloite NPA hails pro-business Umbrella for Democratic Change's election victory in Botswana. wsws.org Amid growing protests and political dissatisfaction across southern Africa, the NPA is intervening to promote right-wing bourgeois parties and thus block a broader, united offensive in the working class for socialism.

Poppie Mphuthing (2024-12-24). Work/life balance for mothers. america.cgtn.com Working mothers around the world know all-too-well the struggle of achieving a work/life balance. And in the U.S., there's new data shedding light on just how tough their juggling act has become, and its toll on their mental health. | CGTN'S Poppie Mphuthing shares the story.

Urban CNY News (2024-12-24). Firefighters Battle Overnight Fire on Mosley Drive. urbancny.com Syracuse, NY- On December 24, 2024 at 2: 46 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported house on fire at 243 Mosley Drive. Firefighters from Station 17 on Burnet Ave arrived at the scene five minutes later and found a two-story wood frame structure with fire visible on the second floor in the back left corner. The Incident commander transmitted a signal '99', indicating a working fire. As teams of firefighters moved hoses through the front door and upstairs in search of the fire, other teams of firefighters prepared to methodically search the entire building. The caller…

WSWS (2024-12-24). Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to three years in prison. wsws.org The sentencing of the former head of state on charges of corrupting the judiciary exposes the degeneracy of the French Fifth Republic and the bankruptcy of the capitalist regime.

Lawrence S. Wittner (2024-12-24). A Global Minimum Wage Would Reduce Poverty and Corporate Power. fpif.org In today's world of widespread poverty and unprecedented wealth, how about raising the wages of the most poorly-paid workers? | This October, the In early 2024, the charit…

Pablo Rafael Fuentes (2024-12-24). Organizaciones argentinas celebran Nochebuena con necesitados. radiohc.cu La Habana, 24 dic (RHC) Agrupaciones sociales argentinas realizarán hoy una cena de Nochebuena frente al Congreso para miles de personas pobres y en situación de calle.

WSWS (2024-12-24). Pabloite NPA hails pro-business Umbrella for Democratic Change's election victory in Botswana. wsws.org Amid growing protests and political dissatisfaction across southern Africa, the NPA is intervening to promote right-wing bourgeois parties and thus block a broader, united offensive in the working class for socialism.

Poppie Mphuthing (2024-12-24). Work/life balance for mothers. america.cgtn.com Working mothers around the world know all-too-well the struggle of achieving a work/life balance. And in the U.S., there's new data shedding light on just how tough their juggling act has become, and its toll on their mental health. | CGTN'S Poppie Mphuthing shares the story.

Urban CNY News (2024-12-24). Firefighters Battle Overnight Fire on Mosley Drive. urbancny.com Syracuse, NY- On December 24, 2024 at 2: 46 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported house on fire at 243 Mosley Drive. Firefighters from Station 17 on Burnet Ave arrived at the scene five minutes later and found a two-story wood frame structure with fire visible on the second floor in the back left corner. The Incident commander transmitted a signal '99', indicating a working fire. As teams of firefighters moved hoses through the front door and upstairs in search of the fire, other teams of firefighters prepared to methodically search the entire building. The caller…

WSWS (2024-12-24). Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to three years in prison. wsws.org The sentencing of the former head of state on charges of corrupting the judiciary exposes the degeneracy of the French Fifth Republic and the bankruptcy of the capitalist regime.

Sam Pizzigati, Counter Punch. (2024-12-23). Ghastly Glimpses Of America's Most Rich-People-Friendly Year. popularresistance.org The good times — for America's super wealthy — are now rolling way past good. Our richest have in 2024 enjoyed their best year ever. No other nation's deepest pockets have watched their fortunes grow as large or as fast. | Elon Musk, of course, perfectly embodies this unprecedented surge in the personal wealth of America's wealthiest. Musk has entered 2024's last two weeks with a net worth spilling past $450 billion, nearly half a trillion dollars. Over the last 12 months, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index neatly notes, Musk's wealth has doubled.

WSWS (2024-12-23). Report: UAW made secret deal for unionization of EV company Rivian based on profitability. wsws.org The Rivian deal explicitly ties the interests of the UAW apparatus to the profit interests of the company's wealthy shareholders.

Manlio Dinucci (2024-12-23). War Industry Destroys Our Lives. Manlio Dinucci. globalresearch.ca While the car crisis, aggravated by further US protectionist measures, puts 40,000 jobs at risk in Italy, and Italy's public debt has climbed to 139% of GDP and is still rising, Italy's military spending continues to grow: according to official …

Staff (2024-12-23). Elon Musk's Opposition to Gov't Spending Bill a "Smokescreen" for His Business Interests: Robert Kuttner. democracynow.org After the Republican-led Congress passes a government spending bill but rejects a last-minute demand for a debt limit suspension from President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, we look at the richest man in the world's growing influence, with The American Prospect editor Robert Kuttner. "At the end of the day, Musk got exactly what he wanted," says Kuttner, referring to Musk's influence in the removal of an anti-China trade provision in the bill. "It's a classic case of Musk rolling Trump. … I don't think this is going to end well."…

