Daily Archives: November 9, 2020

2020-11-09: News Headlines

Don Fitz (2020-11-09). How Do Medical Students Get More Experience in the US than Cuba? counterpunch.org What It Has To Do with Inequality During the last 10 years I have written multiple articles documenting how Cuba has better medical practice and education than the US. To be honest, I have known for a long time that there is an area of medical training where medical students in the US get considerably

Dean Baker (2020-11-09). Labor Market Rebounds, But Can It Survive Rising Infection Rates? counterpunch.org The number of multiple job holders stands at 17.8 percent below its year-ago level. The labor market continued to rebound from the spring shutdown, adding 638,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell another percentage point to 6.9 percent. This still leaves the number of jobs 6.6 percent below the February level. The jobs gains were broadly

_____ (2020-11-08). Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobless People Are Being Asked To Repay Benefits. popularresistance.org Ahmad Ghabboun broke into a sweat. It was a late night in August and he had just discovered an unexpected $14,990 debt posted to the online portal he uses to access his account with Washington state's unemployment agency. Since May, he had been receiving payments every week through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, newly established by Congress to support freelancers like him. The benefits replaced the paycheck he could no longer earn after the pandemic had grounded his work delivering packages for Amazon Flex and driving the occasional shift for Uber.

The Lancet (2020-11-07). [Editorial] COVID-19 in Latin America: a humanitarian crisis. thelancet.com Latin America has some of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the world. Why? For outsiders, much of the discussion of COVID-19 in Latin America has focused on Brazil and the errors of President Jair Bolsonaro. But the region as a whole is facing a humanitarian crisis borne out of political instability, corruption, social unrest, fragile health systems, and perhaps most importantly, longstanding and pervasive inequality—in income, health care, and education—which has been woven into the social and economic fabric of the region.

WSWS (2020-11-07). US jobless rates falls but long-term unemployment up sharply as millions remain out of work. wsws.org More than seven months since the start of the pandemic only about one half the 22 million jobs lost earlier in the year have been recovered as the upsurge of new COVID-19 cases is likely to hammer service and retail jobs.

Dan Corjescu (2020-11-07). War, Peace, Wealth, and Recognition. dissidentvoice.org Is the world making more love than war these days? And if so why? It's a question that three great contemporary intellectuals have either indirectly or directly wrestled with in their life's work. The first of our intellectuals is Francis Fukuyama. In his celebrated debut book The End of History and The Last Man, Fukuyama …

_____ (2020-11-07). The Corporate Dictatorship Of The Very Rich. popularresistance.org I heard friends praising Bill Gates' philanthropy a while ago; it still surprises me how people respond to billionaires. The wealthy improve their image financing self-serving projects they present as "serving others" but few question their motives or suspect them of hidden agendas. Most take billionaires at face value and forget how they made their fortunes. | Gates is a monopolist who crushed others in the process of building Microsoft. At least, J.D. Rockefeller (the first) made it a bit easier for us, he was blatant enough to call competition a "sin" and built Standard Oil monopoly trying to protect its privi…

Staff (2020-11-07). COVID Needs Are Urgent, But Many Cities Are Prioritizing Police Funding Instead. truthout.org We are in the midst of a global pandemic that has produced a massive economic crisis, in which millions are struggling to meet their basic needs. Meanwhile, in many mid-sized cities — including Houston, San Diego and Pittsburgh — police funding continues unabated, even as funding for crucial programs is cut. | Chicago is another prime example. In this city, tens of thousands of people are facing severe hardship, unemployment and housing insecurity, and winter is coming. The City…

RT (2020-11-06). 'Stop trying to be Woke Foods': Outcry after supermarket chain told Canadian staff they can't wear Remembrance poppy sparks u-turn. rt.com The Whole Foods Market grocery chain told Canadian media that a symbol worn to remember the fallen ahead of Remembrance Day doesn't comply with its dress code rules. The firm has since u-turned on the ban, following outcry. | US-based Whole Foods Market has been branded "disgusting" and accused of "trying to be woke" after media reported that the grocery chain's staff in Canada can't wear a red poppy, as it is said to violate the dress code rules. | Poppies are traditionally worn in the UK, as well as in Canada and other Commonwealth countries, to honor members of the armed forces who have died in wars. Howeve…

Karen Conner (2020-11-06). Economy Adds 638,000 Jobs in October, Unemployment Falls to 6.9 Percent. cepr.net The number of multiple job holders stands at 17.8 percent below its year-ago level. The labor market continued to rebound from the spring shutdown, adding 638,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell another percentage point to 6.9 percent. This still leaves the number of jobs 6.6 percent below the February level. The jobs gains were broadly …

Richard D. Wolff (2020-11-06). Why Capitalism Was Destined to Come Out on Top in the 2020 Election. counterpunch.org No matter who "won" the U.S. election, what will not change is the capitalist organization of the country's economy. The great majority of enterprises will continue to be owned and operated by a small minority of Americans. They will continue to use their positions atop the capitalist system to expand their wealth, "economize their labor costs," and thereby deepen the United States' inequalities of wealth and income.

Staff (2020-11-06). Unemployment Falls to 6.9 Percent — But Don't Expect Improvements to Last. truthout.org The labor market continued to rebound from the spring shutdown, adding 638,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell another percentage point to 6.9 percent. This still leaves the number of jobs 6.6 percent below the February level. | The jobs gains were broadly based across sectors. Construction added 84,000 jobs, which is consistent with other data showing a boom in residential construction. Employment in construction is now down by just 3.8 percent from its pre-pandemic level. Manufacturing also ha…

Elise Gould (2020-11-06). Thanks to GOP, Next President Inherits a Devastated Economy With Millions Out of Work. commondreams.org Policymakers cannot ignore the economic devastation happening to workers and their families across the country. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/unemployment_sanders_coronavirus_1.jpg

WSWS (2020-11-06). Another 751,000 US workers file for unemployment benefits as job growth slows. wsws.org The pandemic and the economic and social crisis in America are worsening even as Wall Street celebrates its best week since April.

WSWS (2020-11-05). Australian billionaires celebrate skyrocketing wealth while pandemic forces workers into poverty. wsws.org The combined fortunes of Australia's richest 200 individual and families increased by a staggering $82 billion during the past year.