(2020-04-16). Headlines for April 16, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Pushes to Reopen Economy by May as Doctors and CEOs Object, 22 Million U.S. Workers File for Unemployment in Just Four Weeks, Tax Loopholes in Coronavirus Relief Bill to Overwhelmingly Benefit the Wealthiest, New York Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 11,500 as Governor Orders Wearing of Masks in Public, Medical Workers Demand More Safety Measures as COVID-19 Deaths Mount, Michigan Protesters Defy Social Distancing Rules, Demanding End to Quarantine, Mexico Faces Shortage of Medical Workers as COVID-19 Spreads, French Aircraft Carrier Evacuated as Nearly 700 Sailors Test Positive for COVID-19, Swedish COVID-19 Ca…
(2020-04-16). Video: Coronavirus: Economic and Social Collapse: Mass Unemployment, Bankruptcy, Poverty and Despair. globalresearch.ca There is a serious health crisis which must be duly resolved. But there is another important dimension which has to be addressed. | Millions of people have lost their jobs, and their lifelong savings. In developing countries, poverty and despair prevail. …
(2020-04-16). Coronavirus magnifies silence around sexism and gender inequality. peoplesworld.org 
One can find in the media many important analyses and accounts of the way the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the myriad inequities plaguing U.S. society. The most opulent among us can shelter in place and not have to worry about their next paycheck, about being evicted, about having enough food. They don't have …
(2020-04-16). COVID-19: How Big Pharma and Big Philanthropy Consume the World. counterpunch.org 
Under capitalism, disease is an immensely profitable industry, and huge pharmaceutical corporations excel at extracting enormous amounts of wealth from our public health. Of course, big pharma would have us believe that without their investments in scientific research, millions of people would not benefit from the dizzying array of drugs they sell us, but the
(2020-04-16). US jobless claims due to coronavirus lockdown rise above 22 million. rt.com 
The US Labor Department reported that 5.245 million more Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment last week. The new numbers include independent contractors and others who previously were not eligible for benefits. | That brings the total rise in US unemployment over the past month to over 22 million, nearly wiping out all of the job gains since the 2008 financial crisis. The previous record for initial jobless claims during the Great Recession was below 700,000. | US unemployment has now surged to 16 percent, worse than during the financial crisis. | BREAKING! US initial jobless claims rose 5.25 mil…
(2020-04-16). US unemployment could hit 25 MILLION as coronavirus wrecks economy. rt.com 
With the US Labor Department set to reveal the number of weekly jobless claims on Thursday, economists believe another 5.4 million Americans will file for unemployment benefits, bringing the number to over 22 million in a month. | In the week ending April 4, more than six million claims were filed, which was a slight decrease from the previous week's record-breaking 6.867 million. | The ongoing surge in filings for unemployment insurance has been aggravated by the expansion of those who were allowed to file claims. The CARES Act has expanded the group to include the self-employed and independent contractors. M…
(2020-04-16). Unemployment claims rise to 22 million; women workers hit hardest. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Some 5.25 million more people filed initial claims for jobless benefits in the week ending April 11, the Labor Department reported on April 16. Those claims—added to the millions filed in March—raised total jobs lost to the coronavirus pandemic to 22 million, wiping out all gains in U.S. jobs since the end of the Great …
(2020-04-16). Comments on OMB's Considerations for Additional Measures of Poverty. cepr.net To: Office of the Chief Statistician Re: Response to OMB's Request for Comment on Considerations for Additional Measures of Poverty, Docket Number OMB-2019-0007 PDF The Process for Adopting Poverty Statistics OMB should immediately publish a notice extending the comment period on this notice until at least 30 days after the end of the current National …
(2020-04-16). Thousands of UK care home residents dead in COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org For the ruling elite, the elderly are viewed as a drain on resources and a burden on the further accumulation of personal wealth and corporate profit.
