(2020-12-24). Why Can't CEO's Pay for Their Own Lunch? counterpunch.org While the world is reeling from the pandemic, corporate lobbyists have been focused on making taxpayers subsidize lavish lunches for wealthy executives. And their work has paid off in the new Covid relief deal. Buried in the details of this modest aid plan is a provision to give executives unlimited tax deductions for their business
(2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A
(2020-12-23). Redbaiting derails people's needs in Georgia Senate runoff. workers.org 
Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges of "rigged elections" and threats of . . . |
(2020-12-23). 2020 In Review: Workers Struggle Under The Weight Of The Pandemic. popularresistance.org Workers will feel the ramifications of this unprecedented year long into the future. | The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 300,000 lives, destroyed millions of jobs, busted gaping holes in public budgets, and magnified the myriad inequalities that have come to define life in the United States. | Notwithstanding a few bright spots, the labor movement struggled to find its footing in the biggest workplace health and safety crisis of our lifetimes. | The year started with 3.5 percent unemployment—the lowest in a half-century—and hopes that workers might be able to use the tight labor market to recover s…
(2020-12-23). Beyond the "Fear and Greed Index" dissidentvoice.org Investors are driven by two emotions: fear and greed. — CNN-Money These days, for the 5% of Americans who have substantial cash to invest, it has become increasingly easy to acquire large capital-gains in stock-market equities, even over the short-term. Super-wealthy investors, with periodic bolstering from the Fed, nowadays produce the frequent bubbles of absurdly inflated …
(2020-12-22). US Congress comes up with new COVID relief plan, but leaves much to be desired. peoplesdispatch.org The relief package will be the second-largest of its kind since the passing of the CARES Act in March, but is too little and too late for millions who have been pushed closer to poverty and instability by the pandemic…
(2020-12-22). In a pandemic, why are cities still making it hard for people to get utilities? mronline.org 
With the continuing pandemic—and expiring housing and unemployment benefits across the country—millions of people may have their utilities cut off soon.
(2020-12-22). COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates Sri Lanka's high child poverty rate. wsws.org A UNICEF report reveals that most Sri Lankan families do not have adequate incomes and confront many hardships in raising their children.
(2020-12-22). A Social Medicine Team for Emergency Department Patients With High Psychosocial Burden. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Performance Improvement article describes experience at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital with an emergency department social medicine (EDSM) team to facilitate care of ED patients with low-acuity medical illnesses and complex psychosocial comorbidities (homelessness, mental illness, substance use, poverty).
(2020-12-22). In Luxembourg workers of clothing-retail company H&M protest against reduction in year-end bonus. peoplesdispatch.org Swedish clothing-retail brand Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) in Luxembourg decided to reduce the workers' year-end bonus, equivalent to the two months of partial unemployment caused by the lockdown between March and May…
(2020-12-21). Today is Stalin's birthday. fightbacknews.org December 21 marks the birthday of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. | Though reviled in the West, Stalin oversaw the period of socialist construction in the USSR. Under his leadership the country abolished illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness, and put an end to Russia's centuries-long history of famines. Under the leadership of Stalin, the USSR played a key role in turning back the tide of fascism and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This victory was not just a victory for the Soviet Union and socialism, but a victory for the peoples of the world…
(2020-12-21). Chart of the day. mronline.org 
Both the number of initial unemployment claims for unemployment compensation and the number of continued claims for unemployment compensation are once again on the rise, signaling a worsening of the Pandemic Depression.