(2021-02-06). Lancet editor says inequality and COVID-19 have converged to create a "syndemic" salon.com Dr. Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, says we face a crisis that is biological as well as social…
(2021-02-06). There Are Still 14 Million Americans on Federal Unemployment, Down Just 2 Million From Shutdown High. anti-empire.com 
Initial claims for regular state unemployment insurance totaled 847,000 for the week ending January 23, down 67,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised tally of 914,000 (see first chart). Claims have been above 800,000 for three consecutive weeks, in the 700,000 to 1 million range for 22 consecutive weeks, and well above the pre-pandemic level of 212,000 in early 2020 for 45 weeks. | The four-week average rose again, up 16,250 to 868,000. The four-week average has drifted higher since hitting a low of 740,500 for the week of November 28, rising in eight of the last ten weeks. Persistent initial claims at su…
(2021-02-06). Ecuador's historic election explained: Inside the Citizens' Revolution. thegrayzone.com Ben Norton traveled to Ecuador to report on the historic February 7 election, which pits a wealthy US-backed right-wing banker against a left-wing economist who pledges to continue the socialist Citizens' Revolution launched by former President Rafael Correa. In this dispatch, working-class Ecuadorians explain why they support leftist candidate Andrés Arauz and oppose the repressive Washington-allied government of Lenín Moreno. QUITO, ECUADOR — The South American nation of Ecuador is currently suffering through its worst economic crisis in decades. Poverty …
(2021-02-06). The Biden Rescue Plan Is Neither Risky Nor a Distraction From Structural Issues. commondreams.org The risks of going too-big are trivial. The risks of going too-small are large—letting the unemployment shock from Covid-19 linger for years. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12188626381_0.jpg …
(2021-02-06). [Correspondence] Universal health coverage for the poorest billion: justice and equity considerations — Authors' reply. thelancet.com As co-chairs of The Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission,1 we thank Jordan Jarvis and Belinda Townsend, and Michelle Amri for their thoughtful comments. Jarvis and Townsend highlight the role of global power arrangements that perpetuate the existence of extreme poverty. Specifically, they refer to the examples of tax avoidance by multinational corporations that starve the poorest countries of potential revenue, and the influence of billionaires on a global health agenda that has excluded non-communicable disease and injury (NCDI) poverty.
(2021-02-06). [Correspondence] Universal health coverage for the poorest billion: justice and equity considerations. thelancet.com The Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission report by Gene Bukhman and colleagues makes a compelling case that the needs of people affected by non-communicable disease and injury (NCDI), and poverty have been largely neglected.1 The Commission report lays out crucial evidence and health sector interventions, and calls for increased solidarity and development assistance to redress these health inequities. However, what will it take to convince global actors and national governments to act on this issue?
(2021-02-06). It's Easy to Fix Inequality: Tax the Rich. zcomm.org There is no better time than now to address the ridiculous levels of wealth and income inequality in the United States. It can be done with ease through aggressive taxation of the wealthiest handfuls of individuals…
(2021-02-06). 60+ groups and unions to Senate Democrats: End harmful 'gridlock and dysfunction' by eliminating the filibuster. nationofchange.org "People want a government that works for them, not just the wealthy, well-connected, and entrenched special interest groups."
