(2020-04-17). Australian teachers speak out against unsafe conditions. wsws.org One teacher said: "We are seeing that the allocation of resources is not to support social safety but to enrich a few super-wealthy oligarchs."
(2020-04-17). Taxes Paid By Billionaires Decreased 79 Percent Since 1980. zcomm.org As we emerge from this pandemic, substantial tax increases are inevitable. Central to the program should be a tax that limits the hoarding of wealth by the billionaire class…
(2020-04-17). Alicia Garza in conversation w/ Linda Sarsour, author We are Not Here To Be Bystanders. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-04-17). Coronavirus-driven slump has wiped out 22 million jobs in the US. wsws.org Some 5.2 million workers filed for unemployment compensation in the week ending April 13, the fourth consecutive week of record job losses.
(2020-04-17). At least 300,000 Africans expected to die in pandemic: UN agency. yenisafak.com The COVID-19 pandemic will likely kill at least 300,000 Africans and risks pushing 29 million into extreme poverty, the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said on Friday, calling for a $100 billion safety net for the continent.Africa's 54 countries have so far reported fewer than 20,000 confirmed cases of the disease, just a fraction of the more than two million cases reported globally. But the World Health Organization warned on Thursday that Africa could see as many as 10 million cases in three to six months."To protect and build towards our shared prosperity at least $100 billion is needed to immediat…
(2020-04-16). Headlines for April 16, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Pushes to Reopen Economy by May as Doctors and CEOs Object, 22 Million U.S. Workers File for Unemployment in Just Four Weeks, Tax Loopholes in Coronavirus Relief Bill to Overwhelmingly Benefit the Wealthiest, New York Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 11,500 as Governor Orders Wearing of Masks in Public, Medical Workers Demand More Safety Measures as COVID-19 Deaths Mount, Michigan Protesters Defy Social Distancing Rules, Demanding End to Quarantine, Mexico Faces Shortage of Medical Workers as COVID-19 Spreads, French Aircraft Carrier Evacuated as Nearly 700 Sailors Test Positive for COVID-19, Swedish COVID-19 Ca…
(2020-04-16). Video: Coronavirus: Economic and Social Collapse: Mass Unemployment, Bankruptcy, Poverty and Despair. globalresearch.ca There is a serious health crisis which must be duly resolved. But there is another important dimension which has to be addressed. | Millions of people have lost their jobs, and their lifelong savings. In developing countries, poverty and despair prevail. …
(2020-04-16). Coronavirus magnifies silence around sexism and gender inequality. peoplesworld.org 
One can find in the media many important analyses and accounts of the way the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the myriad inequities plaguing U.S. society. The most opulent among us can shelter in place and not have to worry about their next paycheck, about being evicted, about having enough food. They don't have …
(2020-04-16). Unemployment claims rise to 22 million; women workers hit hardest. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Some 5.25 million more people filed initial claims for jobless benefits in the week ending April 11, the Labor Department reported on April 16. Those claims—added to the millions filed in March—raised total jobs lost to the coronavirus pandemic to 22 million, wiping out all gains in U.S. jobs since the end of the Great …
(2020-04-16). Comments on OMB's Considerations for Additional Measures of Poverty. cepr.net To: Office of the Chief Statistician Re: Response to OMB's Request for Comment on Considerations for Additional Measures of Poverty, Docket Number OMB-2019-0007 PDF The Process for Adopting Poverty Statistics OMB should immediately publish a notice extending the comment period on this notice until at least 30 days after the end of the current National …
(2020-04-16). In the Last Four Weeks, More Than 20 Million Workers Applied for Unemployment Insurance Benefits. commondreams.org Red sign hanging at the glass door of a shop says, "Closed due to coronavirus." (Photo: Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/closed_1_0.jpg …
(2020-04-16). Pandemic Doesn't Stop Corporate Media From Crusading Against Universal Healthcare. commondreams.org The US's employer-based healthcare system is exceptionally vulnerable and incapable of addressing a pandemic, because enforcing the economic shutdown required by quarantine causes massive spikes in unemployment, which then lead to further drops in healthcare coverage, and further compound the problem in a vicious circle. (Photo: Joe Newman via Public Citizen/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ohcmonalready-a_0.jpg …
(2020-04-16). Even Republican Voters Support $2,000 a Month Payments During Coronavirus Crisis: Poll. commondreams.org A plurality of all respondents cited a wealth tax as their preferred way to pay for the program. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/nyc_corona_0.jpg …
(2020-04-16). Wealthy Countries Must Step Up to Prevent Famine in Developing World, UN Says. commondreams.org The United Nations' top food aid authorities met with the African Union Thursday to discuss the looming food crisis on the continent, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-690917696_1.jpg …
(2020-04-16). 'Staggering': Unemployment Claims Climb to 22 Million as US Remains Epicenter of Global Pandemic. commondreams.org Roughly 22 million Americans have filed jobless claims since mid-March as the United States has become the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, with over 30% of the world's more than two million confirmed cases. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1217657887.png …
(2020-04-15). Trump Cuts Funds for World Health Org as Oxfam Warns Pandemic Could Push Half a Billion into Poverty. democracynow.org 
As the confirmed cases of coronavirus surpass 2 million around the world, President Donald Trump says he will cut U.S. support for the World Health Organization. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet medical journal, called it a "crime against humanity." Oxfam America said the cuts slash "any hopes for the responsible international cooperation and solidarity that is critical to save lives and restore the global economy." This comes as a new Oxfam report estimates the pandemic's economic fallout could push more than half a billion more people into poverty. We get response from Paul O'Brien, vice president…
(2020-04-15). GOP Tax Cuts in Coronavirus Relief Bill Give 82% of Benefits to Millionaires and Billionaires. mintpressnews.com A new report suggests that a tax cut quietly inserted into the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act will add almost $170 billion to the deficit over the next ten years and overwhelmingly benefit the ultra-wealthy.
