(2020-06-07). The Illusion of Economic Recovery Began in the US. globalresearch.ca Protracted main street depression conditions have existed in the US since 2008 with no relief for ordinary Americans in prospect. | Before economic collapse this year, unemployment exceeded 20%, Labor Department numbers rigged to pretend otherwise. | The so-called U-3 BLS number …
(2020-06-07). A Strategy for Global Democracy and Wealth Sharing. globalresearch.ca It is time for power to the people! | Global capitalist inequality contributes directly to health pandemics, environmental degradation, and mass poverty. Elite-corporate oligarchs control the governments and political parties. They use established militarized police states to protect their vast empires …
(2020-06-06). Brazil's President Bolsonaro calls demonstrators "terrorists," threatens military repression. wsws.org Gen. Hamilton Mourà£o viciously attacked protests against the murder of George Floyd and social inequality, calling for the arrest of demonstrators.
(2020-06-06). [Perspectives] Indigenous populations: left behind in the COVID-19 response. thelancet.com Scholar Annie Belcourt described Native American populations in the USA as having lives that are "challenging and short". Globally, across countries and populations, Indigenous peoples face a greater burden of disease than non-Indigenous peoples, including cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and have higher infant and maternal mortality and lower life expectancy. Their health is impacted by epigenetic stressors of generational oppression and violence, including disproportionate numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women, lower educational attainment, and persistent poverty.
(2020-06-06). [Comment] Healthier societies for healthy populations. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic makes the importance of health and wellbeing clear. The pandemic's implications for societies are far reaching. Yet the response to this pandemic and the creation and promotion of health and wellbeing require action beyond the health sector—and beyond the usual ways of working in global health. Governments are not adequately tackling inequality, ongoing economic crises, or continuing environmental damage, which undermines the health of current and future generations. For example, tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diets, air pollution, and insufficient physical exercise contribute to m…
(2020-06-06). Racial inequalities contribute to higher unemployment rates in black communities, new research reveals. nationofchange.org The "devastating effects of COVID-19 on the economic and physical well-being of black Americans were entirely predictable given persistent economic and health disparities."
(2020-06-06). Trump hails dubious May jobless report to boost stock market, back-to-work drive. wsws.org An unexpected decline in the unemployment rate in May is being used by the White House to declare the pandemic-fueled economic crisis over.
(2020-06-06). Don't believe the hype: Unemployment increased in May. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – Corporate-owned media is blaring that the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell in May to 13.3%, from 14.7% in April. This was far better than even the most optimistic economist expected and even led to at least one to declare that "the recession is over." Well, when something is too good to be true, it usually isn't true. | This report flies in the face of all the other reports on the job market in May. The Labor Department's own report on continuing unemployment insurance claims, including regular state unemployment insurance, the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), the federal Pandemic…
(2020-06-05). Urban Poor Lose Fear and Release Pent-Up Rage. zcomm.org The torching of our cities, and the looting of the malls is what is really sending the message that we're "all in this together," by making it clear that if this country continues down its current path towards ever increasing racial and economic inequality, no one, regardless of their wealth and power, will escape the consequences…
(2020-06-05). As 42.6 Million Americans File for Unemployment, Billionaires Add Half a Trillion Dollars to Their Cumulative Wealth. counterpunch.org 
In a turbulent week across the nation, the wealth of U.S. billionaires surged past half a trillion dollars since the beginning of the pandemic unemployment. The announcement on June 4th that an additional 1.9 million more have filed for unemployment in the last week means that 42.6 million Americans have filed since March 18th, according
(2020-06-05). Extraordinary Disconnect Between Stock Prices and Economic Collapse. globalresearch.ca US equity prices are near or at all-time highs at a time of unprecedented economic collapse, a festering main street Depression, unemployment way higher than in the 1930s, with no prospect for a V-shaped recovery, only its illusion. | The Wall …
(2020-06-05). Protests spread in Chile as hospitals reach saturation point. wsws.org The loss of life is the outcome of decades of pro-corporate policies that have led to a chronically underfunded health system, now on the verge of collapse and extreme poverty.
(2020-06-05). Taxing large fortunes, a tool of social justice. peoplesdispatch.org Several countries around the world are discussing a tax on large fortunes to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The question of combating extreme inequality is a political decision that governments have to make. | According to an Oxfam study, since 2015, the richest population, which accounts for 1% of the total, has more wealth than the rest of the planet. Small elites of countries seize an increasing proportion of national income, while hundreds of millions of people still do not have access to potable drinking water or enough food for their families. | The gap between rich and poor people wid…
(2020-06-05). Racial Inequality Among Workers in Frontline Industries: Black Workers Are Overrepresented and Undercompensated. commondreams.org To increase the power, economic security, and well-being of today's working-class, we must increase the power, economic security, and well-being of Black people. (Photo Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/aworkers.jpg …
(2020-06-05). Unemployment Far Worse in Lockdown States, Data Show. globalresearch.ca The novel coronavirus has done severe economic damage all over the globe. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated on June 1, 2020 that
(2020-06-05). New US weekly unemployment claims near 2 million as foreclosures, hunger loom. wsws.org The economic meltdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving into a deep and long economic slump.
