(2020-07-15). Can romance transcend class? Hochschild's 'Rebel Cinderella' in review. peoplesworld.org 
Can romance transcend class? The answer, based on Adam Hochschild's latest book, Rebel Cinderella: From Rags to Riches to Radical, the Epic Journey of Rose Pastor Stokes, seems to be yes—for a while. Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost and Spain in Our Hearts, tells the life story of Rose Pastor Stokes, a Jewish woman born into poverty in …
(2020-07-15). Independent rights expert says emerging technologies entrenching racism, discrimination. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert is calling for greater scrutiny of emerging digital technologies which she said are being used to uphold racial inequality, discrimination and intolerance.
(2020-07-15). Profit Driven "Military Contracting" Camouflages Military Costs, Exacerbates Inequality. globalresearch.ca Military contracting was sold to the American people as a way to reduce the cost of military operations, yet the result has been quite the opposite. Recent
(2020-07-15). Economic Collapse, Pandemic: There Is No Plan (For You). popularresistance.org In the midst of an enormous, unavoidable increase in national unemployment, the $600 per week unemployment benefit increase that has sustained millions is set to run out at the end of this month, and is unlikely to be renewed at its current level, if at all. Eviction moratoriums are expiring, and more than 20 million Americans could be in danger of eviction in the next four months. Many small businesses, their resources exhausted, are closing for good, and bankruptcies of large businesses are accelerating. Millions have already lost their employer-based health insurance, and millions more will. At the same time t…
(2020-07-15). Toppling Statues As An Act Of Historical Redemption. popularresistance.org The brutal murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police set off an unprecedented wave of protests. In a highly publicized, graphic execution, Floyd was killed in broad daylight for possession of an alleged counterfeit bill. The ensuing rebellion of global dimensions is undoubtedly fueled by the exposure to uncertainty, stress and anxiety that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated. In the United States and beyond, frustration and anger at unprepared and incompetent governments overlap with the pressures of systemic racism, seen in sheer wealth gaps and repressive state practices. | Across the pond, protests ha…
(2020-07-15). The Quiet Return of Feudalism. strategic-culture.org Silicon Valley oligarchs are ushering in a new age of serfdom, aided by the left. | Jorge GONZàÅLEZ-GALLARZA | Few policy items have more ominously heralded the ongoing realignment of our politics than Universal Basic Income. That its proponents and detractors can't seem to agree on what UBI is intended for in the first place is merely a measure of that omen. | Take Spain. The country's far-left government was an early fan…
(2020-07-14). Malaysia Still Vastly Undercounting People Living In Poverty. therealnews.com 
Malaysia must acknowledge that the country's rapid economic growth has not benefited all of its residents, says Philip Alston, former UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
(2020-07-14). Malaysia Still Pushes False Claim That It Has Eradicated Poverty. therealnews.com Malaysia must acknowledge that the country's rapid economic growth has not benefited all of its residents, says Philip Alston, former UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
(2020-07-14). 'I'm not worried. What do I care?' Bloomberg's sycophantic 'billionaires are human too' profile seems to suggest just the opposite. rt.com 
Bloomberg's 'Covid conversation' with an anonymous billionaire might have intended to humanize the rich in a time of unprecedented social upheaval, but the subject's clueless callousness will likely fuel class resentment. | Bloomberg reporter Max Abelson interviewed the richest person he knew the day the World Health Organization declared a pandemic back in March, explaining that he "thought someone so well-connected might know what was going on." The mystery tycoon's response? "What the f**k, I'm not worried." | As more Americans than ever before face joblessness, poverty, and a prolonged recession sparked by…
(2020-07-14). Will the Federal Reserve Cause the Next Riots? globalresearch.ca Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly both recently denied that the Federal Reserve's policies create economic inequality. Unfortunately for Powell, Daly, and other Fed promoters, a cursory look at the Fed's operations shows that …
(2020-07-14). The parlous state of poverty eradication. mronline.org 
The world is at an existential crossroads involving a pandemic, a deep economic recession, devastating climate change, extreme inequality, and an uprising against racist policies. Running through all of these challenges is the longstanding neglect of extreme poverty by many governments, economists, and human rights advocates.
(2020-07-14). Propaganda on Government Action and Inequality from David Leonhardt. counterpunch.org It really gets annoying how all discussions in the media of inequality in the media take the White Savior route, where we need the government to act to reduce inequality created by the natural workings of the market. David Leonhardt gave us another dose of this one today when he speculated about the state of
(2020-07-14). Student group launches survey on education inequality in Belgium. peoplesdispatch.org Student group Comac claims that the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased inequality in education and that almost a quarter of the students in Belgium do not have an adequate place to study…
(2020-07-14). It's Going to Be a Long and Harsh Recession: NYT Warns of Skills Gap. cepr.net When the unemployment rate goes up, a standard theme in the media is that workers don't have the right skills. We saw that yesterday in the New York Times when an article told us "The Pandemic Has Accelerated Demands for a More Skilled Workforce." It tells us how the growth of telecommuting in response to …
(2020-07-13). On the growing economic crisis, unemployment and Marxist political economy. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviews Masao Suzuki, professor of economics and a leading member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. | Fight Back!: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham once said that extending the extra $600 a week in unemployment insurance would happen "over my dead body." Why are Republicans so opposed to helping out the millions of workers who lost their jobs during the current crisis? | Masao Suzuki: A common view is that the Republican party leadership is cruel and uncaring – and of course this is true. But underlying this inhumanity is the logic of capitalism, which needs what Marx called a "reserve a…
(2020-07-13). Witnessing the Pandemic From the Front Lines at New York City's Oldest Public Hospital. thenation.com Witnessing the Pandemic From the Front Lines at New York City's Oldest Public Hospital…
(2020-07-13). The Military, What is It Good for? dissidentvoice.org In Part IV, we noted that the U.S. is ruled by a few hundred oligarchs and corporations, and that as long as power resides among this tiny elite, the chances of making headway against racism, police brutality, poverty and exploitation are exceedingly slim. The societal changes proposed in Parts I — IV can do much …
(2020-07-13). Covid-19 Reveals Global Need to Improve Education Systems. commondreams.org School closures have created some of the most trying ordeals for families in this pandemic. (Photo: carl_hfser/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/education_poverty_0_1.jpg …
(2020-07-13). 2021: Half of America facing poverty. nationofchange.org For the great majority of Americans without a share of the stock market, and for those who can't work from home, the pandemic is adding the prospect of a financial collapse to all their other concerns.
