(2020-03-13). The Fed, the Virus, and Inequality. counterpunch.org 
Whether you're invested in the stock market or not, you've likely noticed that it's been on a roller coaster lately. The White House and most of the D.C. Beltway crowd tend to equate the performance of the stock market with that of the broader economy. To President Trump's extreme chagrin, $3.18 trillion in stock market
(2020-03-13). Editorial: Fed takes action to save Wall Street, not the people. fightbacknews.org The U.S. Federal Reserve has pledged $1.5 trillion to calm Wall Street's worries as the COVID-19 pandemic rattles stock markets and wealthy investors. | But what the people need is more testing done for free, and health care for all. What workers need are unemployment benefits and income support for the self-employed. Working people need protection from eviction and relief from debts. What nurses and other medical workers need is more masks and other protective equipment. | With more than 1500 confirmed infections in the United States, the novel coronavirus is not a foreign threat from Europe, as Trump seems to b…
(2020-03-12). Bernie Sanders: We Are Winning "Ideological" & "Generational" Debate, Now Need to Win "Electability" democracynow.org 
After a disappointing showing in Tuesday night's Democratic presidential primaries, Senator Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he will stay in the race. In his address from Burlington, Vermont, Sanders challenged his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, to address key issues like economic inequality, healthcare access and the climate crisis. Sanders is set to debate Biden this Sunday in Arizona. "It is not just the ideological debate that our progressive movement is winning. We are winning the generational debate," Sanders said. "While Joe Biden continues to do very well with older Americans, especially those peopl…
(2020-03-10). Big banks call for Wall Street deregulation to "fight Coronavirus" mronline.org 
As Naomi Klein laid out in her bestseller "Shock Doctrine," the wealthy elite use the confusion caused by economic and other disasters to quickly force through pro-free-market legislation. |
(2020-03-10). United States imposed economic sanctions—the big heist. mronline.org 
The money trail of U.S. Sanctions leads to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which—behind the shadow of secrecy laws that effectively prohibit any form of public accountability—facilitates the theft of public wealth from targeted countries on a scale only previously accomplished through military invasion and occupation. |
(2020-03-10). Six Quick Points About Coronavirus and Poverty in the US. dissidentvoice.org In the United States, tens of millions of people are at a much greater risk of getting sick from the coronavirus than others. The most vulnerable among us do not have the option to comply with suggestions to stay home from work or work remotely. Most low wage workers do not have any paid sick …
(2020-03-09). Coronavirus Is a Reason to Worry About the Economy—the Stock Market Plunge Is Not. fair.org 
New York Times ( Many people have become very concerned about the economy because of the stock market's plunge in the last two weeks. While the spread of the coronavirus gives us very good reason to worry about the state of the economy, the plunge in the stock market does not. In fact, those folks who are very concerned about wealth inequality can celebrate, because the wealth of the top 1% has just dropped by around 10%, while the wealth of the bottom 50% has barely been touched. (I tend to focus on income inequali…
(2020-03-06). "Supreme Inequality": Author Adam Cohen on the Supreme Court's 50-Year Battle Against Justice. democracynow.org 
The makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court has come under intense criticism in recent years after two Trump-nominated justices joined the bench. Senate Republicans confirmed Neil Gorsuch in 2017 after having refused to consider President Barack Obama's nominee in his final year in office, and they confirmed Brett Kavanaugh a year later despite multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the judge. During the 2020 Democratic presidential contest, several candidates floated the idea of "packing the court" — appointing more than nine justices — in order to counter the court's rightward drift. But while t…
(2020-03-03). SPLC mourns loss of former board member Andrew Fredman. splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center is deeply saddened today by the loss of longtime donor and board member Andrew Fredman, 58, who recently died.