Daily Archives: July 10, 2019

2019-07-10: News Headlines

Tanya Rawal-Jindia (2019-07-10). How Multinationals Pad Their Budgets With the Wealth of Developing Countries. commondreams.org In 2015, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) published a study revealing that in 2013 an astounding US$1.1 trillion was stolen annually—or nearly $3 billion a day—from developing countries due to trade mispricing. (Photo: The Weekly Bull/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/economists.jpeg

Robert Reich (2019-07-10). America's real divide isn't left vs. right. It's democracy vs. oligarchy. nationofchange.org I keep hearing that the Democratic party has moved "left" and that some Democratic candidates may be "too far left". But in this era of unprecedented concentration of wealth and political power at the top, I can't help wondering what it means to be "left". A half-century ago, when America had a large and growing …

United Nations (2019-07-10). A quarter of Pacific islanders live below 'basic needs poverty lines', top UN development forum hears. un.org While progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been made over the past four years, some vulnerable island States are losing momentum in the race to 2030, according to discussions at the United Nations' annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on Wednesday.

Jake Johnson (2019-07-10). CBO analysis shows $15 federal minimum wage would raise pay for 27 million workers and lift 1.3 million out of poverty. nationofchange.org A Congressional Budget Office analysis published Monday showed that raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would significantly increase pay for over 27 million workers and lift 1.3 million people—including hundreds of thousands of children—out of poverty. The CBO also found that more than doubling the federal minimum wage would boost the income …

Angus Satow (2019-07-10). Only a mass movement can bring about a Green New Deal. nationofchange.org Ours is an age of crisis. Britain faces a crisis of inequality, with the Tories' brutal austerity program leaving schoolchildren eating from bins and 14 million people living in poverty, whilst the obscene riches of the 1% accumulate yet further. At the same time, we face planetary collapse, with just 11 years left to stop runaway warming. …

Ellen Brown (2019-07-10). How to Pay for It All: An Option the Candidates Missed. dissidentvoice.org The Democratic Party has clearly swung to the progressive left, with candidates in the first round of presidential debates coming up with one program after another to help the poor, the disadvantaged and the struggling middle class. Proposals ranged from a Universal Basic Income to Medicare for All to a Green New Deal to student …

Jason Hickel (2019-07-09). Inequality metrics and the question of power. mronline.org How should we measure inequality? | Source

United Nations (2019-07-09). Global response to poverty and environmental goals 'not ambitious enough'. un.org The global response to realizing poverty and environmental goals agreed by world leaders in 2015 has not been "ambitious enough" according to the UN Secretary-General.

RT (2019-07-09). Billionaire and former presidential candidate Ross Perot is dead at 89. rt.com Independent presidential candidate and wealthy philanthropist Ross Perot has passed away at the age of 89, after a battle with leukemia.

WSWS (2019-07-09). Global conflict situations, poverty lead to rise in mental health crises. wsws.org US imperialism and its allies bear principal responsibility for the wars and military interventions that have wrought devastation throughout the world.

RT (2019-07-09). From donor to Democrat candidate: Tom 'Need to impeach' Steyer declares his 2020 run. rt.com Tom Steyer, a wealthy liberal activist and fundraiser, has announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race, shifting gears from his failed campaign to impeach President Donald Trump.

Martin Hart-Landsberg (2019-07-08). Growing old in America: Baby Boomer nightmare. mronline.org Despite its reputation as the wealthiest generation, baby boomers (generally considered to be those born between 1946 and 1964) are facing a retirement nightmare. | Source

United Nations (2019-07-04). Pay packet inequality growing worldwide, says new UN report. un.org Top earners around the world have seen their share of national income rise in the last decade and a half, while everyone else has seen their pay packets shrink by comparison, UN economists reported on Thursday.

splcenter (2019-06-18). Report: Louisiana schools fall short on collecting, publishing policing data. splcenter.org As the presence of law enforcement officers in schools continue to grow in Louisiana and nationally, school policing data is not being made readily available to Louisiana's citizens as required by federal law, according to a report that the Southern Poverty Law Center released today.

2019-07-10: Social Media Postees

How Multinationals Pad Their Budgets With the Wealth of Developing Countries
Tanya Rawal-Jindia | commondreams.org | 2019-07-10
In 2015, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) published a study revealing that in 2013 an astounding US$1.1 trillion was stolen annually—or nearly $3 billion a day—from developing countries due to trade mispricing. (Photo: The Weekly Bull/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/economists.jpeg
commondreams.org/views/2019/07/10/how-multinationals-pad-their-budgets-wealth-developing-countries?cd-origin=rss

