(2020-03-27). U.S. Is #1 in Pandemic: Rep. Omar Blasts Trump for "Wrong Kind of American Exceptionalism" democracynow.org 
As much of the United States is under lockdown, the House votes today on a $2 trillion emergency relief package to address the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. It will generate payments to most Americans and includes protections for workers, but it is also a massive bailout for a number of industries and corporations, and the vote comes as a record 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits. We speak with Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the first Somali American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of the first Muslim women in Congress, about the bill, Trump's response t…
(2020-03-27). 'This is low, even for you': Hillary Clinton uses record coronavirus deaths to bash Trump, gets virtual punches herself. rt.com 
As the US recorded more cases of Covid-19 than any other country in the world, Hillary Clinton used the opportunity to crack jokes about President Trump. The failed presidential candidate was savaged online for her insensitivity. | As of Friday, the United States has recorded more than 94,000 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, passing out China and Italy. More than 1,400 Americans have died, hospitals are approaching capacity, and a record 3.3 million workers have filed for unemployment. | As the US passed this grim milestone, former secretary of state and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took the o…
(2020-03-27). Rep. Omar Blasts Trump's "American Exceptionalism" as US Leads in COVID-19 Cases. truthout.org As much of the United States is under lockdown, the House votes today on a $2 trillion emergency relief package to address the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. It will generate payments to most Americans and includes protections for workers, but it is also a massive bailout for a number of industries and corporations, and the vote comes as a record 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits. We speak with Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the first Somali American electe…
(2020-03-27). Live Stream: Solutions to the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond. indybay.org Online event via live stream…
(2020-03-27). COVID-19: Health or Wealth? counterpunch.org Can the pandemic be separated from the economy? As the pandemic continues in Europe and the United States but seems to be subsiding in Asia, more and more questions are being raised about how to relaunch the economy. The importance of public health is being opposed to opening for business. The battle in the U.S.
(2020-03-27). New US unemployment claims hit 3.28 million as pandemic produces economic catastrophe. wsws.org The number of new weekly claims for state unemployment benefits reached the staggering total of 3.28 million, an increase of 1,000 percent over the previous week, and the largest such total in history.
(2020-03-27). New claims for unemployment insurance soar to record high. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, March 26, the Labor Department reported the new claims for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits rocketed to 3.3 million for the week ending March 21. This was almost five times the previous record of almost 700,000 new claims in October of 1982, when the recession drove the unemployment rate to 10.8%. The number of new claims for UI was 15 times higher than the report just two weeks earlier. | This number certainly understated the number of lost jobs. Many states don't allow part-time and gig workers, independent contractors, and the self-employed to file for unemployment benefits. Man…
(2020-03-27). Veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes blasts Trump response to crisis. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – Long time Chicano leader Carlos Montes blasted the Trump administration's mishandling of the pandemic, March 25, stating, "President Trump's irrational and disjointed response to this COVID-19 pandemic is causing major harm to working people." | Montes continued, "Especially hard-hit are non-unionized workers in the lower sectors of the economy that who have little to no benefits. They are primarily Black and brown workers who lack health insurance, sick leave, vacations and access to unemployment benefits. This pandemic with the economic crash is causing extreme hardships to Black and brown com…
(2020-03-27). New Yorkers demand rent suspension. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Due to the rising unemployment rate, New Yorkers are struggling financially. Some measures have been taken to help homeowners, as well as those going through eviction proceedings. An indefinite moratorium has been placed on evictions, and Governor Andrew Cuomo enacted a 90-day suspension on mortgages. The governor has even gone on to say that through these actions, he has "taken care of the rent issue." | However, this does not go far enough in helping the working class and poor hit hardest by the crisis. A recent survey by Property Nest found that 39% of New Yorkers won't be able to pay rent if pu…
