(2021-12-08). A One-Sided Narrative: U.S. Press Focuses on "Russian Aggression" While Ignoring U.S. Escalation. democracynow.org 
During a virtual summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Biden threatened to impose new economic sanctions and other measures if Russia invades Ukraine. The talks were held amid growing tension between the two countries over the expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe and Russia's deployment of tens of thousands troops along the border of Ukraine. Editorial director and publisher at The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel says the U.S. has a "one-sided narrative" of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that neglects to acknowledge its own role in escalating tensions. "This [t…
(2021-12-08). Congress Is Still Throwing Good Money After Bad Foreign Policy. fpif.org Congress is preparing to hand 65 percent of federal discretionary spending to the war machine, even as they wring their hands over a fraction of that for the Build Back Better Act.
(2021-12-08). The age of imperialism is not over—but we can end it. mronline.org 
Capitalist accumulation has always depended on cheap labor and resources extracted from the Global South. To end this violence we need a post-capitalist transition—otherwise, as climate breakdown accelerates, the ceaseless search for profit will drive us further into barbarism.
(2021-12-08). Striking Columbia Student Workers Demand Living Wage as School's Endowment Grows to $14 Billion. democracynow.org 
In the largest strike happening right now in the United States, 3,000 student workers at New York City's Columbia University are on their fifth week of strike. Today the student workers are calling on others to help them shut down the university. Striking student worker, Johannah King-Slutzky, accuses Columbia's administration of an "illegal form of retaliation" for threatening to replace the striking student workers who do not return to work by Friday. On Monday, many Columbia faculty members walked out of their classes in a show of solidarity. "Graduate student labor is the invisible labor of the university," s…
(2021-12-08). PSOE-Podemos government, Spanish trade unions agree to savage austerity. wsws.org The pseudo-left Podemos party is imposing attacks on the working class in close collaboration with the European Union.
(2021-12-08). Philippines: Boosting Private Sector Growth Can Strengthen Recovery, Create More Jobs. moderndiplomacy.eu Rebounding from a deep contraction in 2020, the Philippine economy is forecast to grow 5.3 percent this year before accelerating to an average of 5.8 percent in 2022-23 on the road to recovery, according to the Philippines Economic Update (PEU) titled Regaining Lost Ground, Revitalizing the Filipino Workforce, released today by the World Bank. Government …
(2021-12-08). A Strong Economic Case for Federal Investment in Universal Preschool. inequality.org
(2021-12-08). Detroiters decry World Economic Forum. liberationnews.org 
Speakers called the WEF's new project the "Global Center for Urban Destruction" and said Detroit was picked as host because the city is the epicenter of austerity in the United States.
(2021-12-08). AI for Human Resources Toolkit Helps Organizations Overcome Implementation Challenges. moderndiplomacy.eu The World Economic Forum published the "Human-Centred AI for Human Resources: A Toolkit for Human Resources Professionals" to scale the responsible use of artificial intelligence in Human Resources (HR). The toolkit includes a guide covering key topics and steps in the responsible use of AI-based HR tools, and two checklists — one focused on strategic …
(2021-12-08). Amid backlash World Economic Forum launches "Global Center for Urban Transformation" in Detroit. peoplesdispatch.org Protestors rallied in downtown Detroit to protest the opening of the World Economic Forum's "Global Center for Urban Transformation." The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a non-governmental lobbying group made up of political and business leaders, including representatives from major financial institutions like Goldman Sachs and the European Central Bank. In August, it
(2021-12-08). Biden threatens economic sanctions and a repositioning of NATO troops in meeting with Putin. wsws.org The meeting was preceded by threats against Russia from Biden and Germany's new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and took place amidst the drum beat of war propaganda in the American and European press.
(2021-12-08). Video: Covid-19: Economic and Social Chaos. globalresearch.ca V the Virus" is said to be responsible for the wave of bankruptcies and unemployment. That's a lie. There is no causal relationship between the (microscopic) SARS-2 virus and economic variables. | It's the powerful financiers and billionaires who are behind …
(2021-12-08). Mental Health Care Is Hard to Come By — Especially If You're Low-Income. otherwords.org During the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020, my boyfriend asked, not unkindly, if I've ever been diagnosed with anything besides generalized anxiety disorder. | I was relieved that somebody had finally asked about my mental health. | All spring and summer 2020, I kicked the ball of my fritzing brain down the field to some imaginary goal of "things" getting better in the world, or at least more stable. Plainly, that didn't happen. | And so, like many others, I went back to therapy. Or tried to. | I'm on Medicaid, and while the insurance I receive through the program is accepted by many dentists and primary…
(2021-12-08). Kamala vs. Mitt: Two Different Viewpoints of Family Planning Prefigure Different Futures for Planetary Health. independentmediainstitute.org Click here for a photo that you may use to accompany the article (captions and credits can be found in each image's description field). U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris does not have any biological children and grew up middle-class. Meanwhile, Utah Senator Mitt Romney, a Mormon with five kids, was born into wealth and has …
(2021-12-08). $18 Minimum Wage May Soon Be on the Ballot in California. zcomm.org "If you work full time, you should be able to live with full financial security, and that's not the case in California"
(2021-12-08). A new turn in China's Evergrande crisis. wsws.org A restructuring process has begun after the debt-ridden property developer announced it feared it could not meet a $260 million financial obligation.
