The Paradox of Populism
Russell Rickford | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-23
For those of us who wish to see a world beyond inequality and oppression, and who believe popular movements are key to achieving it, the past decade has been dizzying. We witnessed extraordinary upsurges on the left, including the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, the Bernie Sanders campaign, the spectacular growth of…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/23/the-paradox-of-populism/

Sanders Calls on Global Movement to Tackle 'Billionaires' Greed'
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-23
In a response to a new Oxfam International report on inequality, Sen. Bernie Sanders called Tuesday for a global movement to pursue economic justice. | RELATED: | 500M People Worldwide Struggle to Find Adequate Work: Study | "We live in a world where a tiny handful of billionaires have extraordinary control over the economic and political life of t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Sanders-Calls-for-Global-Movement-to-Tackle-Billionaires-Greed-20200122-0018.html

Joe Biden's Record on Social Security Is Being Whitewashed
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-23
Here's something many Americans would be very interested to know: Is a leading candidate in the Democratic primary a liar? And since a strong majority of Americans have consistently opposed cuts to Social Security, the country's most successful anti-poverty program, Democratic voters in particular might be interested to know if a Presi…
truthdig.com/articles/joe-bidens-record-on-social-security-is-being-whitewashed/

Deal with OPEC helps Russia double its National Wealth Fund
rt.com | 2020-01-23
The agreement between Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut oil output has brought huge benefits to the entire Russian economy and its National Wealth Fund (NWF). | "The NWF rose from 4.04 trillion rubles ($65.2 bln) to 7.7 trillion rubles ($124.3 billion), so the NWF actually doubled over the year. This largely indicates that the NWF resources through the fiscal rule have come exactly from the OPEC+ deal, increasing our reserves twofold," Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told TASS on the sidelines of the World Economic Foru…
rt.com/business/478962-opec-deal-russia-reserves/

World's Super Rich Meet in Davos to Discuss the Climate Change Problem they Created
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-22
Research has shown that the people most responsible for a warming planet were disproportionately the same people attending the summit and an increasing number of observers see climate change, inequality and capitalism as bound together.
mintpressnews.com/worlds-super-wealthy-davos-discuss-climate-change-problem/264269/

The Media and the Military Mindset
Melvin Goodman | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-22
U.S. national media have been lazy in their treatment of our military–pandering to the military itself and using retired general officers with ties to the military-industrial complex as spokesmen. The United States is largely in an arms race with itself, but the media typically ignore bloated defense spending. It is past time to reinforce Martin Luther King's address to the Riverside Church in 1967 that linked chronic domestic poverty and military adventurism.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/22/the-media-and-the-military-mindset/

At Seattle MLK event the people say "Dump Trump"
Tim Wheeler | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-22
SEATTLE–A vast crowd, African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, and white marched from Garfield High School to Seattle City Hall, Monday, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and upholding his struggle against racism, poverty and militarism. A rainbow of all races, religions, women and men, Gay and straight, of all ages, the crowd marched …
peoplesworld.org/article/at-seattle-mlk-event-the-people-say-dump-trump/

23 Headlines Obscure Biden's Lies About Cutting Social Security
Joshua Cho | fair.org | 2020-01-22
Here's something many Americans would be very interested to know: Is a leading candidate in the Democratic primary a liar? And since a strong majority of Americans have consistently opposed cuts to Social Security, the country's most successful anti-poverty program, Democratic vot…
fair.org/home/23-headlines-obscure-bidens-lies-about-cutting-social-security/

At Seattle MLK event the people say "Dump Trump"
Tim Wheeler | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-22
SEATTLE–A vast crowd, African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, and white marched from Garfield High School to Seattle City Hall, Monday, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and upholding his struggle against racism, poverty and militarism. A rainbow of all races, religions, women and men, Gay and straight, of all ages, the crowd marched …
peoplesworld.org/article/at-seattle-mlk-event-the-people-say-dump-trump/

The Uber-Rich's Preferred Means of Fending Off the Masses
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-22
I'm guessing that being rich is a comfortable feeling

