Educate!
Education is the foundation of political change. In this section we provide news and analyses of current events that you won’t likely read or hear in the corporate media. Our sources are from organizations and independent media outlets free of corporate and government propaganda. We strongly encourage you to share these articles by email and social media so that together we create an echo chamber that overcomes the influence of the oligarchy. You will find large social media sharing buttons on the left side of each article when you open the article to read.
The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, has profound implications for Black women. The decision effectively removed the federal constitutional right to abortion, allowing states to set their own abortion laws. It denies women the human right of bodily autonomy, a cornerstone of self-determination.
The concept of “States Rights” emerged in debates over the balance of power in the U.S. Constitution (1787), a strong central government versus states' rights to guard against “federal overreach.”
US Healthcare Corporations Reap Profit From Human Misery
December 12, 2024
Natalia Marques, People's Dispatch.
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Assassination, Brian Thompson, Class Struggle, Corporate America, Corporate greed, health, Health Care, Health Insurance, Luigi Mangione, Medicare for all, United States
The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 has sparked a reaction that few may have suspected. The perpetrator has received an outpouring of popular support, and a profound debate on the brutality of the US for-profit healthcare system has been sparked, with many accusing healthcare corporations of reaping their profits directly from human misery.
Thompson was shot and killed while heading to an investors meeting in Midtown Manhattan on December 4. Police have arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in connection with the crime, who quickly has become a working class hero in the eyes of many in the US public, especially after his alleged manifesto revealed that he was motivated by outrage towards healthcare corporations.
Poultry Bosses Benefit From Trump’s Threats
December 12, 2024
Magaly Licolli, Labor Notes.
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Donald Trump, Intimidation, Poultry Plant, Worker Rights and Jobs
Even before he takes office, the Trump victory has given more power to poultry corporations. They’re using the political environment to intimidate workers. I’ve been organizing with poultry processing workers in Arkansas for 10 years, and I see a high risk that the (already awful) working conditions will get worse.
In some small plants, fewer than half the workers are documented. More than half are hired through a contractor who brings in undocumented people. They don’t get the same benefits, like holidays and overtime pay, and they’re paid less while enduring the same risks.
The End Of Pluralism In The Middle East
December 11, 2024
Craig Murray, Consortium News.
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Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Palestine, Syria
A truly seismic change in the Middle East has occurred. At its heart is a devil’s bargain – Turkey and the Gulf States accept the annihilation of the Palestinian nation and creation of a Greater Israel, in return for the annihilation of the Shia minorities of Syria and Lebanon and the imposition of Salafism across the Eastern Arab world.
This also spells the end for Lebanon and Syria’s Christian communities. Witness the tearing down of all Christmas decorations, the smashing of all alcohol and the forced imposition of the veil on women when the jihadists — who overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday — first took Aleppo a mere two weeks ago.
Extremist Groups Carry Out Revenge, Sectarian Killings In Syria
Extremist armed factions across Syria are carrying out executions of civilians and soldiers amid the chaos following the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's government.
Al Mayadeen reports on 10 December that a video circulating on social media shows armed militants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Al-Qaeda offshoot that took control of Damascus on Saturday, carrying out field executions of unarmed men in the village of Al-Rabia in the countryside of Latakia.
The militants referred to the men as ‘Shabiha’, a derogatory term long used to describe pro-government Syrian soldiers and civilians.
Universities Continue To Retaliate Against Staff For Gaza Protests
December 11, 2024
Claudia Gohn, Mondoweiss.
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Campus Movement, Freedom of Speech, Gaza, Higher Education, Palestine, Palestine Solidarity, Political repression, student movement
Clara C. began working at Columbia University one month after the start of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023. She was hired in the Germanic Languages Department as a Department Assistant. Like many incoming members of the Columbia community, she had high hopes for her time at the university. Seven months later, the illusion of Ivy League ambition and a rich intellectual environment vanished when she was suspended from her post, ostensibly because of her involvement in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. By early summer, she was terminated.
With Trump’s Re-Election, A Venezuela Invasion Could Be In The Cards
December 11, 2024
Alan MacLeod, MintPress News.
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Donald Trump, Military Intervention, US Imperialism, Venezuela
The re-election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States has many in Venezuela extremely concerned. From assassinations, terror campaigns, sanctions and coups, the first Trump administration tried everything short of a full-scale invasion of the country. With a cabinet full of hawks, MintPress assesses the potential for a future U.S. intervention in Venezuela.
According to insiders such as Defense Secretary Mark Esper and National Security Advisor John Bolton, Trump was one of the loudest voices in the White House pushing for military intervention in the Caribbean nation. The president said that it would be “cool” to invade, as the country was “really part of the United States.”
Wage Stagnation: The Real Threat To Social Security
December 11, 2024
Lallan Schoenstein, Black Agenda Report.
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Finance and the Economy, History, Social Security, Worker Rights and Jobs
No matter what they say about the U.S. economy, finding a job to support yourself is tough when you are starting out. Finding rewarding and meaningful work is an even greater challenge for most.
