(2019-12-06). The Faux Generosity of the Super-Wealthy: Why Bill Gates is a Menace to Society. mintpressnews.com 
If Gates represents a net negative force in world politics, why does he receive such good press? For starters, he makes sizeable donations to a host of mainstream corporate media outlets.
(2019-12-06). Harvard Grad Workers Are Striking Over Medical Debt and Sexual Harassment. truthout.org Graduate students at the wealthiest university in the world said they are foregoing dental care, facing thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical costs and struggling to get by on salaries as low as $18,000 in Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. | The unionized graduate workers at Harvard University went on strike Tuesday after more than a year of trying to negotiate a contract. On the picket line at Harvard's medical campus on Wednesday, Tessa Green, a biophysics Ph.D. stud…
(2019-12-06). Over 2 million Americans don't have access to indoor plumbing or water, report finds. wsws.org The inequality that is endemic to the capitalist system finds expression in the lack of access to the most basic of human needs in the richest country in the world.
(2019-12-06). 1.5 million march amid mass strike in France against austerity and inequality. wsws.org Tens of thousands of rail, government, and education workers went on strike against plans by French President Emanuel Macron to slash pensions.
(2019-12-06). Despite Strong Job Growth, Wage Growth Isn't Accelerating. truthout.org The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy added 266,000 jobs in November. While this figure is inflated by the return of roughly 50,000 striking GM autoworkers, upward revisions to the prior two months' data brought the three-month average to a solid 205,000. The unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent, returning to a 50-year low. | The job growth was widely spread across industries. Manufacturing added 54,000 jobs, somewhat more than the number of returning strikers. It appears that the sector…
(2019-12-05). Partnerships key to taking landlocked countries out of poverty: UN Chief. news.un.org The challenges faced by landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), some of the poorest in the world, can be overcome through more effective partnerships, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared on Thursday, at a conference held at UN Headquarters in New York.
(2019-12-05). Sweden Provides Free Higher Education, Universal Healthcare, Free Daycare — Why Can't the U.S.? democracynow.org 
Medicare for All and tuition-free universities have been at the core of the 2020 Democratic presidential campaigns, creating a stark division between progressive candidates and their centrist counterparts. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed to make Medicare for All and public universities cost-free by taxing massive corporations and the super wealthy, and earlier this year, Sanders introduced legislation that would cancel student loan debt. His plan would be paid for with a new tax on Wall Street, he says. It would also make public universities and community colleges free — a key pil…
(2019-12-05). Labour reveals plan to 'poverty proof' schools as headteachers say budgets are at 'breaking point'. thecanary.co 
Free healthy breakfasts would be served to all primary school children under a Labour proposal to "poverty proof" England's schools and reduce the number going hungry. | Labour will detail plans to improve education, including by recruiting 20,000 more teachers, capping primary class sizes at 30 and investing £7bn repairing school buildings. | The free breakfast programme would also be piloted in secondary schools in an attempt to boost children's education chances, if Jeremy Corbyn's party wins the 12 December election. | All secondary school children whose families receive Universal Credit would get free…
(2019-12-04). From landlocked to land-linked: how the UN is helping some of the world's poorest countries. news.un.org How can the international community turn some of the world's poorest, landlocked countries, into thriving, land-linked nations? On Thursday, at UN Headquarters, Member States will renew commitments they have made, to eradicate poverty in the 32 countries designated as Landlocked Developing Countries, or LLDCs.
(2019-12-02). Tariq Ali on U.K. Elections, Corbyn's "Radical Social-Democratic Program" & Rise of Extreme Right. democracynow.org 
The British general election is just 10 days away and will have huge implications for the future of the country as well as Brexit. When voters cast their ballots later this month, they will choose between two dramatically different candidates: right-wing Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson and left-wing Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn recently unveiled an ambitious election manifesto promising to transform the country and resuscitate its public sector. The plan proposed a $100-billion tax increase on the wealthy to fund investment in infrastructure as well as increased spending on education and heal…
(2019-11-12). SPLC Response to Union Petition. splcenter.org On November 7, 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center received a notice from the National Labor Relations Board that the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild seeks to represent certain employees through the formation of a union.