(2020-10-08). Rev. William Barber: Millions Are Struggling. So Why Do the Debates Ignore Poverty? democracynow.org 
Rev. William Barber says the 2020 election debates have steadfastly ignored the subject of poverty, even though it affected almost half the United States population before the COVID-19 pandemic and millions more people are struggling since then. "We have to stop saying that things were well before COVID," Barber says. "The reality is, Wall Street was well." Barber is co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign and president of Repairers of the Breach.
(2020-10-07). Headlines for October 7, 2020. democracynow.org Stephen Miller Tests Positive for COVID-19 as Top Pentagon Generals Quarantine, Rudy Giuliani Coughs Through TV Interview While Awaiting Coronavirus Test Result, White House Refuses Contact Tracing Help as Trump Puts Residence Staff at Risk of COVID-19, Two Presidential Valets Who Carry Nuclear Launch Codes Test Positive for Coronavirus, Six States Report Record Hospitalizations as U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll Nears 211,000, Trump Calls Off Stimulus Talks, Then Reverses Course in Erratic Series of Tweets, Facebook, Twitter Crack Down on Trump's False Claim COVID-19 Is Less Lethal Than Flu, FDA to Require Two Month Sa…
(2020-10-07). Trump Scuttles A Fiscal Stimulus Deal—Again. zcomm.org Trump has already begun moving his political chess pieces to challenge the election and refuse to leave office…
(2020-10-07). Trump Scuttles a Fiscal Stimulus—Again! globalresearch.ca This past week Pelosi and Mnuchin had reportedly been quietly negotiating toward …
(2020-10-07). Trump Scuttles a Fiscal Stimulus Deal…Again! counterpunch.org This past Tuesday, October 6, Trump pulled the plug once again—a second time—on negotiations on a fiscal stimulus between House speaker, Pelosi, and his Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin. This past week Pelosi and Mnuchin had reportedly been quietly negotiating toward a compromise fiscal stimulus package and were making progress while Trump was in the hospital
(2020-10-07). Unemployment Day rally calls for Illinois to reprioritize budget, support working class. liberationnews.org 
The main demand was for Local, State and Federal budgets to defund various war efforts, policing and other wasteful spending and instead invest in safety nets.
(2020-10-07). Chaos in Washington kills hopes for major pre-election stimulus. liberationnews.org 
Donald Trump abruptly called off his administration's participation in negotiations with Congress over a highly-anticipated new pandemic relief bill that has been stalled for months. Talks between Congressional Democrats and Republicans along with senior White House officials had been revived in the days following Trump's COVID diagnosis, but Trump's move yesterday dramatically reverses the situation. …
(2020-10-07). Trump hints at 'standalone' $1,200 stimulus check bill after vowing to halt Covid relief talks with Democrats until November. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump said he would sign a bill approving another round of Covid-19 relief checks if one crossed his desk, apparently backtracking after saying he'd ended stimulus talks with Democrats until after the election. | "[If I sent] a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy?" Trump tweeted on Tuesday evening amid a flurry of posts, tagging his own chief of staff Mark Meadows and leadership in both parties. | If I am sent a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to…
(2020-10-07). Trump Halts Talks on New Economic Stimulus. globalresearch.ca At a time of dire economic conditions — worse than during the Great Depression with real unemployment at 26.9% and likely to rise ahead — Republicans and Dems remain at odds over federal aid to jobless Americans, small businesses, states, …
(2020-10-07). Outdated Assumptions Mask True Poverty Rate. cepr.net Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity See article on original site According to the Census Bureau, the poverty rate for the United States was 10.5 percent in 2019, "the lowest since estimates were first released for 1959." What the Census Bureau didn't say is that the poverty measure it uses is still based on 1959 assumptions …
(2020-10-07). Trump breaks off talks on pandemic stimulus bill. wsws.org Trump's announcement is a savage attack on the working class under conditions of a worsening pandemic, a rising tide of permanent layoffs, soaring hunger and tens of millions of looming evictions and home foreclosures.
(2020-10-07). The Real History of Angela Davis and The Shearer Family. sputniknews.com On today's episode of The Backstory host Lee Stranahan covers the media upset about Trump recovery post-COVID, Mayor Bill De Blasio made a video to counter President Trump, by putting his mask on leaving a building, Wisconsin is having new COVID restrictions, and Nancy Pelosi attacked President Trump on "The View" talk show after no stimulus bill.
