Should South Africa Follow the Law of the Jungle … or the Doctrine of Odious Debt?
Patrick Bond | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-01
South Africa's fierce debates over the costs and benefits of a proposed International Monetary Fund (IMF) bail out of $4.2 billion unveil the country's massive weaknesses and potential strengths, at a time food protests have moved from the slums of Cape Town to the Johannesburg Central Business District. Unemployment already at 40% before the Covid-19…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/01/should-south-africa-follow-the-law-of-the-jungle-or-the-doctrine-of-odious-debt/

Coronavirus Pandemic Has Exposed "Violence of Social Inequality"
Thomas Piketty | zcomm.org | 2020-05-01
As nearly 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in just six weeks and millions worldwide face hunger and poverty, we look at the global economic catastrophe triggered by the pandemic and its impact on the most vulnerable…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/coronavirus-pandemic-has-exposed-violence-of-social-inequality/

Coronavirus and the Increase in Domestic Violence
David Rosen | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-01
Americans are paying dearly as they suffer through the coronavirus epidemic. The costs of inadequate testing, poor medical care and even death in isolation are only compounded by the nation's staggering economy, mounting unemployment rate and uncertainty of recovery. Making matters worse, there has been an increase in domestic violence.
counterpunch.org/2020/05/01/coronavirus-and-the-increase-in-domestic-violence/

US: Workers Must Risk Infection or Lose Unemployment Payments
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-01
Some, among the millions of American workers laid off because of the COVID-19, are beginning to face a tough choice

As US unemployment reaches Great Depression levels, millions still unable to obtain assistance
wsws.org | 2020-05-01
With the official jobless rate expected to reach 20 percent, millions find they cannot get state unemployment benefits as overloaded systems crash.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/01/unep-m01.html

U.S. Organizations React to Global Military Spending Report
Jeff Jurgens | peaceaction.org | 2020-04-30
Joint Statement: U.S. organizations react to global military spending report April 27, 2020 Our diverse group of 39 think-tanks, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and advocacy groups based in the United States find the exorbitant amount of money spent on militaries worldwide to be an irresponsible and harmful use of global wealth. The Global Military Expenditures Report …
peaceaction.org/2020/04/30/u-s-organizations-react-to-global-military-spending-report/

America's super-rich see their wealth rise by $282 Billion in three weeks of pandemic
Alan MacLeod | mronline.org | 2020-04-30
America's billionaires have accrued more wealth in the past three weeks alone than they made in total prior to 1980.
mronline.org/2020/04/30/americas-super-rich-see-their-wealth-rise-by-282-billion-in-three-weeks-of-pandemic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=americas-super-rich-see-their-wealth-rise-by-282-billion-in-three-weeks-of-pandemic

Millions More US Jobless than Reported. Real U.S. Unemployment Rate at 38%
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-30
Based on how it was calculated pre-1990s, Shadowstats economist John Williams has the real US unemployment rate at around 38%, heading higher. | According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), "millions" of jobless US workers aren't getting benefits because applications they …
globalresearch.ca/millions-more-us-jobless-than-reported-real-u-s-unemployment-rate-at-38/5711311

Economist Thomas Piketty: Coronavirus Pandemic Has Exposed the "Violence of Social Inequality"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-30
As nearly 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in just six weeks and millions worldwide face hunger and poverty, we look at the global economic catastrophe triggered by the pandemic and its impact on the most vulnerable. As the World Food Programme warns of a massive spike in global hunger and more than 100 million people in cities worldwide could fall into poverty, can this crisis be a catalyst for change? We ask French economist Thomas Piketty. His 2014 internationally best-selling book, "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," looked at economic inequality and the necessity of wealth taxes. His new b…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/30/thomas_piketty