(2021-12-08). Opposition remains high to sellout contract as voting begins for 52,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers. wsws.org Workers are voting through Wednesday night on a contract which contains wage increases below inflation, no solution to understaffing and which commits the union to helping management further cut costs.
(2021-12-08). Watch "Marx is Back", Episode 1: Bourgeois and Proletarians. mronline.org 
"Marx is Back" a mini-series about the Communist Manifesto is now on youtube. Subtitles available.
(2021-12-08). Kellogg's strikers overwhelmingly reject sellout contract, company moves to hire permanent replacements. wsws.org The 1,400 workers at four Kellogg's plants across the US have been on strike for more than two months and have voted "overwhelmingly" against a tentative agreement containing major concessions to management over two-tiered wages.
(2021-12-08). How Much Money Does it Take to Manipulate The Bitcoin Price 1%? How Thin Liquidity Is Exploited. moguldom.com It takes inflows of only $93 million to move the Bitcoin price by one percent, according to the Bank of America. Bitcoin is twice as volatile as gold per dollar in-flows despite the asset existing for nearly a dozen years, with Bitcoin's nearly $ 1.1 trillion market cap equating to roughly 10 percent of golds. …
(2021-12-08). Russian-Vietnamese Relations and the Joint Fight Against the Pandemic. journal-neo.org 
The history of relations between Russia and Vietnam goes back to Soviet times when the USSR supported the Vietnamese communists in their war for creating their state, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV). After that, the Soviet Union became a major partner of the SRV for many years. The common ideology, joint opposition to the …
(2021-12-08). The COVID-19 pandemic, the return of the class struggle and the tasks of the Socialist Equality Party in Germany. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party, the German section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, held its party congress November 19—22. We publish here the resolution unanimously adopted by the delegates.
(2021-12-07). The real reason for US aggression against China (opinion). newatlas.report 
December 7, 2021 (Angelo Giuliano — DotDotNews) — In 1945, the world woke up to a new reality, a new world order. The US had escaped World War II unscathed while Europe and Asia were completely destroyed. Throughout the war the US developed a massive industrial base to supply the war effort and its share of …
(2021-12-07). Watchdogs Urge DOJ to Investigate Legality of Facebook's Cryptocurrency Venture. truthout.org 
Financial industry watchdogs are asking federal officials to attempt to stop the cryptocurrency pilot program launched by Facebook, noting that the U.S. government has the power to criminally prosecute executives for operating the venture. | The Open Markets Institute sent a letter on
(2021-12-07). LA Art and Music Festival Benefiting Mutual Aid Project A Success Despite Threats from Far-Right and Police. itsgoingdown.org Report on successful anarchist art and music festival in the so-called Los Angeles area. To support the Autonomous Anarchist Revolutionary Front's ongoing mutual aid project, go here. In October, the Autonomous Anarchist Revolutionary Front (AARF) reached out to LA Crust Printing (who is known to help mutual aid groups raise funds) for collaboration on an…
(2021-12-07). Eritrea Versus AFRICOM: Defending Sovereignty From Imperialist Aggression. popularresistance.org The U.S. has built military-to-military relations with 53 out of the 54 African countries that include agreements to cede operational command to AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command. The broad network of AFRICOM military bases, as well as those from France and other world powers, are examples of how African states are surrendering their sovereignty through neocolonial relationships with Western countries. African self-determination and national sovereignty are impossible as long as the U.S. and its European allies are allowed to use military power to control African land, labor, and resources. As Netfa Freeman pointe…
(2021-12-07). Kellogg's Union Workers Reject New Contract. popularresistance.org Hundreds of striking union workers at four Kellogg's cereal plants in the US have overwhelmingly voted to reject a tentative agreement on a five-year contract negotiated between the union and the company, extending a strike that started in early October. | Roughly 1,400 members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union "have spoken", union president Anthony Shelton said in a statement on 7 December. "The strike continues." | The union is "grateful for the outpouring of fraternal support we received from across the labor movement for our striking members at Kellogg's," he…
(2021-12-07). Labor Party enforcing Australian ruling elite's criminal response to Omicron variant. wsws.org Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared: "We will not be pursuing an Omicron zero here… It might already be here."
(2021-12-07). Australian Labor Party leader makes pro-business election pitch. wsws.org With the Liberal-National government disintegrating, Albanese presented Labor and the unions as the force that could best enforce the requirements of the Australian capitalist class.