The Real Megxit Deal
John Davis | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-22
In a move that reflects the time-worn pathologies of powerful aristocratic families, the House of Windsor has agreed to allow the Queen's grandson, Harry, currently sixth in line to the throne, and his California-born wife, Meghan, to leave the family business (The Firm) and attempt to establish independent lives in Canada, a former colony which remains a member of the British Commonwealth. This represents their exile from the territorial, ceremonial, financial, and emotional heart of the royal family.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/22/the-real-megxit-deal/

Rising inequality affecting more than two-thirds of the globe, but it's not inevitable: new UN report
news.un.org | 2020-01-21
Inequality is growing for more than 70 per cent of the global population, exacerbating the risks of divisions and hampering economic and social development. But the rise is far from inevitable and can be tackled at a national and international level, says a flagship study released by the UN on Tuesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1055681

Even the Democrats Do Favors for the Rich
Gerald E. Scorse | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-01-21
In 2017 a Republican-controlled Congress passed a tax cut hugely tilted to corporations and the wealthy. In the waning days of 2019, the Democratic-controlled House did a kind of me-too. It pushed through a retirement bill with a provision that gives billions to those in the upper tiers. The House's gift to the well-off was …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/01/even-the-democrats-do-favors-for-the-rich/

Healthcare's a human right, not 'a privilege for the rich' UNAIDS argues at Davos
news.un.org | 2020-01-21
The UN agency devoted to ending AIDS as a public health threat is calling on top politicians and governments across the world to ensure the right to quality healthcare is upheld, and not just a privilege to be enjoyed by the wealthy.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1055711

Nearly half a billion can't find decent work, unemployment set to rise: new UN labour report
news.un.org | 2020-01-20
Around half a billion people work fewer paid hours than they would like, or are not getting enough access to paid work, shows a study published by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Monday, which also forecasts that unemployment will rise by about 2.5 million this year.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1055651

Charter Schools Have No Valid Claim to Public Property
Shawgi Tell | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-01-18
Public facilities and infrastructure are produced by the working class and people and belong to the public. They exist in order to serve the common good and to contribute to the extended reproduction of society. This collectively-produced wealth must not be handed over to competing owners of capital who are only concerned with maximizing profit …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/01/charter-schools-have-no-valid-claim-to-public-property/

We Can't Be Silent Anymore: Rev. Barber & Poor People's Campaign Push Presidential Debate on Poverty
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-16
As the final Democratic debate ahead of the Iowa caucuses took place Tuesday night in Des Moines, Iowa, more than 100 protesters gathered outside the debate venue at Drake University to demand a televised presidential debate on poverty. Led by Reverend William Barber, demonstrators carried a coffin to honor the 250,000 people who die every year from the impacts of poverty. According to the Poor People's Campaign, 140 million Americans

We Can't Be Silent Anymore: Rev. Barber & Poor People's Campaign Push Presidential Debate on Poverty
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-16
As the final Democratic debate ahead of the Iowa caucuses took place Tuesday night in Des Moines, Iowa, more than 100 protesters gathered outside the debate venue at Drake University to demand a televised presidential debate on poverty. Led by Reverend William Barber, demonstrators carried a coffin to honor the 250,000 people who die every year from the impacts of poverty. According to the Poor People's Campaign, 140 million Americans

Democrats Debate Wealth Tax, Free Public College & Student Debt Relief as Part of New Economic Plan
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-15
At Tuesday's Democratic debate, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg repeated his criticism of plans for tuition-free public college and wiping out student debt, supported by both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Activist and Truthout contributor Alexis Goldstein says the dispute highlights a philosophical split within the Democratic Party. "We essentially have a disagreement between the progressive candidates and the moderate candidates about whether or not we want to pursue a universal benefit for higher education and make it a public good, much in the way that K-12 education is treated as a public good,"
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/15/democratic_debate_higher_education_universal_programs

SPLC Statement on the Detainment of Iranians and Iranian Americans
splcenter.org | 2020-01-06
The following statement is by Southern Poverty Law Center Interim President and CEO Karen Baynes-Dunning following reports that Iranians and Iranian Americans are being detained and questioned at U.S. ports of entry:…
splcenter.org/news/2020/01/06/splc-statement-detainment-iranians-and-iranian-americans