(2020-03-27). Livestream: COVID-19 and the LGBTQI Community. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-03-26). Weekly jobless claims skyrocket to 3.28 million, breaking all records. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Due to coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, weekly jobless claims skyrocketed in the week ending March 21 to 3.283 million, shattering all records since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started collecting such data. The enormous rise also left the 48 Republican senators who voted against extended unemployment benefits with political egg on their faces, or worse — …
(2020-03-26). Bernie Sanders Fights for Laid-off Worker Protections in $2 Trillion Stimulus with Corporate Bailout. democracynow.org 
The Senate unanimously approved a historic $2.2 trillion emergency relief package late Wednesday night to battle the unprecedented economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. ‚Ä®‚Ä®The House will consider the bill Friday before it goes to President Trump's desk to be signed into law. ‚Ä®‚Ä®The bill would massively expand unemployment benefits, providing laid-off workers up to 100% of their salary and health insurance benefits for four months. Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders successfully fought to strengthen the bill's assistance…
(2020-03-26). Senate passes $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill bogged down by days of partisan wrangling. rt.com 
US senators have passed a much-delayed $2 trillion stimulus bill, aimed at bolstering the economy while the country is rattled by coronavirus lockdowns. The mammoth package was approved after days of bitter partisan fighting. | Senators moved to vote on the bill late Wednesday night after the last hurdle preventing its passage — an amendment put forward by four Republican senators to curb the legislation's generous unemployment provisions — was eliminated, failing to gain the necessary 60 yeas. | Despite the days of political tug-of-war over the legislation, it was passed unanimously in the end, 96-0…
(2020-03-26). Sanders Fights for Worker Protections in $2 Trillion Stimulus Package. truthout.org The Senate unanimously approved a historic $2.2 trillion emergency relief package late Wednesday night to battle the unprecedented economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. The House will consider the bill Friday before it goes to President Trump's desk to be signed into law. The bill would massively expand unemployment benefits, providing laid-off workers up to 100% of their salary and health insurance benefits for four months. Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders successfully fo…
(2020-03-26). Thomas Piketty: Confronting Our Long History of Massive Inequality. thenation.com Thomas Piketty: Confronting Our Long History of Massive Inequality…
(2020-03-26). How Progressive Is the Stimulus? thenation.com How Progressive Is the Stimulus?
(2020-03-26). New data shows poverty figures had reached a record high before coronavirus hit. thecanary.co 
Half a million more people including children are living in poverty, as the number of low-income households reaches a record high. | Data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimated that the number of people living in a relative low-income household after housing costs had risen to 4.5 million in 2018/19 from four million the year before. | It is the highest number of people living in poverty in the UK since figures were collated in 2002. | This includes an increasing number of children estimated to be living below the poverty line — which increased by 100,000 from 4.1 million to 4.2 million i…
(2020-03-24). Britain: Mass deaths, mass poverty, mass repression. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-03-23). Death of the "Usual": Economic Evolution and the Emergence of the New. dissidentvoice.org Humanity is faced with a series of self-made, interrelated crises, from the environmental catastrophe to poverty, inequality, the absence of peace and an unprecedented level of displaced persons, among other pressing issues. All have been brought about by the negative behaviour of mankind, by the pervasive modes of living, the corrosive values and ideologies that …
(2020-03-19). "Coronavirus Capitalism": Naomi Klein's Case for Transformative Change Amid Coronavirus Pandemic. democracynow.org 
Author, activist and journalist Naomi Klein says the coronavirus crisis, like earlier ones, could be a catalyst to shower aid on the wealthiest interests in society, including those most responsible for our current vulnerabilities, while offering next to nothing to most workers and small businesses. In 2007, Klein wrote "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism." Now she argues President Trump's plan is a pandemic shock doctrine. In a new video for The Intercept, where she is a senior correspondent, Klein argues it's vital for people to fight for the kind of transformative change that can not only curb…
(2020-03-19). Joseph Stiglitz: Trump's "Trickle-Down" Economic Plans Are Not Enough to Meet Coronavirus Challenge. democracynow.org 
The coronavirus relief package signed by President Trump Wednesday provides unemployment benefits and free coronavirus testing to millions of Americans suddenly out of a job, but guarantees paid sick leave to less than 20% of American workers. Earlier this month, Trump signed into law an $8 billion coronavirus response package and has laid out the first details of a third, $1 trillion economic package and invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to allow the government to direct industrial production. For more on those bailouts and who benefits, we speak with Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economis…