(2020-10-07). Covid-19 Pandemic Could Push Up to 150 Million Into 'Extreme Poverty' by 2021, World Bank Warns. commondreams.org "Early evidence also suggests that the crisis is poised to increase inequality in much of the world," says the new report. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1207637957_1_0.jpg …
(2020-10-06). How Not To Talk About Obama. counterpunch.org 
Sound materialist analysis (not always satisfying) often adds a little treat at the end. For example, let's take the Barack Obama rules. Instead of saying Barack Obama was a neoliberal President who largely complied with the general trend of the last half-century of consolidating wealth, privatizing industry, and using imperialism and capitalism together to continue
(2020-10-06). Ranks of long-term jobless soar as US unemployment aid dries up. wsws.org Both parties are using mass unemployment and the threat of destitution as a bludgeon to force workers back into unsafe factories and workplaces.
(2020-10-06). Trump Leaves Hospital to Angry Media Reaction. sputniknews.com On today's episode of The Backstory host Lee Stranahan covers; negotiations over stimulus have officially ended, the media upset after President Trump released from the hospital, joint chiefs have quarantined themselves after Coast Guard member tests positive, Eddie Van Halen the legendary guitarist died at 65 from cancer.
(2020-10-06). Bolstering Progressive Demand, Fed Chair Says More Stimulus Crucial to Avoid Even More 'Unnecessary Hardship'. commondreams.org "The stakes—even more human suffering and long-run damage to people and the health of the economy—are high." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/powell.jpg …
(2020-10-06). 'What an Anti-Everybody Agenda Looks Like': AOC Excoriates Trump for Walking Away From Covid-19 Relief Talks. commondreams.org "Millions falling into poverty, millions on the edge of eviction, millions going hungry, millions losing their healthcare and this megalomaniac dime store dictator puts his knee of the neck of a nation." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12289191131.jpg …
(2020-10-05). If You Could Save a Million Lives, Would You Do It? commondreams.org The IMF leadership, and almost all of the 189 member countries — including U.S. allies such as Germany and Canada — are ready to allocate the aid that Congress is considering.(Photo: AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/poverty_4.jpg …
(2020-10-05). Ominous Economic Signs: Long-Term Employment and People Leaving the Work Force. counterpunch.org 
The September employment report showed a sharp slowing in the rate of job growth, with the economy adding 661,000 jobs, less than half of its August rate. The unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percentage points to 7.9 percent, but most of this was due to people leaving the labor force. The employment to population ratio
(2020-10-05). 'Tax the Rich! Feed the Poor!': Activists in Chicago Are Raising a Voice for the Unemployed. progressive.org On the city's first 'Unemployment Day,' the streets tell a tale of a city divided.
(2020-10-05). Growing length of economic crisis forcing women out of the job market. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Friday, October 2, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the official unemployment rate had dropped to 7.9% in September, from 8.4% in August. But of the almost one million people who left the official unemployment count, 70% stopped looking for work and did not find a job. This is because the government's unemployment rate only counts those who are both without paid work and who are looking for work. | Even worse, almost 90% of the people dropping out of the unemployment rolls were women, and only 10% were men. This recession is different from earlier recessions, where the unemployment rat…
(2020-10-05). Ending Poverty In Yuangudui, China. popularresistance.org "Another year passes, but an unprecedented change begins." Yuangudui's stunning metamorphosis began on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month in 2013, the traditional Chinese holiday of New Year's eve. On that day, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, arrived at Yuangudui. There, General Secretary Xi, concerned as he is with the elimination of poverty, personally interviewed the villagers about their livelihoods, and earnestly enjoined the party cadres and villagers alike: "Let us all work harder together, and make the days to come even brighter than before."
(2020-10-05). Debt Collectors Are Thriving This Year — and Now They're Filing Even More Suits. truthout.org Earlier this year, the pandemic swept across the country, killing 100,000 Americans by the spring, shuttering businesses and schools, and forcing people into their homes. It was a great time to be a debt collector. | In August, Encore Capital, the largest debt buyer in the country, announced that it had doubled its previous record for earnings in a quarter. It primarily had the CARES Act to thank: The bill delivered hundreds of billions of dollars worth of stimulus checks and bulked-up unempl…
(2020-10-05). I Don't Have Qualified Immunity; Why Should Police? commondreams.org As a pediatrician, I find the entire concept of qualified immunity absurd.(Photo: Screengrab/WBFO) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/commonwealth.png …
(2020-10-05). As Trump Gets 'Excellent Taxpayer-Funded Care,' Analysis Finds Frontline Workers Disproportionately Lack Health Insurance. commondreams.org Given how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted people in "essential" industries and their high uninsured rates, the Public Citizen report says "the argument for Medicare for All has never been stronger." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_farmworkers_coronavirus_1.jpg …