(2020-06-05). Employment Jumps 2.5 Million in May, as Unemployment Falls to 13.3 Percent. cepr.net Seventy-three percent of the unemployed report being on temporary layoffs. The May jobs numbers were considerably better than most analysts had expected with the economy reportedly adding 2,509,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate fell by 1.4 percentage points to 13.3 percent. This improved labor market picture should not have been surprising since many businesses across …
(2020-05-18). The Myths of the Earned Income Tax Credit. peoplespolicyproject.org 
Most policy analysts believe that the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) substantially reduces poverty and increases employment in an administratively efficient and well-targeted way. This is not true. In this paper, I show that simple mismeasurements have greatly overstated the efficiency and effectiveness of the EITC program. | Antipoverty Impact of EITC Is Way Overstated: | To determine how much the EITC reduces poverty, researchers run a couple of simple calculations using the Annual Social…
(2020-05-07). Reflections on the Coronavirus Economic Relief Bills. peoplespolicyproject.org 
When coronavirus relief bills were being discussed a couple of months ago, I Paid Leave. Create a one-month sickness allowance for those who need to take leave from work because they contracted the virus. Create a family leave benefit for those who need to take leave from work because they need to take care of family, e.g. due to school closures. | Unemployment Insurance. Expand unemployment benefits by replacing 100 percent of prior earnings up to $8,…
(2020-03-23). How To Think About Corporate Bailouts Correctly. peoplespolicyproject.org As the negotiations over the economic response to the Coronavirus recession heat up, we are seeing more and more talk about how (or whether) to provide relief to corporations and industries that are facing bankruptcy due to the economic slowdown. Some of this talk is intelligent. A lot of it is not. So in this post, I hope to lay out what I believe is the correct way to think about corporate bailouts. | Due to an aversion to socialist rhetoric about "capitalists" or even "the wealthy," American populist lingo tends to focus on "corporations" as the great evil. We talk about "corporate power" and "corporate concen…
(2020-03-18). Understanding Claims About Basic Income and Inflation. peoplespolicyproject.org A variety of elected officials are currently proposing that the federal government send cash payments to every person in the country (sometimes called a "universal basic income" or "UBI") as a way of responding to the recession. These calls have resurrected claims that a UBI is inflationary. Such claims circulate widely among advocates of workfare and in certain niche internet circles. But these claims are nonsensical and deceptive. In this post, I walk through these claims to promote better understanding of the issue. | Deceptive Language: | Many people who claim that UBI is inflationary also belong to t…
(2020-06-05). Jim Cramer: Coronavirus Pandemic Triggered 'One of the Greatest Wealth Transfers in History'. commondreams.org Small businesses are "dropping like flies," said the "Mad Money" host. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/wealth-transfer.jpg …
(2020-06-05). Thursday 6/4: Intersection of Racial Inequality and Pride Month (webinar). indybay.org Online livestream…
(2020-06-07). We Need a Universal Basic Income Now and After COVID-19. truthout.org As the COVID-19 pandemic creeps into the summer, over
(2020-06-05). New measures to tackle racial inequality, as Imperial pledges to 'do better'. imperial.ac.uk Imperial's President has announced a series of initiatives to address current and historic racial injustices.
(2020-06-06). As UK braces for post-lockdown 'crime tsunami,' some turn to TRAINED DOGS for security. rt.com 
The UK is bracing for a crime wave, with unemployment soaring and US riots on every screen. But unlike Americans, Brits cannot own guns — so they're scrambling for whatever security they can get, from CCTV to trained dogs. | As Britain begins to ease its Covid-19 lockdown conditions, the nation is on alert. | The UK has been warned to expect a deluge of criminality. | Doctor Simon Harding, a former Home Office and Metropolitan Police adviser,
(2020-06-05). Twitter users blast Trump over out-of-context 'great day for George Floyd' quote. It was about 'equal justice,' not jobs numbers. rt.com 
Twitter erupted in a rage after reports that Donald Trump said the murdered George Floyd would be "happy" about good US jobs figures. It turned out the president wasn't talking about jobs figures when he made the comment at all. | During remarks at the White House on Friday, Trump took time to boast about figures showing unemployment had fallen to 13.3 percent with 2.5 million jobs added in May, as the economy begins to rebound following the Covid-19 lockdown. | Many reporters on Twitter were then quick to share shortened versions of a clip in which Trump said Floyd was hopefully "looking down right now and sa…
(2020-06-05). Twitter blasts Trump for saying it's a 'great day for George Floyd' after good US jobs numbers, but his words taken out of context. rt.com Twitter erupted in a rage after reports that Donald Trump said the murdered George Floyd would be "happy" about good US jobs figures. It turned out the president wasn't talking about jobs figures when he made the comment at all. | During remarks at the White House on Friday, Trump took time to boast about figures showing unemployment had fallen to 13.3 percent with 2.5 million jobs added in May, as the economy begins to rebound following the Covid-19 lockdown. | Many reporters on Twitter were then quick to share shortened versions of a clip in which Trump said Floyd was hopefully "looking down right now and sa…
(2020-06-05). Post-lockdown job recovery numbers are cooked, but not for the reason Paul Krugman & the never-Trumpers believe. rt.com 
The Trump administration has hailed new US jobs numbers showing a dip in sky-high unemployment rates as an economic victory, and the president's enemies are crying foul. They're right — but not for the reasons they think. | The president and his allies are hailing the addition of millions of jobs in Friday's report from the Department of Labor as a sign the US has reversed the economic death spiral that began when state governments forced entire industries to close their doors in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. | Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected the unemployment rate to spike from 14.
(2020-06-06). 'Major Co-Option': Without Action, Hospitals' BLM Statements Are Performative. popularresistance.org As the fight against racial inequality in the US has become a national, pervasive movement following the killing of Minneapolis, Minnesota, resident George Floyd, many corporations have argued that they too are helping in the struggle for justice. One anonymous doctor reminds Sputnik that these statements, without acts, are simply performative. | An academic physician based in Washington, DC, who wished to remain anonymous joined Radio Sputnik's Political Misfits on Friday to provide insight on performative allyship and how their own hospital is contributing to the problematic practice. | "I just witnessed major…