(2020-04-16). Trump Says His "Authority Is Total." In Response, Governors Are Rebelling. zcomm.org The capitalists want the machine to begin grinding again, and give not a single damn about how that will affect the health of the workers who generate their wealth…
(2020-04-16). Taxes Paid By Billionaires Decreased 79 Percent Since 1980, as Percentage of Their Wealth. counterpunch.org Conventional economic wisdom says a time of crisis is not the moment to enact tax increases. But, as Eric Toder at the Tax Policy Center recently pointed out: "[Tax experts] can begin to think of the time after the pandemic passes and how government should respond to massive increases in the public debt, and the new
(2020-04-16). COVID-19 and Climate: Economic Impacts (livestream). indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-04-16). Alicia Garza in conversation w/ Linda Sarsour, author We are Not Here To Be Bystanders. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-04-16). COVID-19 and the role of Labor and the unions in Australia. wsws.org In fighting against mass unemployment, financial ruin and the danger to their very health and lives in many workplaces, the chief political obstacle confronting the working class is the Labor and union apparatus.
(2020-04-16). Unemployment already at Great Depression levels in Australia. wsws.org A record 3.92 million workers, or 27.4 percent, were either unemployed or under-employed by the end of March.
(2020-04-15). Trump Cuts Funds for World Health Org as Oxfam Warns Pandemic Could Push Half a Billion into Poverty. democracynow.org 
As the confirmed cases of coronavirus surpass 2 million around the world, President Donald Trump says he will cut U.S. support for the World Health Organization. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet medical journal, called it a "crime against humanity." Oxfam America said the cuts slash "any hopes for the responsible international cooperation and solidarity that is critical to save lives and restore the global economy." This comes as a new Oxfam report estimates the pandemic's economic fallout could push more than half a billion more people into poverty. We get response from Paul O'Brien, vice president…
(2020-04-15). GOP Tax Cuts in Coronavirus Relief Bill Give 82% of Benefits to Millionaires and Billionaires. mintpressnews.com A new report suggests that a tax cut quietly inserted into the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act will add almost $170 billion to the deficit over the next ten years and overwhelmingly benefit the ultra-wealthy.
(2020-04-15). COVID-19's impact on the Bronx. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – As of April 14, the death toll from COVID-19 jumped by 3700, up to 10,000 in New York City. While the Bronx's confirmed infection rate is in line with the city's, the borough has the highest per-case fatality rate in NYC. There are various conditions that make the people of the Bronx especially vulnerable to the virus. | The Bronx is predominantly Black and Latino and has higher rates of poverty compared to the rest of the city. The poverty rate is at 28.4%, 10% higher than the citywide average, and makes up for 60% of the city's low-income residents. One in four of the city's 400,000 New York Cit…
(2020-04-15). The Great Depression, The Great Recession and the Great Lockdown. truepublica.org.uk By TruePublica Editor: They say, don't they, that the coronavirus is a great leveller — that it treats us all the same. This is nonsense. COVID-19 has graphically demonstrated that it fully exacerbates preexisting conditions of inequality wherever it turns up — it kills those in more significant quantities who are economically or medically disadvantaged. …
(2020-04-15). Billionaire Jeff Bezos Makes US$24 Billion More Amid Pandemic. telesurenglish.net Amazon's founder and president Jeff Bezos has added nearly US$24 billion to his already vast fortune, as coronavirus-related lockdowns across the globe have forced people indoors and fueled a surge in e-commerce demand. | RELATED: | The company's stock rose by 5.3 percent, "hitting a new record close of US$2,283 per share," Forbes reported Tuesday. | Owning an 11 percent stake in the company, Bezos has been the wealthiest…
(2020-04-15). Labour's Explosive Report Shows How Right-wing Officials Sabotaged the Party. globalresearch.ca A leaked 850-page report provides a wealth of information about how senior officials undermined Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party. Titled 'The work of the Labour Party's Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism, 2014-2019', it particularly documents …
(2020-04-15). 'Biggest Coronavirus Stimulus of All': Richest Man in the World Jeff Bezos Now $24 Billion Richer Amid Pandemic. commondreams.org Amplifying fresh critiques of wealthy inequality that have mounted throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—the world's richest man—has added nearly $24 billion to his already massive fortune in 2020 as virus-related lockdowns across the globe have forced people to stay inside and fueled increased e-commerce demand. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/jeff_bezos_0.jpg …
(2020-04-14). Essential or Expendable? Farmworkers Condemn Lack of Protection and Economic Help During Pandemic. democracynow.org 
As the coronavirus sweeps through the United States, the country's 2.5 million farmworkers are continuing to go to work every day, often facing crowded and unsanitary conditions without personal protective equipment, for poverty wages. We speak with Gerardo Reyes Chávez, a farmworker leader with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who describes the conditions farmworkers in Florida are facing and how they are calling on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to protect farmworkers during the COVID-19 crisis, and with Mónica Ramírez, president and founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of the National Farmwork…
(2020-04-11). SPLC condemns attack on Alabama synagogue. splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center condemns the antisemitic attacks that took place during Passover at the Etz Chayim Synagogue in Huntsville, Alabama.