If you are that lucky, you’re preoccupied with paying off student loans and having enough money to travel or afford your own home. Thinking about a secure future after a lifetime of work might not be your greatest concern.
But listen up! In mid-November, the New York Times reported that the Social Security fund that pays retiree benefits is projected to be depleted by 2033.
Outgoing Biden Administration Approves Oil And Gas Lease In Alaska
December 11, 2024
Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch.
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Alaska, Biden administration, Oil and Gas
The approval of plans for an oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by the outgoing Biden administration on Monday will keep the door open for drilling in the pristine wildlands.
The sale, to be held on January 9, will include a smaller portion of the total land that was made available for bidding about four years ago during the Trump administration, reported The Associated Press.
“Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is all risk with no reward,” said attorney for Earthjustice Erik Grafe, who has been a leader in litigation to protect the wildlife refuge, in a press release from Earthjustice.
Israel’s Genocide Day 430: Progress Reported In Ceasefire Talks
December 10, 2024
Qassam Muaddi, Mondoweiss.
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Gaza, Genocide, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Occupation, Palestine, Syria, Yemen
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s dissolution of its commitment to the 1974 forces disengagement agreement with Syria, which ended the 1973 war between the two countries. Netanyahu made his announcement in a televised statement from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights on Sunday.
Netanyahu’s declarations came shortly after Israeli forces breached the de-militarized buffer zone between the Israeli-occupied and the Syrian-held territory in the Golan. Israeli forces invaded and took over several positions inside Syrian sovereign territory, including the summit of Mount Al-Sheikh, with no resistance according to Israeli reports.
Israel Unleashes Hell Across Syria With Over 250 Airstrikes
December 10, 2024
News Desk, The Cradle.
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Israel, Middle East, Syria, Turkey, Wars and Militarism
Israeli jets have launched well over 250 airstrikes across dozens of locations in the north, east, west, and south of Syria as of 10 December, targeting all of the country's air defense systems, military bases, and overground military assets.
Heavy airstrikes have destroyed weapons and ammo depots, factories, research facilities, and all military airfields and naval bases since extremist armed groups entered the capital, Damascus, and seized power on Sunday morning.
Israeli media described the blitzkrieg as the “most intense” bombing of Syria since the October 1973 War. Channel 12 reported that "the air force is operating on a very broad scale across Syria to destroy the remnants of the Syrian Army."
South Korea’s Impeachment Fails—What’s Next?
December 10, 2024
Ju-Hyun Park, People's Dispatch.
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Impeachment, Martial Law, New Cold War, South Korea, Yoon Seok-Yeol
South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol remains in power following a much-anticipated impeachment vote in parliament that was scuttled when the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) boycotted the measure. While a handful of PPP lawmakers ultimately broke ranks to support impeachment, a sufficient majority to pass the measure could not be reached. The impeachment vote was held days after Yoon attempted (and failed) to establish martial law in the country.
Opposition parliamentarians have vowed to continue impeachment efforts until Yoon’s tenure in office ends.
Appeals Court Upholding TikTok Ban Is A Grim Sign For Press Freedom
December 10, 2024
Ari Paul, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.
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Censorship, Legal System, Press Freedom, Tiktok
Donald Trump is just weeks away from returning to the White House, and when he gets there, it is all but assured that he will attack press freedom (FAIR.org, 11/14/24; NBC, 12/4/24).
But the will and desire to clamp down on free speech and expression isn’t just a Trumpian phenomenon. A US District Court of Appeals panel, with two Republican-appointed judges and one picked by a Democrat, has upheld a law forcing the sale of TikTok because of its alleged Chinese government control (AP, 12/6/24).
All corners of government, joined by members of both major parties, concur that national security concerns should allow the government to scrap First Amendment principles.
Syria – Winners And Losers Or Both
December 9, 2024
Moon Of Alabama.
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Israel, Syria, Turkey, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism
Syria has fallen.
It is now highly likely that the country will fall apart. Outside and inside actors will try to capture and/or control as many parts of the cadaver as each of them can.
Years of chaos and strife will follow from that.
Israel is grabbing another large amount of Syrian land. It has taken control of the Syrian city of Quneitra, along with the towns of Al-Qahtaniyah and Al-Hamidiyah in the Quneitra region. It has also advanced into the Syrian Mount Hermon and is now positioned just 30 kilometers from (and above) the Syrian capital.
It is also further demilitarizing Syria by bombing every Syria military storage site in its reach.
US, UK Consider Removing HTS From Terror Blacklist
December 9, 2024
News Desk, The Cradle.
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Al-Qaeda, Bashar al-Assad, ISIS, Syria, Terrorism, United Kingdom (UK), US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism
US officials are considering removing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the US terrorist list after the offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq (later known as ISIS) helped achieve the long-term US goal of overthrowing the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, The Washington Post reported on 9 December.
“US officials are in contact with all the groups involved in fighting in Syria, including the main group that ousted Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was once affiliated with Al-Qaeda and remains on a US terrorist list,” the newspaper wrote.