Headlines for April 30, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-30
Jared Kushner Hails "Great Success Story" as U.S. Deaths Top 60,000, Dozens of Decomposing Bodies Found in Trucks Outside Brooklyn Funeral Home, President Trump Claims Coronavirus Will Be "Eradicated" from U.S. | , FDA to Approve Emergency Use of Remdesivir After the Drug Shows Promise Treating COVID-19, More Than 30 Million U.S. Workers File Unemployment Claims in Just Six Weeks, International Labour Organization Warns Pandemic Threatens Livelihoods of 1.6 Billion, South Korea Reports No New Domestic Coronavirus Cases , U.K. Now Has Europe's Second-Highest COVID-19 Death Toll | , Femicides and Domestic Violence…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/30/headlines

The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Exposed the "Violence of Social Inequality"'
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-30
As nearly 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in just six weeks and millions worldwide face hunger and poverty, we look at the global economic catastrophe triggered by the pandemic and its impact on the most vulnerable. As the World Food Programme warns of a massive spike in global hunger and more than 100 million people in cities worldwide could fall into poverty, can this crisis be a catalyst for change? We ask French economist Thomas Piketty. His 2014 internationally best-selling book,…
truthout.org/video/the-coronavirus-pandemic-has-exposed-the-violence-of-social-inequality/

Five Years After Freddie Gray's Death: The Resistance Makes Change, The Government Doesn't
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-04-30
The people at the core of the resistance after Freddie Gray's death are changing lives and building community five years later, while the government has done little to address poverty and isolation in the poorest Black communities of…
therealnews.com/stories/five-years-after-freddie-grays-death-the-resistance-makes-change-the-government-doesnt

More Thoughts on a Wealth Tax and Alternatives
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-04-30
(This post first appeared on my Patreon page.) Last week the Boston Review (BR) published an exchange on a wealth tax that included a proposal from Berkeley economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, with a number of responses, including one from me. I was critical of the proposal for both political reasons and because I …
cepr.net/more-thoughts-on-a-wealth-tax-and-alternatives/

Trump's Immigration Suspension Doesn't Prevent Unemployment or COVID-19 Spread
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-30
Late on the evening of April 20, President Trump tweeted that he was temporarily suspending immigration to the United States. For justification he cited what he called "the attack from the Invisible Enemy"

How Workers Can Win in the Age of COVID-19
Sarah Jaffe | progressive.org | 2020-04-30
With thirty million people filing for unemployment, a new project helps organizers fight for the common good.
progressive.org/dispatches/how-workers-can-win-jaffe-200430/

Almost 40 per cent of UK firms to cut staff
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2020-04-30
Roughly 40 per cent of UK firms expect to lay off staff over the next 12 months, a survey has shown, raising the prospect of many more job cuts in the UK economy. UK unemployment has already surged as coronavirus lockdown measures cause businesses to close or cut costs significantly. Close to a third of …
truepublica.org.uk/newsbits/almost-40-per-cent-of-uk-firms-to-cut-staff/

ONE IN SEVEN Americans would avoid Covid-19 treatment for fear of cost, even as pricey new pill shows promise against virus
rt.com | 2020-04-30
Some 14 percent of US adults would forgo medical care for Covid-19 symptoms because they couldn't pay for it, a new poll has found

As US Economy Tanks, Study Finds Unemployment Numbers Likely Double Official Figure
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-29
"These findings on the millions of frustrated filers and the UI system's low payment rate highlight the need for policies to improve rather than hinder the UI application process," noted the studies authors.
mintpressnews.com/coronvirus-us-economy-study-finds-unemployment-numbers-double-official-figure/267124/

As US Approaches Record Deficit, Israel Asks for Record Handout
Alison Weir | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-29
The request would work out to almost $21 million per day from American taxpayers, even as the U.S. is approaching a $4 trillion deficit (the largest in the world), and Israel typically has a lower unemployment rate than the United States.
mintpressnews.com/us-approachs-record-deficit-israel-asks-record-handout/267077/

White Collar Criminals, Celebrities, Wealthy Use Privilege For Early Release Amidst Pandemic
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-04-28
Michael Cohen and Michael Avenatti were released, and some Los Angeles prisons offer pay-to-stay rooms for celebrities. But a huge number of people are still imprisoned and at risk of COVID-19 just because they can't afford cash bail.
therealnews.com/stories/white-collar-celebrities-wealthy-privilege-release-prisons-pandemic-coronavirus-bail-parole