(2020-07-13). Thousands protest Israeli government's lack of COVID-19 economic aid. wsws.org Unemployment has risen to 21 percent and more layoffs are expected in the wake of new restrictions imposed since a dramatic rise in infections.
(2020-07-13). Unemployment Claims Still Not Paid; Picketlines Needed. indybay.org Today's check of the Twitter, twitter.com/search?q=%23EDDFailOfTheDay&src=typed_query&f=live, shows that the Unemployment office is still not paying claims dating back to March and private profit contractor Deloitte is still allowed to touch confidential information and pretend to process these basic claims when Deloitte should be fired immediately for obvious violation of its contract to pay the claims immediately.
(2020-07-13). In the Face of Mass Unemployment, We Need a 21st Century WPA. popularresistance.org In the Great Depression of the 1930s the Works Progress Administration was one of the main New Deal agencies that put millions of unemployed back to work on public infrastructure projects. The WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps together employed over 10 million total over the course of their existence. | The WPA also put some of America's greatest artists, writers, and musicians to the task of telling a more democratic history of the country, painting murals in public spaces, teaching art and music to young people, and documenting and uncovering untold histories, including those of slavery. | The WPA, the larges…
(2020-07-13). Still More Reasons To Defund Our CEOs. popularresistance.org Chief executives the nation over have spent this past spring scheming to keep their pockets stuffed while their workers suffer wage cuts, layoffs, and even death by COVID-19. The personal fortunes these execs have pocketed have corrupted our politics and turned our legislatures into dysfunctional chambers that can seldom accomplish anything that doesn't involve enhancing the financial well-being of already wealthy people. | Wealthy execs, in their haste to become ever wealthier, are even privileging their own financial futures over our health. The factories and plants they run are forcing workers to labor without…
(2020-07-13). One Of The Wealthiest States Might Pass An Opportunity To Tackle Housing Segregation. popularresistance.org Despite its liberal reputation — and Democrats controlling the legislature for the last 23 years and the governor's mansion for nine — Connecticut is one of the most segregated places in the country. And with thousands of residents pouring into the streets this month to protest racism, housing advocates and progressive Democrats saw an opportunity to change that, calling for an overhaul of the state's exclusionary housing laws. | That opportunity, however, appears to be fading. | At the state Capitol, Gov. Ned Lamont and legislative leaders have shelved a raft of proposals that could spur more afforda…
(2020-07-13). Is This Awokening a Revolution, or Not? strategic-culture.org Can there ever be a true revolt that is led by the spoiled Children of the Élite? If so, what would such a 'revolt' mean in America? Well, 25-years ago, a prescient American cultural historian, Christopher Lasch, foresaw just such a revolution. He wrote a book — Revolt of the Élite — to describe how, already in 1994, he perceived what lay ahead: A social revolution that would be pushed forward by radical children of the bourgeoisie. Their leaders would have almost nothing to say about poverty or unemployment. Their demands would be centred on utopian ideals: diversity and racial justice — ideals…
(2020-07-13). Foreshadowing the Year 2021: Half of America Facing Poverty. commondreams.org Volunteers speak with a woman while boxes of food for the needy from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida are being packed in her car during a drive through event at City of Destiny church. The demand for food continues in the Orlando, Florida area due to the large numbers of service workers and others who have become unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/poverty_coronavirus.jpg …
(2020-07-12). The Ravages of Lithium Extraction in Chile. dissidentvoice.org 
In Chile, the Covid-19 pandemic is raging with an unprecedented speed. There are more than 300,000 confirmed cases with one of the highest per capita infection rates of 13,000 cases for every 1 million people. The economy is severely experiencing the repercussions of Coronavirus-caused restrictions and the historically high national unemployment rate of 11.2% is …
(2020-07-12). Why is crime spiking in NYC? 'People can't pay their rent' and need to shoplift to feed their children, says AOC. rt.com 
Comments from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her theory about crime spiking in New York City have gone viral and are being slammed relentlessly, as the congresswoman believes it all boils down to people being broke and hungry. | Asked about the increase in crime in her city during a recent virtual town hall, Ocasio-Cortez connected the stats to a bad economy putting people in desperate situations. | "Do we think this has to do with the fact that there's record unemployment in the United States right now? The fact that people are at a level of economic desperation that we have not seen since the Great Recession?"
(2020-07-12). Post-Pandemic Education Must Move Beyond Mere Job Training. truthout.org Roughly 11 years after the Great Recession, the social and economic inequality of the U.S. has been laid bare by a pandemic. This time, however, there is no skills gap to