2020-02-26: News Headlines

Matthew J. L. Ehret (2020-02-26). Philippine Patriots Say "No" to WWIII and "Yes" to the New Silk Road. dissidentvoice.org The Philippines President Duterte's recent announcement that the 1998 U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) would be cancelled has renewed hope that not only would this former U.S. colony finally attain freedom from imperial manipulation, but also that a new emerging age of infrastructure development can usher in an end of poverty and war in the …

Max Moran (2020-02-26). Meet Brad Karp, the Top Lawyer Bankrolling the Democrats. counterpunch.org The insidious influence of the wealthy over our politics, as Alexander Sammon wrote last month, is perhaps the defining issue of the 2020 Democratic primary. It's the reason we at the Revolving Door Project have been yammering on about bundlers—the wealthy and well-connected volunteer fundraisers who almost inevitably end up receiving or influencing key jobs across the executive

George Ochenski (2020-02-26). Why We Shouldn't Run Government Like a Business. counterpunch.org It's been popular in recent years for certain wealthy capitalists to claim they will "run government like a business" when they seek political office. While that may sound good to some, neither the state nor national Constitution ever suggests that governance and business are or should be the same — just the opposite, in fact. The

David Swanson (2020-02-25). How Are We Going to Pay for Saving Trillions of Dollars? counterpunch.org Enhanced Medicare for All — that wild scheme that Michael Bloomberg calls "untried" because it's only been tested for decades in virtually every wealthy nation on earth — would cost $450 billion a year less than the current U.S. system. In the usual propaganda terms (in which you multiply by ten and then — if asked —

Robert Reich (2020-02-25). Robert Reich: America Can't Afford Not to Elect Sanders or Warren. truthdig.com Climate change, inequality and our broken health care system pose unprecedented challenges. Only two candidates are prepared to meet them.

Jon Queally (2020-02-25). Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders releases plan for guaranteed 'child care and pre-k for all'. nationofchange.org "We know that the first four years of a child's life are the most important years of human development, so it is unconscionable that in the wealthiest country in the world, we do not properly invest in early childhood education."

Ed Sykes (2020-02-25). Austerity is fuelling a 'national scandal' of rising inequality between rich and poor areas. thecanary.co A health inequality expert has put together a damning report showing how Tory-led austerity has fuelled a 'national scandal' in England.According to professor Sir Michael Marmot, the rise in life expectancy has "slowed dramatically" since 2010. Health inequalities between the most and least deprived parts of the country, meanwhile, have been widening."England has lost a decade": The new report, Health Equity In England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On, showed that the difference in life expectancy at birth between the least and most deprived communities was 9.5 years for men and 7.7 years for women in 2016-1…

news.un (2020-02-20). On World Social Justice Day, the UN labour agency says 'put people and planet first'. news.un.org Reduce inequality around the world, the United Nations labour agency urged on Thursday, World Social Justice Day.

Staff (2020-02-20). Bloomberg Takes Debate Stage for First Time & Struggles to Face His History of Misogyny, Racism. democracynow.org Tensions flared at the ninth Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Senator Bernie Sanders sought to defend his position as front-runner in the Democrats' nomination fight, and former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar tried to attract more supporters. Senator Elizabeth Warren led a night full of attacks on the new person on stage: billionaire former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Bloomberg faced questions about his vast wealth, his defense of stop-and-frisk and his treatment of women. | We host a roundtable on the debate and Saturday's Nevada c…