America's real divide isn't left vs. right. It's democracy vs. oligarchy
Robert Reich | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-10
I keep hearing that the Democratic party has moved "left" and that some Democratic candidates may be "too far left". But in this era of unprecedented concentration of wealth and political power at the top, I can't help wondering what it means to be "left". A half-century ago, when America had a large and growing …
nationofchange.org/2019/07/10/americas-real-divide-isnt-left-vs-right-its-democracy-vs-oligarchy/

A quarter of Pacific islanders live below 'basic needs poverty lines', top UN development forum hears
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-10
While progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been made over the past four years, some vulnerable island States are losing momentum in the race to 2030, according to discussions at the United Nations' annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on Wednesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1042161

Only a mass movement can bring about a Green New Deal
Angus Satow | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-10
Ours is an age of crisis. Britain faces a crisis of inequality, with the Tories' brutal austerity program leaving schoolchildren eating from bins and 14 million people living in poverty, whilst the obscene riches of the 1% accumulate yet further. At the same time, we face planetary collapse, with just 11 years left to stop runaway warming. …
nationofchange.org/2019/07/10/only-a-mass-movement-can-bring-about-a-green-new-deal/

CBO analysis shows $15 federal minimum wage would raise pay for 27 million workers and lift 1.3 million out of poverty
Jake Johnson | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-10
A Congressional Budget Office analysis published Monday showed that raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would significantly increase pay for over 27 million workers and lift 1.3 million people–including hundreds of thousands of children–out of poverty. The CBO also found that more than doubling the federal minimum wage would boost the income …
nationofchange.org/2019/07/10/cbo-analysis-shows-15-federal-minimum-wage-would-raise-pay-for-27-million-workers-and-lift-1-3-million-out-of-poverty/

How to Pay for It All: An Option the Candidates Missed
Ellen Brown | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-10
The Democratic Party has clearly swung to the progressive left, with candidates in the first round of presidential debates coming up with one program after another to help the poor, the disadvantaged and the struggling middle class. Proposals ranged from a Universal Basic Income to Medicare for All to a Green New Deal to student …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/how-to-pay-for-it-all-an-option-the-candidates-missed/

Global response to poverty and environmental goals 'not ambitious enough'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-09
The global response to realizing poverty and environmental goals agreed by world leaders in 2015 has not been "ambitious enough" according to the UN Secretary-General.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041491

Inequality metrics and the question of power
Jason Hickel | mronline.org | 2019-07-09
How should we measure inequality? | Source…
mronline.org/2019/07/09/inequality-metrics-and-the-question-of-power/

From donor to Democrat candidate: Tom 'Need to impeach' Steyer declares his 2020 run
rt.com | 2019-07-09
Tom Steyer, a wealthy liberal activist and fundraiser, has announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race, shifting gears from his failed campaign to impeach President Donald Trump. | …
rt.com/usa/463781-donor-tom-steyer-democratic-candidate/

Global conflict situations, poverty lead to rise in mental health crises
wsws.org | 2019-07-09
US imperialism and its allies bear principal responsibility for the wars and military interventions that have wrought devastation throughout the world.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/09/ment-j09.html

Billionaire and former presidential candidate Ross Perot is dead at 89
rt.com | 2019-07-09
Independent presidential candidate and wealthy philanthropist Ross Perot has passed away at the age of 89, after a battle with leukemia. | …
rt.com/usa/463757-billionaire-ross-perot-dead/

Growing old in America: Baby Boomer nightmare
Martin Hart-Landsberg | mronline.org | 2019-07-08
Despite its reputation as the wealthiest generation, baby boomers (generally considered to be those born between 1946 and 1964) are facing a retirement nightmare. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/07/08/growing-old-in-america-baby-boomer-nightmare/

Pay packet inequality growing worldwide, says new UN report
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-04
Top earners around the world have seen their share of national income rise in the last decade and a half, while everyone else has seen their pay packets shrink by comparison, UN economists reported on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1041862

Report: Louisiana schools fall short on collecting, publishing policing data
splcenter.org | 2019-06-18
As the presence of law enforcement officers in schools continue to grow in Louisiana and nationally, school policing data is not being made readily available to Louisiana's citizens as required by federal law, according to a report that the Southern Poverty Law Center released today.
splcenter.org/news/2019/06/19/report-louisiana-schools-fall-short-collecting-publishing-policing-data

'Everybody Has the Right to Live': The Visionary Budget at the Heart of Our Moral Uprising
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Rev Dr Liz Theoharis | commondreams.org | 2019-06-17
In 2018, the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, led by Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, released a Moral Agenda and set of demands to address systemic systemic, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy. This year, the Poor People's Campaign and the Institute for Policy Studies has released a Moral Budget outlining how those demands can be paid for and achieved. (Image: Poor People's Campaign/Institute for Policy Studies) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/po
commondreams.org/views/2019/06/17/everybody-has-right-live-visionary-budget-heart-our-moral-uprising?cd-origin=rss

