(2021-05-07). Social unrest continues in Colombia. challenge-magazine.org Huge numbers of protestors have taken to the streets of Colombia over the last week after President Duque attempted to pass a bill that would further increase inequality in the country by making the working class pay for the covid-19-induced fiscal deficit. A general strike began on the 28th April in response to Duque's presentation of the ironically titled 'Sustainable Solidarity Bill'. The proposed bill has intensified grievances about the state of inequality in the country, with 2.8 million people having already been pushed into extreme poverty during the last year alone. The bill proposes increasing VAT on…
(2021-05-07). As pandemic continues and nearly 500,000 file for unemployment, US states seek to blackmail workers back on the job. wsws.org Unemployment payments, as opposed to dangerous, low-paid and degrading work are being blamed for difficulties reopening restaurants and other businesses even as the pandemic continues, with the US approaching 600,000 official COVID-19 deaths.
(2021-05-07). Canada Loses Over 200,000 Jobs in April, Unemployment Climbs Amid Pandemic's 'Third Wave'. sputniknews.com TORONTO (Sputnik) – The Canadian economy lost 207,000 jobs in March, raising the country's unemployment rate by 0.6 percent as the country labours through the so-called "third wave" of the coronavirus pandemic, the state statistics agency said on Friday.
(2021-05-07). Landlords cheer as federal court trashes eviction moratorium. peoplesworld.org 
Up to ten million people could soon be out on the streets if a judge's ruling trashing the federal moratorium on evictions is upheld. The ban on throwing people out of their homes was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control last September as spiraling unemployment jeopardized families' ability to pay their rent. …
(2021-05-07). Police in Brazil Kill Two Dozen in Deadliest Favela Raid in Rio's History. truthout.org 
More than 100 heavily armed Brazilian police officers stormed a sprawling Rio de Janeiro favela Thursday and killed at least two dozen people, a raid that human rights activists, researchers, and journalists described as the The hourslong operation, purportedly aimed at drug traffickers in the poverty-stricken Jacarezinho favela, ultimat…
(2021-05-07). Less-Educated Workers Were Hardest Hit in Recession. That Hasn't Changed. truthout.org 
The April employment report was considerably weaker than had generally been expected, with the economy adding just 266,000 jobs. Furthermore, the prior two months numbers were revised down by 78,000. The unemployment rate edged up to 6.1 percent, but this was entirely due to more people entering the labor force. The employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) also edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 57.9 percent. That is still 2.9 percentage points below its average for 2019. | Performance Across Sec…
(2021-05-07). Executives at Canada's Loblaws food retail giant gorge on bonuses, while condemning grocery workers to poverty wages. wsws.org The grocery store chain is making money hand over fist, yet is stridently refusing to offer any pay increases to its low-paid, largely precariously employed workforce.
(2021-05-07). Harris Urges Central America to Tackle 'Root Causes' of Migration as Mexico Accuses US of Meddling. sputniknews.com The so-called Northern Triangle of Central America, consisting of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, has been long been plagued by social unrest, poverty, violence, and corruption, partially attributable to centuries of US meddling in the region's affairs. The crisis has caused many people from these countries to flee in search of a better life.
(2021-05-07). Economy Adds Just 266,000 Jobs in April; Unemployment Edges Up to 6.1 Percent. cepr.net Unemployment due to voluntary quits remains extraordinarily low. The April employment report was considerably weaker than had generally been expected, with the economy adding just 266,000 jobs. Furthermore, the prior two months numbers were revised down by 78,000. The unemployment rate edged up to 6.1 percent, but this was entirely due to more people entering …
(2021-05-07). The real problem with Bill Gates and neoliberal optimism. nationofchange.org The progressive left needs to confront the fact that plutocratic philanthropists like Gates care much more about preserving the systems that continue to multiply their wealth.
(2021-05-07). Big Tech's Monopoly Creep. strategic-culture.org From "kill-zones" to "waterbeds," the giants of the digital marketplace have ways of making you squirm. | By Napoleon LINARTHATOS | If we manage not to descend into some kind of tech dystopia, then the generations that come after us will have the opportunity to wonder how on earth we had been duped for so long and so pathetically by a few Big Tech monopolists, how it was possible to have such a grand accumulation of power and wealth preserved by a system so bluntly corrupt in its modus operandi. Were we so transfixed by the shiny digital objects as to be oblivious to what was going on around us? Were we so kee…
(2021-05-07). Three Reasons Why The Biden Tax Increase Makes No Sense — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Daniel Lacalle* | Anyone who believes the "rich" and large corporations will pay for $28 trillion in debt or the $2 trillion in new deficit has a real problem with math. | Biden's announcement of a massive tax increase on businesses and wealthier segments of the population simply makes no sense. The tax hikes will have a significant impact on economic growth, investment, and job creation and do not even scratch the surface of the structural deficit. Even if we believe the gross domestic product growth and revenue estimates announced by the Biden administration, the impact on debt and deficit is negligible.