(2021-12-07). Sit-down strikes revolutionized the labor movement — could it happen again? zcomm.org At the height of American labor, seizing control of the means of production was a strategy — not just a slogan…
(2021-12-07). 5 Reasons Why Some Say Neoliberalism Is At The Root of America's Problems. moguldom.com To many, the U.S. seems in chaos. The economy is spiraling out of control, and inflation keeps rising. Race relations have been strained to the breaking point, and the atmosphere is just tense. So why now? "The current state of chaos and confusion is because the "policies of the past have failed," said Felicia Wong …
(2021-12-07). Blue Economy and the opening of new horizons in Bangladesh. moderndiplomacy.eu The sea is called the lungs of the earth. The land beneath the sea is a world full of diversity and abundance of life. Professor Gunter Pauli, an Australian citizen, gave the first idea of the huge economic potential. In 2010, at the invitation of the United Nations, the idea of formulating an environmentally friendly …
(2021-12-07). Nicaragua's Evidence-Based Democracy Threatens US Oppression. popularresistance.org Despite Washington's best effort to derail Nicaragua's electoral process through hybrid warfare, strong voter turnout resulted in a decisive victory by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), and the reelection of President Daniel Ortega with 75.92% of the votes cast. Nicaragua's non-partisan, independent Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) reported on Monday, November 8th that 65.23% of 4.4 million eligible voters (16 years and older) participated in Sunday's election. Supporters attribute the FSLN's success to its ability to ensure peace and achieve socioeconomic & political objectives that strengthen…
(2021-12-07). Trade unions in Turkey call for demonstrations demanding revision in minimum wage. peoplesdispatch.org The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey has said that the current national minimum wage is not sufficient for workers to meet their basic needs amid rising prices and an economic crisis intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic…
(2021-12-07). Putin Stresses Broadening Economic Cooperation With African States. moderndiplomacy.eu Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated some aspects of Russia's foreign policy agenda when he received letters of credence from 20 foreign ambassadors, including seven from Africa, who had arrived in the country to begin their duty tour. The seven new African ambassadors are from Republics of Angola, Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Mauritania and Somalia. …
(2021-12-07). Education Must Come First in Cameroon: Yasmine Sherif calls for an end to attacks on schools. moderndiplomacy.eu The future of humanity hangs in the balance. Acute threats of conflict, COVID-19, climate change, poverty, displacement, hunger and other factors are pushing millions more people — with children the most vulnerable and hardest hit — to the edge in humanitarian crises around the world. We can save humanity from these vast interconnected crises, including …
(2021-12-07). As World Confronts Omicron Variant, Top 8 Pfizer & Moderna Investors Make $10 Billion in a Week. democracynow.org 
The eight top Pfizer and Moderna shareholders made over $10 billion last week when their stock holdings skyrocketed after the discovery of the new Omicron variant. This comes as global public health advocates warn the world will keep seeing more coronavirus variants unless wealthy nations and vaccine manufacturers do more to address vaccine inequity. "The companies that make the most are doing the least to share their technology," says Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now U.K., which is documenting Big Pharma's profits. "The priority is making enormous amounts of money for some of the richest people in th…
(2021-12-07). Richest 1% Took 38% of New Global Wealth Since 1995. The Bottom Half Got Just 2%. scheerpost.com 
By Jake Johnson / Common Dreams In the nearly three decades since 1995, members of the global 1% have captured 38% of all new wealth while the poorest half of humanity has benefited from just 2%, a finding that spotlights the stark and worsening gulf between the very rich and everyone else. That's according to the …
(2021-12-07). PREVIEW: What to Look for in the November Consumer Price Index. cepr.net The argument that the rise in the inflation rate we have seen this year will be transitory depends largely on the belief that the price increases in cars and many other durable goods will be reversed in the months ahead.
(2021-12-07). Report Back from Disruption of Heartland Alliance's Holiday Brunch. itsgoingdown.org 
Report back on recent mobilization and disruption of the Heartland Alliance, a non-profit which imprisons migrant children in so-called Chicago. For a deeper dive, go here. On Sunday, December 5 at 10 AM, demonstrators gathered outside the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Chicago to confront donors arriving at Heartland Health's annual holiday brunch. While Heartland…
(2021-12-07). New Campaign Launched For Colonial Slavemaster Scotland to Pay Reparations For Her Crimes, Slavery. moguldom.com Some Caribbean islands want Scotland to pay slavery reparations. And a former Scottish National Party (SNP) adviser has backed calls for the country to pay reparations to the Caribbean islands for the damage inflicted during the years of the slave trade. Scotland profited from the enslaved workers in the Caribbean and took the money back …
(2021-12-07). Unorthodox Covid Views and Medical Regulation — Richard Smith. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
White v General Medical Council [2021] EWHC 3286 (Admin) (03 December 2021) A case in which the High Court reminds the regulator of requirements for imposing curbs on free speech. Dr Samuel White is a GP. Earlier this year he posted a seven minute video on Instagram explaining that he had resigned from his job …
(2021-12-07). NSW teachers strike, rally against staff shortages. greenleft.org.au Tens of thousands of teachers went on strike across New South Wales against staff shortages and for sustainable workloads and better wages. Jim McIlroy reports.
(2021-12-07). Stalinist Communist Party of the Philippines supports right-wing Robredo campaign. wsws.org The CPP has never in its fifty-year history mounted an independent political campaign. Election cycles are opportunities to strike an alliance with a faction of the ruling elite.