Sasha Abramsky (2024-12-23). Trump's Debt Ceiling Power Play Is a Prelude to the Congressional Chaos to Come. truthout.org With hours left before the U.S. government was slated to run out of money last week, Elon Musk and Donald Trump took to social media to strong-arm the House GOP into abandoning a bipartisan deal to keep the government open. Musk — who has taken to behaving like an unelected potentate — aimed a barrage of postings at GOP Congress members who were thinking of voting for the short-term spending… |

WSWS (2024-12-23). Wisconsin judge strikes down Act 10, the law behind mass 2011 protests. wsws.org Act 10 stripped public sector employees in the state of their collective bargaining rights, allowing them to bargain only over wages—with increases capped at the rate of inflation—while prohibiting negotiations for improved safety, benefits, and working conditions.

Cal Winslow (2024-12-23). The Strike at Kaiser Permanente: California Mental Healthcare Workers Demand Parity. counterpunch.org The extraordinary thing about this strike is that it really is a strike for patients and for the public's health, a strike for mental health care parity, a strike in a time of acute mental healthcare crisis in this country. Perhaps never before has depression and anxiety and increasingly suicide reached into the lives of so many people and their families. This strike is about equity in behavioral health care. The strikers have told me this time and again. They insist they would rather be with their patients, not on a picket line, but they can't keep working in a system that treats mental health workers like autom…

Yael Freidson (2024-12-23). Netanyahu's defense's plan to exhaust the judges is working. haaretz.com The prime minister's legal team has successfully stretched the proceedings, forcing an irregular hearing to examine key questions about Netanyahu's awareness of alleged bribery in media coverage demands…

WSWS (2024-12-23). Resident physicians protest conditions at Detroit Medical Center. wsws.org Resident physicians who recently voted to unionized are battling Tenet Healthcare to win better wages and working conditions…

ecns.cn (2024-12-23). Residents working hard to help secure water ecology in Xizang. ecns.cn Thousands of local residents have been making contributions to the water ecology protection and restoration work in Nagchu, Xizang autonomous region, guided by efficient official governance.

WSWS (2024-12-23). The socialist attitude to the tragedy of Luigi Mangione. wsws.org The basic task of our time is the expropriation of United Healthcare and other major corporations by the working class in a socialist revolution, not "vengeance" against individual executives. Marxists oppose individual violence because it runs directly counter to this, replacing the action of the class with the action of desperate, angry individuals.

WSWS (2024-12-23). Rallies in Paris, Berlin and Cologne show growing opposition to the war in Ukraine. wsws.org It is necessary to focus this opposition on the working class and to arm it with an international socialist perspective, independent of the imperialist powers of NATO as well as the capitalist regimes in Ukraine and Russia.

SKWAWKBOX (2024-12-23). Exclusive: Unite union staff branch passes unanimous motion condemning union's abuse of striking workers. skwawkbox.org Members of Unite LE 128 branch, which represents staff working in other unions, condemn their own union for its anti-worker tactics The Unite union and its general secretary Sharon Graham are embroiled in an industrial dispute with staff who claim her husband, who was promoted to a senior position shortly after she took over the …

NEOB (2024-12-23). Vandalism of Western Cape court condemned. sanews.gov.za Vandalism of Western Cape court condemned | The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD) has condemned acts of vandalism during a protest that caused extensive damage to the Bishop Lavis Magistrate Court in the Western Cape. | According to the department, protestors on Saturday vandalised the court, "set parts of it on fire and stole essential court equipment". | "We are working closely with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to secure the premises and prevent further damage. Additional security measures have been implemented, including the deployment of extra security guards and a 24-ho…

Jesse Coburn (2024-12-23). Trump's HUD Secretary Pick Has a History of Fighting Housing Assistance. truthout.org As Donald Trump's nominee to run the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner may soon oversee the nation's efforts to build affordable apartments, protect poor tenants and aid the homeless. As a lawmaker in the Texas House of Representatives, Turner voted against those very initiatives. Turner supported a bill ensuring landlords could refuse apartments to applicants… |

Pavan Kulkarni (2024-12-23). Besieged and Bombed Amid Famine, Hundreds of Thousands of IDPs Struggle to Survive in Darfur. counterpunch.org The lives of hundreds of thousands in the famine-struck Zamzam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) hang in the balance as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified attacks on North Darfur state's capital El Fasher. Having overrun the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the other four states of Darfur, the RSF has besieged this

Adam Fishbein (2024-12-23). A Quick Note on Trade and Inequality. cepr.net Oren Cass, the head economist of Compass, had a column in the New York Times today touting Donald Trump's proposed tariffs. The gist of the piece is that "free trade" has not worked out as economists' textbooks promised and we should look to take a different path. As someone who was very critical of the …

Bharat Dogra (2024-12-23). Why Are 14 Million Children Hungry in America: The World's Richest Country with the Biggest Economic Advantages. globalresearch.ca There are nearly 14 million children in the USA who suffer from food insecurity and hunger, or about one in five. During the peak of the COVID crisis this had come close to about 18 million (see The Conversation discussion …