How Historical Trauma And Structural Inequality Help Spread COVID-19
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-04-27
Historical and generational trauma affect Black and other marginalized communities, and ongoing inequality is making the coronavirus pandemic worse among those groups.
therealnews.com/stories/historical-trauma-structural-inequality-spread-covid-19-coronavirus

How We Should Spell Relief
Adam Briones | progressive.org | 2020-04-27
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was already suffering from a pandemic of inequality.
progressive.org/op-eds/how-we-should-spell-relief-briones-200427/

Georgia's Furloughed Workers Struggled To Get Unemployment Benefits. Now They Worry About Losing Them
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-04-24
Once businesses reopen, workers like Cameren Cook in Atlanta may have to decide between risking COVID-19 and not making their rent.
therealnews.com/columns/georgias-furloughed-workers-struggled-to-get-unemployment-benefits-now-they-worry-about-losing-them

Rich are Getting Richer, Despite Pandemic
Omar Ocampo | progressive.org | 2020-04-23
As billionaires' wealth continues to balloon, it's time for them to pay their fair share.
progressive.org/op-eds/rich-getting-richer-despite-pandemic-ocampo-collins-200423/

Chileans Who Took to Streets Against Inequality & Climate Crisis Say Virus Lockdowns Won't Stop Them
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-22
Months ago, the streets of Santiago and other Chilean cities were alive with a vibrant mass protest movement that drew hundreds of thousands and even led the U.N. climate summit to be relocated to Madrid, Spain, last December. Now the public spaces of Santiago are largely empty as citizens shelter in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But the protest movement against austerity and right-wing President Sebastián Piñera lives on as activists find new ways to organize online. We go to Santiago, Chile, to speak with Angela Valenzuela, a 350.org organizer who has been active both in the country's uprising and in…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/22/angela_valenzuela_chile

SPLC condemns attack on Alabama synagogue
splcenter.org | 2020-04-11
The Southern Poverty Law Center condemns the antisemitic attacks that took place during Passover at the Etz Chayim Synagogue in Huntsville, Alabama.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/10/splc-condemns-attack-alabama-synagogue

How To Think About Corporate Bailouts Correctly
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2020-03-23
As the negotiations over the economic response to the Coronavirus recession heat up, we are seeing more and more talk about how (or whether) to provide relief to corporations and industries that are facing bankruptcy due to the economic slowdown. Some of this talk is intelligent. A lot of it is not. So in this post, I hope to lay out what I believe is the correct way to think about corporate bailouts. | Due to an aversion to socialist rhetoric about "capitalists" or even "the wealthy," American populist lingo tends to focus on "corporations" as the great evil. We talk about "corporate power" and "corporate concen…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2020/03/23/how-to-think-about-corporate-bailouts-correctly/

Understanding Claims About Basic Income and Inflation
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2020-03-18
A variety of elected officials are currently proposing that the federal government send cash payments to every person in the country (sometimes called a "universal basic income" or "UBI") as a way of responding to the recession. These calls have resurrected claims that a UBI is inflationary. Such claims circulate widely among advocates of workfare and in certain niche internet circles. But these claims are nonsensical and deceptive. In this post, I walk through these claims to promote better understanding of the issue. | Deceptive Language: | Many people who claim that UBI is inflationary also belong to t…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2020/03/18/understanding-claims-about-basic-income-and-inflation/

Roaming Charges: American Thanatos, Inc
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-01
"Poverty made a sound like a wet cough in the shadows of the room."

"We Need a Working People's Bailout": Unemployment Claims Hit 30 Million as Many Struggle to Afford Necessities
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-04-30
Calls grew for a bailout for working people on Thursday after the U.S. Labor Department reported that more than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past six weeks as the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the U.S., forcing millions of businesses to close. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1220636872_1.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/04/30/we-need-working-peoples-bailout-unemployment-claims-hit-30-million-many-struggle?cd-origin=rss