(2021-02-05). US Suffers Sharpest Rise In Poverty Rate In More Than 50 Years. popularresistance.org The end of 2020 brought the sharpest rise in the U.S. poverty rate since the 1960s, according to a new study. | Economists Bruce Meyer from the University of Chicago and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame found that the poverty rate increased by 2.4 percentage points during the latter half of 2020 as the U.S. continued to suffer the economic impacts of COVID-19. | That percentage-point rise is nearly double the largest annual increase in poverty since the 1960s. This means an additional 8 million people nationwide are now considered poor. Moreover, the poverty rate for Black Americans is estimated to…
(2021-02-05). Bank of America and State share blame for unemployment benefits crisis in California. liberationnews.org 
Beginning in October 2020, workers across California have seen their unemployment accounts frozen or drained of funds. The state's Employment Development Department contracts out the disbursement of benefits to Bank of America, which issues debit cards to claimants. Since the last report by the EDD on Oct. 29 last year, nearly 693,000 Bank of America …
(2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up
(2021-02-05). Biden's $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Is Now Ready to Pass With or Without Republicans. truthout.org 
The Senate passed a budget resolution Friday morning that will allow for the passage of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package with a simple majority vote. | At around 5: 30 am, the resolution passed 51 to 50 along party lines with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaking vote. The vote unlocked reconciliation, which will allow the Democrats to bypass the filibuster in the Senate and cast a similar party-line vote to eventually pass the stimulus. This came after an a…
(2021-02-05). Excessive Stimulus and Other Things Larry Summers Worries About. cepr.net 
It seems that Larry Summers is worried that the stimulus proposed by President Biden is too large. I will say at the onset that he could be right. However, at the most fundamental level, we have to ask what the relative risks are of too much relative to too little. If we actually are pushing …
(2021-02-05). Democrats Need to Make Good on Their Promises. thenation.com Democrats Need to Make Good on Their Promises…
(2021-02-05). Biden rejects ex-Obama adviser Larry Summers' suggestion stimulus too big: "We can't do too much" salon.com Bipartisanship laughing off calls from Washington's consultant class to scale back the size of COVID stimulus…
(2021-02-05). US unemployment rate falls, but job creation remains anemic. laprensalatina.com Washington, Feb 5 (efe-epa).- The headline unemployment rate in the United States fell 0.4 percent in January to 6.3 percent, yet the world's largest economy created only 49,000 new jobs amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. Significantly, the BLS revised its December report to indicate that …
(2021-02-05). Trump Is the First President to Leave Office With a Loss of Jobs Since Hoover. truthout.org 
The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points in January to 6.3 percent. Much of this decline was due to people leaving the labor market as the employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) only rose by 0.1 percentage point. The EPOP now stands at 57.5 percent, 3.6 percentage points below its year-ago level. | The establishment survey showed an increase of just 49,000 jobs, with the private sector only accounting for 6,000 of these jobs. There were sharp downward revisions to job growth for bo…
(2021-02-05). Unemployment Falls to 6.3 Percent, but Job Growth Weak. cepr.net Trump is the first president to leave office with a loss of jobs since Herbert Hoover. The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points in January to 6.3 percent. Much of this decline was due to people leaving the labor market as the employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) only rose by 0.1 percentage point. The EPOP now …
(2021-02-04). After COVID, Davos Moves to The "Great Reset" globalresearch.ca The WEF is about to unveil what will transform the way we all live in. This all fits into an agenda that has been planned for decades by old wealth families such as Rockefeller and Rothschild. Brzezinski called it the end of the sovereign nation state. David Rockefeller called it "one world government."
(2021-02-04). Globalization of War, Seeds of Destruction, Globalization of Poverty: Three Important Titles Available from Global Research Publishers. globalresearch.ca 
All of these titles from Global Research Publishers are available in PDF (e-book) format delivered directly to your inbox, as well as in print format. | . | . | The Globalization of War: America's "Long War" against Humanity | by Michel Chossudovsky |
(2021-02-04). Top Three Ways Solar Power can Help Low-Income Families. juancole.com 
By Galen Barbose, Eric O'Shaughnessy, and Ryan Wiser | — Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other "soft" costs. Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households …
(2021-02-04). Thursday 2/11: Islam, Immigration & Women's Rights: Ending Marginalization and Assault of Immigrant Women. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-02-04). The Failings Of Unemployment Insurance Are By Design. popularresistance.org Our unemployment insurance system has failed the country at a moment of great need. With tens of millions of workers struggling just to pay rent and buy food, Congress was forced to pass two emergency spending bills, providing one-time stimulus payments, special weekly unemployment insurance payments, and temporary unemployment benefits to those not covered by the system. And, because of their limited short-term nature, President Biden must now advocate for a third. | The system's shortcomings have been obvious for some time, but little effort has been made to improve it. In fact, those shortcomings were baked in…
(2021-02-04). A warning — Emergency Henry VIII powers are being abused. truepublica.org.uk The Good Law Project is a not-for-profit campaign organisation that uses the law to protect the interests of the public. It fights cases that defend, define or change the law. It also challenges abuses of power, exploitation, inequality, and injustice. The government under Boris Johnson doesn't like being legally challenged and is using taxpayer funds …
(2021-02-04). Don't blame a lack of education — QAnon proves privileged white people are losing their minds too. salon.com QAnon should be the death knell of the idea that wealth and education can insulate people from conspiracy theories…
(2021-02-04). A California Cooperative Tackles Inequality by Reimagining the Future of Housing. zcomm.org By working towards creating 'land without landlords,' this East Bay cooperative is helping communities build pathways to collective property ownership and community wealth…