(2020-04-15). COVID-19's impact on the Bronx. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – As of April 14, the death toll from COVID-19 jumped by 3700, up to 10,000 in New York City. While the Bronx's confirmed infection rate is in line with the city's, the borough has the highest per-case fatality rate in NYC. There are various conditions that make the people of the Bronx especially vulnerable to the virus. | The Bronx is predominantly Black and Latino and has higher rates of poverty compared to the rest of the city. The poverty rate is at 28.4%, 10% higher than the citywide average, and makes up for 60% of the city's low-income residents. One in four of the city's 400,000 New York Cit…
(2020-04-15). Billionaire Jeff Bezos Makes US$24 Billion More Amid Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Amazon's founder and president Jeff Bezos has added nearly US$24 billion to his already vast fortune, as coronavirus-related lockdowns across the globe have forced people indoors and fueled a surge in e-commerce demand. | RELATED: | The company's stock rose by 5.3 percent, "hitting a new record close of US$2,283 per share," Forbes reported Tuesday. | Owning an 11 percent stake in the company, Bezos has been the wealthiest…
(2020-04-14). Essential or Expendable? Farmworkers Condemn Lack of Protection and Economic Help During Pandemic. democracynow.org 
As the coronavirus sweeps through the United States, the country's 2.5 million farmworkers are continuing to go to work every day, often facing crowded and unsanitary conditions without personal protective equipment, for poverty wages. We speak with Gerardo Reyes Chávez, a farmworker leader with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who describes the conditions farmworkers in Florida are facing and how they are calling on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to protect farmworkers during the COVID-19 crisis, and with Mónica Ramírez, president and founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of the National Farmwork…
(2020-04-11). SPLC condemns attack on Alabama synagogue. splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center condemns the antisemitic attacks that took place during Passover at the Etz Chayim Synagogue in Huntsville, Alabama.
(2020-04-10). Thank you, Bernie. Screw You, New York Times. fair.org 
| It is the essence of American liberalism to trash radical dreams and then dance on them. And that's just what the New York Times did the day after Bernie Sanders bowed out of the Democratic race for the nomination. On that day, in a special editorial ( 4/9/20), the editors of the very same paper that disparaged his every move opined that America is divided and our democracy corrupt, and launched a series promising to report on just the sort of transformative policies Sanders advocated. The New York Times (
(2020-04-10). Headlines for April 10, 2020. democracynow.org COVID-19 Patients Dying Every Minute in the United States, Epicenter of the Pandemic, 17 Million U.S. Workers File Unemployment Claims in Just Three Weeks, New York City Workers Dig Mass Graves Amid Surge of COVID-19 Deaths, President Trump Pushes to Reopen U.S. Economy Despite Severe Shortage of Tests, California Nursing Home with COVID-19 Cases Evacuated After Workers' No-Show, Kansas Governor Sues to Halt Church Congregations Ahead of Easter, Chicago Prisoners Post Signs in Jail Windows: "Help, No Supply" and "We're Dying", NYC Cathedral Won't Partner with Christian Fundamentalist Field Hospital Group over LGB…
(2020-04-09). Headlines for April 9, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Pandemic Could Push 600 Million More People into Poverty, New York Reports Record 779 Coronavirus Deaths in Just 24 Hours, General Motors to Deliver 30,000 Ventilators, with Most Arriving Long After Projected COVID-19 Peak, Kansas to Allow Crowded Church Services as L.A. Expands Order on Face Coverings, California Fast-Food Workers Strike, Demanding Hazard Pay and Protections Against COVID-19, Trump Touts Unproven Treatments of Hydroxychloroquine and Zinc for COVID-19, World Health Organization Head: "Please Don't Politicize This Virus", Researchers Find Coronavirus Arrived in New York from Europe in…
(2020-04-09). "Exposing U.S. Racism in a Stark New Way": COVID-19 Kills Disproportionate Number of Black Americans. democracynow.org 
We speak with family physician and epidemiologist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones about how the coronavirus is taking a devastating toll on black Americans, who are disproportionately dying from the virus across the country as a result of entrenched racial inequality. Black Americans are more likely to have chronic health problems and less likely to have insurance. They also make up significant numbers of frontline workers that are still going to work amid the pandemic. Jones is the former president of the American Public Health Association. Her recent piece for Newsweek magazine is headlined "Coronavirus Disease Discri…
(2020-04-08). Why is Alliance Defending Freedom a Hate Group? splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) first listed Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) as an anti-LGBTQ hate group in 2016.
(2020-03-30). The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery played key role in launching SPLC's legal battle against Ku Klux Klan. splcenter.org The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, who died on Friday at 98 years old, was a longtime friend of the Southern Poverty Law Center and played a leading role in the SPLC's first lawsuit against the Ku Klux Klan in 1980.