(2021-02-08). "Freedom is Never Voluntarily Given": Palestinian Boycott of Israel is Not Racist, It is Anti-Racist. dissidentvoice.org 
Claims made by Democratic New York City mayoral candidate, Andrew Yang, in a recent op-ed in the Jewish weekly, 'The Forward', point to the prevailing ignorance that continues to dominate the US discourse on Palestine and Israel. Yang, a former Democratic Presidential candidate, is vying for the Jewish vote in New York City. According to …
(2021-02-08). Oxfam report: Coronavirus pandemic 'bared brutal, unequal and unsustainable world'. peoplesworld.org 
(2021-02-08). Struggles in the Shadow of the Pandemic. indybay.org For Trump, wealth, privilege, and power was even license to invent reality as he saw fit. Thus any divergence from his worldview and interests were 'fake news'. Trump ensured the plutocratic wealthy were no longer in the political shadows but now in the mainstream.
(2021-02-08). Democrats Push for Monthly Child Stipends as Part of Biden's Stimulus Package. truthout.org 
Democrats are set to unveil a plan on Monday to flesh out President Joe Biden's proposal to help tackle child poverty by sending families $3,000 per child and $3,600 per child under 6 over the course of a year. | The expanded child tax credit would be passed as part of the stimulus and would send $250 or $300 per child per month starting in July for one year. Similar to the current version of the relief checks, the program has a wage cap at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples, wh…
(2021-02-08). It's Easy to Fix Inequality: Tax the Rich. counterpunch.org 
As Democrats and Republicans jostle over the particulars of a new economic stimulus package to address the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, it is not too early in President Joe Biden's tenure to ask, "when will we start taxing the rich?" Upon joining the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) promptly announced she would
(2021-02-08). Larry Summers Is Still Worth Ignoring. thenation.com Larry Summers Is Still Worth Ignoring…
(2021-02-08). Ilhan Omar Says Lowering Income Threshold for Stimulus Will "Poison" Relief Bill. truthout.org 
As talks of compromise and unity in Washington pose the possibility of reshaping a proposed coronavirus economic package, progressives in Congress are sounding off on President Joe Biden's apparent willingness to change income threshold requirements that would significantly curtail who receives stimulus checks. |
(2021-02-08). Headlines for February 8, 2021. democracynow.org Dems to Introduce $3,000 Benefit for Children as They Push Ahead with $1.9 Trillion Stimulus, Pentagon to Deploy Troops for Vaccination Effort as Fans Defy Warnings Around Super Bowl Parties, South Africa Halts Rollout of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine, Wyoming GOP Censures Rep. Liz Cheney for Backing Trump's Impeachment, Judge Rules NY Republican Claudia Tenney Won Last Open House Race, Mass Protests Continue in Burma Opposing Military Coup, Removal of Aung San Suu Kyi, Indian Farmworkers Blockade Roads as Mass Protests Show No Sign of Slowing Down, Scores of People Missing and Feared Dead After Himalayan Glacier Co…
(2021-02-08). The Shecession: Women Face Staggering Job & Income Losses Amid the Pandemic's Economic Crisis. democracynow.org 
As Democrats in Congress push forward on passing President Joe Biden's sweeping $1.9 trillion stimulus package, many experts say measures to combat the economic fallout from COVID-19 must address the pandemic's disproportionate impact on women — especially women of color. Women in the U.S. lost 5.5 million jobs in the first 10 months of the pandemic, nearly 1 million more job losses than men, and, combined with increased responsibilities for caregiving at home, are experiencing a "shecession," according to researcher C. Nicole Mason. "Women have been disproportionately impacted by job and income losses duri…
(2021-02-08). $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill Expected to Stimulate National Debt. anti-empire.com 
Congress is looking to pass a 1.9 trillion-dollar stimulus package, which experts say will have a highly stimulating effect on the national debt. | "We will pass this stimulus bill without Republican support," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Doing so will help hard-working Americans and breathe fresh new life into our national debt!" | Financial experts from The New York Times' opinion page have long feared that America's national debt is not growing fast enough to sustain their brilliant economic theories, and hope this bill will serve to boost the national debt to more comfortable levels. | There are some detractor…
(2021-02-08). Electoral Politics Use the Same Containment Strategies as Alzheimer's Facilities. strategic-culture.org 
The public will periodically become agitated at the way their wealth and resources are being stolen from them and spent on overseas wars, or the fact that they are deliberately kept poor and busy by a plutocratic system in which the relative wealth of the rich is given more political power by the relative poverty of everyone else, and they are redirected.
(2021-02-08). Unemployment Falls to 6.3 Percent, But Job Growth Remains Weak. counterpunch.org 
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
(2021-02-08). Inside Ecuador's Citizens Revolution. popularresistance.org Quito, Ecuador – The South American nation of Ecuador is currently suffering through its worst economic crisis in decades. Poverty is skyrocketing, corruption is rampant, and the US-backed government has shown itself to be deeply undemocratic. | On February 7, Ecuador will hold a historic election that could fundamentally change its direction, moving the nation away from its current neoliberal policies and reliance on Washington, and restoring the socialist-oriented program of former President Rafael Correa, who launched a progressive movement called the Citizens' Revolution.
(2021-02-08). Want to Reverse Inequality? Change Intellectual Property Rules. thenation.com Want to Reverse Inequality? Change Intellectual Property Rules.
(2021-02-08). Intellectual Property, Inequality, and the New Cold War with China. cepr.net My diatribe in the Nation — the risk of a new Cold War gives us yet another good reason not to be fans of intellectual property.
(2021-02-08). It's easy to fix inequality: Tax the rich. peoplesdispatch.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…
(2021-02-08). Considering and Critiquing Universal Basic Income: Introduction. realprogressives.org This article was written by This post is part of our This week we're opening up a
(2021-02-08). Why has Australia's United Workers Union refused strike pay to locked-out Coles workers? wsws.org Falsely touted as a radical new "super" union, the UWU is another wealthy and ruthless apparatus for suppressing mounting workers' struggles.
(2021-02-07). Queen Elizabeth Lobbied Government to Hide Her 'Embarrassing' Personal Investments. sputniknews.com The true extent of Queen Elizabeth's wealth has never been made public but it is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
(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). Military Metaphors in Health Care Are Harmful — Especially During the Pandemic. truthout.org 
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to sweep through the U.S., many have noticed the coupling of military and health. There's been an ongoing conversation amongst oncologists for years about the use of war metaphors in cancer research and treatment. In fact, many public health concerns are framed in these terms — "war on drugs" or "war on poverty," for example. It's argued the use of these metaphors help make it easier for our society to better understand health. But herein lies a follow…
(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. thelancet.com Gene Bukhman and colleagues' work in The Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission is certainly important, particularly for the "world's poorest people".1 However, how the non-communicable disease and injury (NCDI) Poverty Network seeks to apply the Commission's work on NCDI poverty2 has room for additional consideration around justice and equity.
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Democrats Need to Make Good on Their Promises. thenation.com Democrats Need to Make Good on Their Promises…
(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). 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 …