(2020-04-10). Thank you, Bernie. Screw You, New York Times. fair.org 
| It is the essence of American liberalism to trash radical dreams and then dance on them. And that's just what the New York Times did the day after Bernie Sanders bowed out of the Democratic race for the nomination. On that day, in a special editorial ( 4/9/20), the editors of the very same paper that disparaged his every move opined that America is divided and our democracy corrupt, and launched a series promising to report on just the sort of transformative policies Sanders advocated. The New York Times (
(2020-04-10). Headlines for April 10, 2020. democracynow.org COVID-19 Patients Dying Every Minute in the United States, Epicenter of the Pandemic, 17 Million U.S. Workers File Unemployment Claims in Just Three Weeks, New York City Workers Dig Mass Graves Amid Surge of COVID-19 Deaths, President Trump Pushes to Reopen U.S. Economy Despite Severe Shortage of Tests, California Nursing Home with COVID-19 Cases Evacuated After Workers' No-Show, Kansas Governor Sues to Halt Church Congregations Ahead of Easter, Chicago Prisoners Post Signs in Jail Windows: "Help, No Supply" and "We're Dying", NYC Cathedral Won't Partner with Christian Fundamentalist Field Hospital Group over LGB…
(2020-04-09). "Exposing U.S. Racism in a Stark New Way": COVID-19 Kills Disproportionate Number of Black Americans. democracynow.org 
We speak with family physician and epidemiologist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones about how the coronavirus is taking a devastating toll on black Americans, who are disproportionately dying from the virus across the country as a result of entrenched racial inequality. Black Americans are more likely to have chronic health problems and less likely to have insurance. They also make up significant numbers of frontline workers that are still going to work amid the pandemic. Jones is the former president of the American Public Health Association. Her recent piece for Newsweek magazine is headlined "Coronavirus Disease Discri…
(2020-04-09). Headlines for April 9, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Pandemic Could Push 600 Million More People into Poverty, New York Reports Record 779 Coronavirus Deaths in Just 24 Hours, General Motors to Deliver 30,000 Ventilators, with Most Arriving Long After Projected COVID-19 Peak, Kansas to Allow Crowded Church Services as L.A. Expands Order on Face Coverings, California Fast-Food Workers Strike, Demanding Hazard Pay and Protections Against COVID-19, Trump Touts Unproven Treatments of Hydroxychloroquine and Zinc for COVID-19, World Health Organization Head: "Please Don't Politicize This Virus", Researchers Find Coronavirus Arrived in New York from Europe in…
(2020-04-08). Why is Alliance Defending Freedom a Hate Group? splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) first listed Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) as an anti-LGBTQ hate group in 2016.
(2020-03-30). The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery played key role in launching SPLC's legal battle against Ku Klux Klan. splcenter.org The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, who died on Friday at 98 years old, was a longtime friend of the Southern Poverty Law Center and played a leading role in the SPLC's first lawsuit against the Ku Klux Klan in 1980.