2020-10-17: News Headlines

Staff (2020-10-16). Federal judge certifies class-action suit against US Treasury for not providing prisoners stimulus checks. therealnews.com The Trump administration was ordered to stop denying billions in pandemic relief to 1.4 million prisoners.

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-16). 30 Straight Weeks: Over One Million Jobless US Workers Apply for UI. globalresearch.ca What's happening in the US — with no significant relief in prospect — is unparalleled in the the nation's history. | Unemployment, growing poverty, food insecurity, and overall deprivation are growing, not easing — while politicians in Washington prioritize war-making and …

Fight Back (2020-10-16). Unemployment insurance claims up more than 50,000 in one week. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, October 15, the U.S. Department of Labor reported the biggest one week increase in new claims for unemployment insurance since late July. The latest report for the week ending October 10 saw 898,000 new claims for regular state unemployment insurance, up 53,000 from the week before. | The broadest measure of unemployment insurance – which includes those actually being paid under the regular state UI, the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the state Extended Benefits and the federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) – fell by 215,000 for the week ending Septembe…

WSWS (2020-10-16). Nearly 900,000 new jobless claims in US as benefit cutoffs lead to spike in poverty. wsws.org New unemployment claims reached 898,000 last week as researchers report that the cutoff of federal supplemental unemployment benefits has fueled a surge in poverty.

Gerald E. Scorse (2020-10-16). Democrats Could Revive a Reagan Tax Reform. dissidentvoice.org Conservatives have every reason to love Ronald Reagan. He cut taxes hugely on high incomes. Once a union leader, he became a ruthless union-buster. He warred endlessly against welfare. But the darling of the Right made one sharp Left. His landmark Tax Reform Act of 1986 called for equal taxes on income from wealth and …

WSWS (2020-10-16). Trump administration tipped off wealthy investors about coronavirus while it downplayed threat in public. wsws.org The revelations reveal the overriding concern of the US government was the protection of the financial aristocracy at the expense of the health and safety of the population.

_____ (2020-10-16). Activists Mobilize To Help Incarcerated People Get Stimulus Checks. popularresistance.org For months incarcerated people and their families heard conflicting messages about whether they were eligible to receive the pandemic stimulus payments provided by Congress as the Trump administration attempted to block prisoners from receiving their checks. Last week a federal judge slammed the administration with an order to provide the stimulus relief, and now advocates across the country are working to ensure low-income people caged in state and federal prisons can apply for the much-needed federal aid as deadlines loom.

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-10-16). Trump Advisers Privately Warned GOP Donors About Covid-19 in February While Telling Public Virus Was 'Very Much Under Control'. commondreams.org "Apparently, if Americans want to hear the full truth from the Trump administration about the severity of Covid-19, they need to be wealthy and well-connected donors." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/kudlow_1.jpg

WSWS (2020-10-15). Amazon Prime Day: Fabulous wealth for Jeff Bezos, rampant injuries for workers. wsws.org Amazon is expected to rack up record sales on this year's "Prime Day," while the explosion of orders is causing many injuries and fueling opposition within the workforce.

Anna Pha (2020-10-15). Using pandemic, Australian government cuts taxes on the rich with 'bosses' budget'. peoplesworld.org CANBERRA—Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's "big-spend" budget is noteworthy, not for its economic stimulus, but for its failure to direct expenditure to where it is most needed and would most benefit the economy. Nor are its tax cuts directed to where they are most likely to be spent and stimulate the economy. Instead, the budget …

sputniknews (2020-10-15). 'Reprehensible Behavior': US Elites Privately Briefed About COVID-19 Dangers in February. sputniknews.com Documents obtained by the New York Times reveal that the US elite were receiving private warnings about the effects of COVID-19 as early as February, yet another example of the wealthy and powerful being tipped off to the crisis before the public, Ted Rall, author and syndicated editorial cartoonist, told Radio Sputnik.

Matt Sedlar (2020-10-15). Ecuador's New Loan Program: A Tale of Two IMFs. cepr.net OpenDemocracy See article on original site In her speech opening this year's Annual World Meetings, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned of the dangers of an uneven recovery and increasing inequality and talked of the need for an inclusive recovery. Otherwise, Georgieva warned, we are at risk of recreating the dystopian world of Charles's Dickens …

WSWS (2020-10-15). Video recordings reveal Republican strategy to suppress the vote in US election. wsws.org The Council for National Policy, a secret society of ultra-wealthy conservative activists, media and business moguls is closely linked to the Republican Party and Donald Trump.

WSWS (2020-10-15). Amid record long-term unemployment, US government denies aid to workers. wsws.org Whatever the political maneuvering in Congress, the bottom line is that both parties are denying relief to tens of millions of people who are confronting the worst economic and social crisis since the Great Depression.

news.un (2020-10-15). Social protection coverage in Asia and the Pacific 'riddled with gaps'. news.un.org More than half the population of the vast Asia and Pacific region lack any social protection coverage, leaving populations vulnerable to ill-health, poverty, inequality and social exclusion, a new UN report has found.

news.un (2020-10-15). Invest in rural women, help them build resilience to future crises, urges UN chief. news.un.org Rural women play a critical role in agriculture, food security and managing land and natural resources, yet many suffer from "discrimination, systemic racism and structural poverty", the UN chief said on Thursday.