A 'Poor People's Moral Budget' because 'everybody has the right to live'
Ruth Milka | nationofchange.org | 2019-06-17
This week another new budget proposal was released. This time it didn't come from campaigning politicians or corrupt administrations but rather from two groups — the Poor People's Campaign and the Institute for Policy Studies — in an effort to show the people of the United States how to "invest in life." | The 'Poor People's Moral Budget' demands a "comprehensive response to the systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and war economy plaguing our country today." It includes seven sections that detail…
nationofchange.org/2019/06/17/a-poor-peoples-moral-budget-because-everybody-has-the-right-to-live/

Global Inequality in a Time of Climate Emergency
Tom Athanasiou | commondreams.org | 2019-06-17
Extreme economic inequality turns out to be a social poison that makes it almost impossible for us to mobilize to save ourselves and our civilization. (Photo: STAN HONDA/AFP/GettyImages) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-152211297.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/06/17/global-inequality-time-climate-emergency?cd-origin=rss

Instead of Death and Destruction, Poor People's Moral Budget Shows What It Looks Like to 'Invest in Life'
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-17
A new report released Monday by the Poor People's Campaign and the Institute for Policy Studies declares that "the United States has abundant resources for an economic revival that will move towards establishing a moral economy" and details policies the country can pursue to combat systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy, and "the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ppc.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/17/instead-death-and-destruction-poor-peoples-moral-budget-shows-what-it-looks-invest?cd-origin=rss

'Blatant Theft': Netanyahu Unveils Illegal Settlement Named 'Trump Heights' in Occupied Syrian Territory
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-17
"Trump Heights is such a great name for the colony built on theft, since Trump's whole life has been about being wealthy and powerful enough to escape the consequences of his crimes." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_heights_netanyahu.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/17/blatant-theft-netanyahu-unveils-illegal-settlement-named-trump-heights-occupied?cd-origin=rss

Spain's Supreme Court endorses 1936 fascist coup
wsws.org | 2019-06-17
If Franco is rehabilitated, it is because powerful factions of the ruling class are considering another break with legality and democratic forms of rule, in order to defend their wealth.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/17/spai-j17.html

Faurecia workers voice their anger and determination to fight
wsws.org | 2019-06-17
Faurecia workers face near-poverty level wages that force many workers to work two full-time jobs, for a total of at least 80 hours a week, just to make ends meet.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/17/faur-j17.html

Guatemala Elections Begin Amid Concerns over Graft, Poverty
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-16
Guatemalans headed to the polls Sunday to vote for a new president and elect the successor of President Jimmy Morales. Nearly eight million Guatemalans are voting this election. | RELATED: | Guatemala's Elections: Big Challenges Await Next President | A total of 19 candidates will compete in the election, which is expected to yield no outright winner, forcing the top two vote-getters to face off in a second round on Aug. 11. | Voting centers opened at 7: 00 am local time and are expe…
telesurenglish.net/news/Guatemala-Elections-Voters-Head-to-Polls-Amid-Reports-of-Security-Threats-20190616-0001.html

Ocasio-Cortez Launches Bid to Repeal Hyde Amendment, Rips Biden
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-06-16
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) started a petition Saturday seeking to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal funds for abortions, arguing the restriction overwhelmingly harms low-income Americans and women of color. AOC emailed her supporters: | "Since 1976, our government has banned federal funding for abortion care — specifically, for Medicaid recipients. Countless studies have shown that due to this amendment, millions of women have been forced to go through with pregnancies that, given the funding, they would hav…
truthdig.com/articles/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-latest-inequality-battle-is-inspired-by-biden/

Talk Africa: Education and employment in Africa
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-06-16
Africa has the world's largest population of young people and the highest rate of youth unemployment globally. Currently 60% of the unemployed on the continent are youth. This will spiral to about 70% by 2050, according to the World Bank. | Higher Education has long been seen as an avenue for finding skilled and well-paid employment. However, according to a World Bank report, even highly skilled young people in Africa increasingly find themselves working low-paying, unskilled jobs or remaining unemployed after graduation. | This week on Talk Africa we take a closer look at Higher Education and Employment and a…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/06/16/talk-africa-education-and-employment-in-africa/

Message To The Youth: Pan-African Unity Is The Path To Africa's Economic Empowerment
Milton G. Allimadi | blackstarnews.com | 2019-06-15
Nkrumah enjoys a light moment with Kennedy during U.S. visit. The CIA under President Johnson- backed the 1966 coup. Photo: Wikimedia Commons | | [Message To Africa's Youth] | | Most of Africa's socio-political and economic woes could be solved if most African countries were able to determine their own destiny–that is currently not the case. | | How is it that Congo can have mineral and natural resource wealth estimated at anywhere from $24 – to $30 trillion and remain impoverished? How is it that it can have the world's major sup…
www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/africa/message-to-the-youth-pan-african-unity-is-the-path-to-africas

