(2020-10-29). Pandemic Poverty: The CARES Act Kept Millions from Going Hungry. Why Won't the Senate Renew It? democracynow.org 
The massive $2 trillion CARES Act — which sent households one-time payments and boosted unemployment checks with an additional $600 a week through July — helped keep millions afloat, but more than 8 million people have been forced into poverty since the aid ended. "The relief was temporary, and much of it has now expired, so now we're seeing poverty rise again," says Megan Curran, a researcher at the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University. "We know that families can be protected again, but it does require action at the federal level."
(2020-10-29). On anniversary of Great Depression, 25 million collecting unemployment. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Some 25 million people drew or sought federal or state jobless aid checks through Oct. 24, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Oct. 29. That includes 22.65 million people already getting aid and 2.2 million more who applied for it since then, split almost evenly between the succeeding two weeks. The numbers are reminiscent …
(2020-10-29). More Than 8 Million Have Been Forced Into Poverty Since COVID Relief Ended in US. truthout.org The massive $2 trillion CARES Act — which sent households one-time payments and boosted unemployment checks with an additional $600 a week through July — helped keep millions afloat, but more than 8 million people have been forced into poverty since the aid ended. "The relief was temporary, and much of it has now expired, so now we're seeing poverty rise again," says Megan Curran, a researcher at the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University. "We know that famili…
(2020-10-28). Billionaires and the Pandemic. mronline.org 
WEALTH distribution data are notoriously difficult to interpret. This is because variations in stock prices affect wealth distribution, so that a stock market boom suddenly makes the rich appear much richer, while a stock market collapse makes wealth distribution less unequal overnight.
(2020-10-28). Between Chaos and Commonwealth. commondreams.org We may call this state of affairs Capitalism, but the rot goes back deep into the history of Civilization, a history of conquest, colonization, and oppression of the many by the few. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1802162571_1.jpg …
(2020-10-28). Mutual Aid Is Essential To Our Survival. popularresistance.org When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a crisis in the U.S. in early 2020, people all over the country started coordinating to deliver groceries and prescriptions to vulnerable people, making and distributing masks and hand sanitizer, and raising money for people who were losing jobs and ineligible for unemployment benefits. By the time the uprising against anti-Black racism and police violence brought people into the streets in early summer, the concept of "mutual aid" had gained significant traction in the media, and it was visible on the streets as people…
(2020-10-28). Five World's Wealthiest Families Control a Fortune of over $620 Billion. globalresearch.ca Spread across different economic sectors, some of the global most affluent families continue to amass more wealth. Despite the recent economic uncertainty, the wealthiest families in the world appear to be doing just fine. | Data presented by
(2020-10-27). Don't Rush to Declare Victory: Implementing a Two-Week Grace Period After November 3rd So All Voters Can Be Counted. commondreams.org With such large stakes for our fragile democracy, we cannot afford to bypass such a course of action that will assure a peaceful transition in accord with the rule of law. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/early.jpg …
(2020-10-27). Now Is No Time for Cowardice. Abolish the Filibuster and Expand the Court. truthout.org Mitch McConnell and his cohort of conservative allies believe the elevation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is the capstone move in their long game. Between Barrett creating a meaty 6-3 conservative majority on the high court and the more than 200 right-wing judges the GOP senate has elevated to the bench, they think they have cemented the rule of a wealthy, white minority for another generation at least. | Who knows? They may even be right. | There is no doubt that Justice Barrett is a…
(2020-10-27). Paradise For Human Victims Of Corporate Persons. popularresistance.org Any day now, Zambia will be the first African country to slip into a private debt default. It can only pay interest on the $3 billion in dollar-denominated bonds if it totally ignores the needs of the Zambian people. The country has suffered from the slowdown of the world economy, which impacted the sale of its copper for a part of this year (although copper prices and future prices have now begun to rise). | Cosmas Musumali, the general secretary of the Socialist Party of Zambia, says that the convulsions of indebtedness are not only due to the coronavirus recession but also to the wealthy bondholders and to the…
(2020-10-27). 20 things the government must do to tackle structural racism and protect BAME communities from coronavirus. thecanary.co 
Baroness Doreen Lawrence has set out 20 recommendations for the government to protect those most at risk from coronavirus and tackle inequality in the longer term.Here are her recommendations from her review into the impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) on Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities: | Set out an urgent plan for tackling the disproportionate impact of Covid on BAME people this winter | 2. Implement a national strategy to tackle health inequalities.3. Suspend the "no recourse to public funds" rule during the pandemic and review its impact on public health and health inequalities.4. Ensure Covi…
(2020-10-27). Russia applies to WHO for emergency listing of Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, approval would speed up formula's global distribution. rt.com 
As global coronavirus cases surge, Russia has applied to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the early pre-qualification and registration of its pioneering Sputnik V vaccine, which would make it available globally sooner. | The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has filed the application to include the Sputnik V formula in the WHO's Emergency Use Listing program allowing for its accelerated approval for use, the sovereign wealth fund said in a "The Russian Federation was the first in the world to register a vaccine a…
(2020-10-27). From a Wealthy Socialite to an Israeli Govt Censor, Facebook's New "Free Speech Court" Is Anything but Independent. mintpressnews.com 
Freedom of speech on the Internet is all but extinct, and on the eve of the 2020 US elections, a de facto "free speech court" is going to make sure it never comes back. On Facebook at least.
(2020-10-27). China, US Censor Each Other; ACB Confirmed; Truth and Reconciliation. sputniknews.com The US wealthy "brace" for tax increases while the rest of us brace for fires, storms, pandemics and their tragic consequences.
(2020-10-26). How Coronavirus Exposed the Flaws of the Childcare Economy. counterpunch.org 
The U.S. government's Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that childcare workers in the nation have a median salary of just over $24,000 a year—below the poverty line for a family of four. The segment of our nation's workforce that attends to the basic needs of our children is shockingly underpaid, and now during the coronavirus
(2020-10-26). Communities rally to feed hungry children as ministers leave them high and dry. thecanary.co 
After a shocking 320 Tory MPs voted to prevent children living in poverty from receiving free school meals during the holidays, local businesses, authorities and community groups are stepping in to plug the gap in duty-of-care. Meanwhile, ministers face a damaging grassroots Tory revolt over the issue. | Dozens of people from a range of organisations have stepped in to help their local communities. Health secretary Matt Hancock, who voted against the motion to feed hungry children, has leapt at the chance to praise their "absolutely wonderful" efforts. Meanwhile, he insists that the government has already provide…
(2020-10-26). Protests in Iraq: Corruption, Unemployment, Impoverishment. globalresearch.ca Long-suffering Iraqis have legitimate grievances in…
(2020-10-26). Despite CDC Moratorium—and With Help From White House—Corporate Landlords Have Gone on Eviction Spree. commondreams.org Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus last month wealthy corporate landlords have blatantly ignored the order, issuing eviction notices to thousands of tenants across five states, according to a watchdog report. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/eviction_crisis_0.jpg …
(2020-10-26). The Postmaster General's Manufactured Mail Slowdown and Racial Inequality. commondreams.org For nearly 250 years, USPS has been a cherished giant of public life. (Photo: Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/usps_4.jpg …
(2020-10-26). Jared Kushner Eviscerated as 'Face of White Privilege and Nepotism' After Mocking Racial Justice Protesters. commondreams.org President Donald Trump's son-in-law—some of whose wealth comes from being what one user called "the highest-ranking slumlord in the country"—also implied that Black people do not want to succeed. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/cushkush.jpg …