Jeff Schuhrke (2020-10-15). The Nightmare Facing the Poor and Working Class If There's Not Another Stimulus. zcomm.org With time running out and Republicans balking at more Covid relief, U.S. workers are facing a future of financial misery…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-15). Fraction of money earmarked for COVID-19 recovery could boost climate efforts. imperial.ac.uk Global stimulus plans for economic recovery after the pandemic could easily cover climate-friendly policies, suggests new study.

WSWS (2020-10-15). Australian health union leader pleads guilty to corruption. wsws.org While they were imposing poverty-level wages and dire conditions on the workers they falsely claim to represent, several Health Services Union were looting the organisation's treasury for their own purposes.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-10-15). As Trump and GOP Refuse Aid Package, Studies Show 8 Million Forced Into Poverty Since McConnell Let Relief Expire. commondreams.org The authors of two separate poverty studies out of three top universities said Thursday that their findings make the unmistakable case for more federal economic aid for families struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1280008233_1.jpg

Pip Hinman (2020-10-15). Cashless welfare card entrenches racism, poverty, corruption. greenleft.org.au Jim McIlroy writes the federal government is moving to extend the stigmatising cashless debit card, handing responsibility for vulnerable sectors to a private company.

Bob Lord (2020-10-14). Inequality in America: Far Beyond Extreme. counterpunch.org We've all seen the stats on America's extreme inequality. Over 20 percent of our nation's income flows to the top 1 percent. The top 1 percent's share of our country's wealth is approaching 40 percent. Our top 0.1 percent hold roughly the same share of our wealth as our bottom 90 percent. All eye-popping numbers

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-10-14). Poverty, racism, and inequality merge with COVID-19 to create 'syndemic'. peoplesworld.org The writer is a retired pediatric physician. It didn't seem to fit. The website of the Colombian Communist Party on Oct. 5 published a medical doctor's reflections on re-characterizing a disease. Félix León Martínez, MD, quoted extensively from an editorial appearing in the famous British medical journal Lancet. He and Lancet editor Richard Horton, MD, …

Rep. Ron Paul (2020-10-14). Can the US Federal Reserve End Racism? Eliminate Disparities in Income, Employment and Wealth? globalresearch.ca House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters and Senator Elizabeth Warren have introduced the Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act. This legislation directs the Federal Reserve to eliminate racial disparities in income, employment, wealth, and access to credit. | Eliminating racial …

_____ (2020-10-14). Gambling industry generates four times more taxes and jobs than fishing. truepublica.org.uk Britain, in particular, has a long and rich history of the gambling industry that goes back to around the 1500s. Spa towns such as Bath, Epsom, and Tunbridge Wells became popular after around that time for the wealthy. They enjoyed lawn bowling and dancing, as well as the medical benefits that spa towns were perceived …

Robert J. Burrowes (2020-10-14). 'We are Many, They are Few': Nonviolent Resistance to the Elite's COVID-19 Coup. globalresearch.ca On 16 August 1819, an estimated 60,000 pro-democracy and anti-poverty activists were peacefully protesting the utterly corrupt nature of the Parliament in Westminster and demanding the reform of parliamentary representation (which afforded less than 2% of people the right to …

WSWS (2020-10-14). Hefty profits for top US banks as millions face social disaster. wsws.org As long-term unemployment rises, major Wall Street Banks JP Morgan and Citigroup have reported booming third quarter profits.

WSWS (2020-10-14). New Zealand Green Party postures over tax, poverty. wsws.org The record proves that an incoming Labour-Greens coalition would be completely subservient to the demands of big business.

Zach Conti (2020-10-14). IMF Economic Reports: Inequality and Poverty Rising Amidst COVID Crisis. indybay.org Analyzing the economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus, the International Monetary Fund released the Global Financial Stability Report and the 2020 World Economic Outlook Report, "A Long and Difficult Ascent." The economic outlook report projects global economic growth to contract 4.4%.

Staff (2020-10-14). Activists Are Mobilizing to Help Incarcerated People Get Their Stimulus Checks. truthout.org For months incarcerated people and their families heard conflicting messages about whether they were eligible to receive the pandemic stimulus payments provided by Congress as the Trump administration attempted to block prisoners from receiving their checks. Last week a federal judge slammed the administration with an order to provide the stimulus relief, and now advocates across the country are working to ensure low-income people caged in state and federal prisons can apply for the much-ne…

Eric Levitz (2020-10-14). 3 Reasons Pelosi Should Take Trump's $1.8 Trillion Stimulus Deal. commondreams.org A constable knocks on a door before posting an eviction order in Arizona earlier this month. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bb8161a8b2893567645450c25ed8b1e38b-eviction-usa.rhorizontal.w700.jpg

WSWS (2020-10-13). Poverty in Germany: Power cuts for 289,000 households. wsws.org Hundreds of thousands had no lights, no warm water, could use neither stoves nor refrigerators, could not do laundry and had no access to radio, television or the internet.