Why haven't presidential candidates proposed to end the criminalization of poverty?
Wanda Bertram | nationofchange.org | 2019-06-15
Multiple Democratic presidential candidates have staked their campaigns on promises to fight for economic justice and protect low-income people from ruin. So it's mysterious and frustrating that none of these candidates have proposed to end our justice system's criminalization of poverty — at least beyond the occasional nod to ending money bail. | These candidates are missing an opportunity. The incomes of people in U.S. prisons and local jails are overwhelmingly low, and one…
nationofchange.org/2019/06/15/why-havent-presidential-candidates-proposed-to-end-the-criminalization-of-poverty/

WHO: Congo's Ebola Outbreak Not International Emergency
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-15
A special World Health Organization (WHO) committee has decided to not declare an international emergency of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Ebola outbreak despite its spread to Uganda this week, saying to do so would cause too much economic harm on the already poverty-stricken nation. | RELATED: | Ebola: 2,000 People Infected in Democratic Republic of Congo | "This is not a global emergency, it is an emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo," Dr. Preben Aavitsland,…
telesurenglish.net/news/WHO-Congos-Ebola-Outbreak-Not-International-Emergency-20190615-0005.html

Global inequality in a time of climate emergency
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-06-15
Our worlds richest have a great deal of money. They also have the power to decide whether our civilization sinks or swims. So what can we do? | Source…
mronline.org/2019/06/15/global-inequality-in-a-time-of-climate-emergency/

Oppose Inequality, Not Cops
Michael Schwalbe | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-14
Even people doing their best to improve the world make mistakes. This was evident in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, last month during a public clash on the town's Peace and Justice Plaza between defenders of Confederate statuary and anti-racist activists. Before the police arrived to insulate the two groups, mutual yelling had begun to escalate…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/14/oppose-inequality-not-cops/

Women in Switzerland Strike Over Pay, Harassment
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-06-14
GENEVA–Women across Switzerland walked off the job, burned bras and blocked traffic Friday in a day of demonstrations to demand fairer pay, more equality and an end to sexual harassment and violence. It was the first such protests in the Alpine nation in 28 years. | Discontent over sexism and workplace inequality in prosperous Switzerland underpinned the women's strike. Many protesters were also demanding more pay specifically for domestic workers, teachers and caregivers — jobs typically held by women. | Swiss female lawmakers [md…
truthdig.com/articles/women-in-switzerland-strike-over-pay-harassment/

Is Andrew Yang Serious or Kidding? It's Dangerous Either Way
Edward Burmila | thenation.com | 2019-06-14
Is Andrew Yang Serious or Kidding? It's Dangerous Either Way.
thenation.com/article/andrew-yang-campaign-election/

When Will Presidential Candidates Propose Ending the Criminalization of Poverty?
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-06-14
Multiple Democratic presidential candidates have staked their campaigns on promises to fight for economic justice and protect low-income people from ruin. So it's mysterious and frustrating that none of these candidates have proposed to end our justice system's criminalization of poverty — at least beyond the occasional nod to ending money bail. | These candidates are missing an opportunity. The incomes of people in U.S. prisons and local jails are overwhelmingly low, and one…
truthout.org/articles/when-will-presidential-candidates-propose-ending-the-criminalization-of-poverty/

What Future for the UK with One-Third of Children in Poverty?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-06-14
Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur, says the alarming rise of poverty in the UK is deliberate–and so too in the US…
therealnews.com/stories/what-future-for-the-uk-with-one-third-of-children-in-poverty

Two years since the Grenfell inferno: The case for socialism
wsws.org | 2019-06-14
Justice for Grenfell cannot be achieved outside of a frontal assault by the working class on the wealth and power of the financial oligarchy and its political defenders.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/14/gren-j14.html

Honduras: An Unholy Trinity of Oligarchy, Repression and Extractivism
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-06-14
In the Aguan River valley, land defenders struggle to protect their water from a mining project controlled by the wealthy Facussé family. Dimitri Lascari reports from Honduras…
therealnews.com/stories/honduras-an-unholy-trinity-of-oligarchy-repression-and-extractivism

Rising US "deaths of despair" driven by health care costs, lack of access to care
wsws.org | 2019-06-14
A new study shows that one of the major underlying causes of "deaths of despair" is social inequality, in particular lack of access to health care and the associated financial struggles.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/14/comm-j14.html

'Eye-Popping': Analysis Shows Top 1% Gained $21 Trillion in Wealth Since 1989 While Bottom Half Lost $900 Billion
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-14
"The top one percent owns nearly $30 trillion of assets while the bottom half owns less than nothing." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/jeff_bezos.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/14/eye-popping-analysis-shows-top-1-gained-21-trillion-wealth-1989-while-bottom-half?cd-origin=rss