(2021-05-06). Massacre of protesters and economic crisis push Colombia workers to strike. peoplesworld.org 
Colombia is in the midst of another general strike, with unions saying the government has failed to listen to demands for emergency measures to deal with rising poverty and hunger. Monday night's massacre of protesters by police in the city of Cali have further enraged the democratic and people's movements in the country and garnered …
(2021-05-06). FRSO in Twin Cities celebrates May Day. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Over 50 people came together May 2 to socialize and for a short program at a local park pavilion celebrating International Workers Day. The event came on the heels of a 1000-person May Day march in Minneapolis. | Jess Sundin started out the program for FRSO, stating, "The capitalist class does nothing to justify their power over us. They literally let half a million people die of COVID this year – one of the worst death rates in the world, despite the tremendous resources to prevent that. They wanted us to say 'thank you' for a few stimulus checks, while hospital CEOs laid off health care worker…
(2021-05-06). "Monumental Moment": U.S. Backs Waiving COVID Vaccine Patent Rights After Months of Blocking Talks. democracynow.org 
The Biden administration has announced it now supports temporarily waiving the intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines, in what the World Trade Organization is calling a "monumental moment." India and South Africa first proposed the waiver in October, but the United States and other wealthy nations blocked the WTO from even opening negotiations on the proposal. Supporters say the waiver is critically needed to increase the rate of vaccine production for the Global South as COVID-19 rapidly spreads in India, Latin America and other regions where few vaccines are available. Biden's support for the waiver is…
(2021-05-06). As Zimbabwe's Workers Fight for Justice, It's Time for a Fundamental Rethink of U.S. Policy. counterpunch.org This is "no longer business as usual," declares Peter Mutasa, President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). "Unions are going to be united." According to Mutasa, the situation in the country is dire, with basic salaries at or near the poverty line and workers unable to meet basic expenses. The COVID-19 shutdowns and
(2021-05-06). Report Finds Low Wages Make Food Workers Want To Quit. popularresistance.org Following the passage of stimulus packages with aid for workers like expanded unemployment benefits, politicians and business owners have wrung their hands over a supposed worker shortage as people refuse to return to work, as they say. A new report pushes back on that narrative and shows that actually, it's more likely low wages offered by businesses that are causing workers to want to quit. | The report by One Fair Wage finds that 53 percent of restaurant workers have considered leaving their jobs during the pandemic, and 76 percent of restaurant workers cite low wages and tips as the reason for leaving the ind…
(2021-05-06). Half of Canada's population less than $200 away from insolvency as billionaires' wealth surges. wsws.org While working people have confronted widespread impoverishment, illness and death, Canada's capitalist elite has seen its wealth soar during the pandemic.
(2021-05-06). $152 Trillion. That's How Much Wealthy Countries 'Drained' From the Global South Since 1960. commondreams.org "Poor countries are developing rich countries, not the other way around." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/imf_argentina.jpg …
(2021-05-06). Sounds Like Hate Returns to Explore the Driving Forces Behind Bigotry and Hate in America. theroot.com 
The Southern Poverty Law Center prides itself on monitoring the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremists, while working in partnership with local communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. But did you know they also have a…
(2021-05-06). Japan: Leveraging Longevity And Tackling Intergenerational Inequality — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Sumio Saruyama* | Japan 'Generational accounti…
(2021-05-06). Lack of Broadband Access Advances Systemic Inequality. commondreams.org "Due to systemic inequities in education and employment, people who are Black or Latinx have lower average incomes than white people, and for many of these households, a broadband subscription—at an average rate of $68 per month—may simply be unaffordable." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/internet_1.jpg …
(2021-05-06). Impact Investing: a Ruse or a Means to Reducing Inequality? counterpunch.org As an African-American, 30-year veteran of community development and social justice struggle, my entry a few years ago into the "space" of financial dealings — even among socially responsible-oriented folks — was quite an adjustment. Pretty white; much more corporate feeling; driven by numbers (i.e. financial "performance" and "returns," albeit with an eye towards "doing
(2021-05-06). The Drone Revolution Comes to England. zcomm.org As cities and towns are faced with rising poverty, homelessness and drug addiction, the authorities respond with more social control…
(2021-05-06). Robert Reich: The Republican Rebrand, Exposed — OpEd. eurasiareview.com The Republican Party is trying to rebrand itself as the Rubbish. Republicans can spout off all the catchy slogans about blue jeans and beer they want, but actions speak louder than words. But let's look at what they're actually doing. | Did they vote for the American Rescue Plan? No. Not a single Republican in Congress voted for stimulus checks and extra unemployment benefits needed by millions of American workers. | So what have they…
(2021-05-06). Biden Proposes Progress, Republicans Scream "Socialism" cepr.net Bozeman (MT) Daily Chronicle Newsbug.info Fitchburg (MA) Sentinel & Enterprise The Lowell (MA) Sun New Castle (IN) Courier-Times Shelbyville (IN) News Wealth Creation Investing blog Gulf Today (United Arab Emirates) See article on original site Almost 70 years ago, President Eisenhower pushed bipartisan legislation that created the interstate highway system. Earlier leaders made universal access …
(2021-05-06). Whistleblower Groups Push Congress For Stronger Whistleblower Protections In AML Act. popularresistance.org On April 30, nonprofit organization the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) sent a letter to members of Congress advocating for stronger whistleblower provisions in the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Act of 2020. The letter is cosigned by the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund, Public Citizen, Government Accountability Project, Project On Government Oversight, Whistleblowers of America, and ACORN 8. | "The essence of money laundering is to hide the source of ill-gotten wealth," the letter states. "Without insider information, this multi-trillion dollar highly corrupt international business canno…