US
United States: Biden’s Big Promises
Joe Biden has entered the White House. On top of the economic crisis is a terribly mishandled pandemic caused by environmental degradation that threatens our way of life. Biden’s first 100 days will be high stakes.
US: Organizing the Fightback Under Biden: 2021 and Beyond
While tens of millions are no doubt rejoicing that Trump is leaving office, by the time Joe Biden takes his seat, daily COVID deaths could, according to one projection, exceed 5,000 per day. The pandemic will be on course to claim a half a million lives in the U.S. alone. Unemployment benefits for 13.5 million people, eviction protections, and student loan forbearance all hang in the balance and their expiration could push millions of households into poverty and trigger a “double dip” recession. Rental debt will have exceeded over $34 billion, triggering an unprecedented eviction crisis. Up to half of American families with children may have experienced hunger over the holidays.
US: Could Trump Steal the Election? How Should the Left Respond?
The best way for us to stop “grand theft election” is with millions of working people taking mass strike action, backed up by well-organized mass demonstrations in every city…
U.S. Capitalism Faces Polarisation & Revolt
Notwithstanding the fact that the election takes place in the context of the biggest economic, political and social crisis in the US in decades, or that Trump is an un- qualified disaster, Biden has promised his wealthy donors (at a fundraiser in Manhattan) that “nothing would fundamentally change” if he is elected.
National Guard in Minneapolis – Mass, Coordinated Action Needed to Win #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
Minneapolis now resembles a police state. The National Guard is occupying key points of the city with tanks and automatic weapons, including bridges and intersections which have been occupied by protestors in recent days. The Third Precinct police station is still smouldering, and the nearby 5th Police Precinct is surrounded by barbed wire and barricades. Thousands of volunteers are cleaning up the streets and most businesses remain boarded up, yet in an inspiring display of the deep solidarity that still exists, painted on top of the boards are statements of ongoing solidarity.
US: Justice for George Floyd – No Trust in Mayor Frey or Trump’s FBI
George Floyd suffocated to death with a Minneapolis Police Officer’s knee to his neck on May 25th, 2020. Video of Floyd’s murder released by the Washington Post clearly shows the police lied about Floyd resisting arrest. Murdered as someone who “looked like a suspect,” the events surrounding George Floyd’s death expose the casual yet deadly brutality of the police.
#RentStrike2020 in the US — Organising against profiteering in a pandemic
While states order workers to “stay home”, the country battles a nationwide crisis to remain housed that started far before the pandemic. One in four Americans spend more than half of their monthly income on housing to keep up with rents that have increased more than 150% on average since 2010. As a result, on April 1, only a third of U.S. tenants paid their rent — the unconscionable predicament that tens of millions of working people find themselves in after just one missed paycheck.
US: The (un)Democratic Party: Why We Need a New Working Class Party
When Trump was elected in 2016, a chorus of establishment Democrats from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama to Nancy Pelosi urged ordinary Americans to “give him a chance.” Pelosi went as far as to say she “prayed for his success.” While these political leaders were welcoming Trump into the Oval Office, hundreds of thousands of people were taking to the streets in protest of his election.
US: The “squad” endorses Bernie Sanders
October 16 was an important night for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. His performance at the fourth Democratic Party primary debate showed the continued fire behind his campaign. In a moment that has since gone viral, he defended his recent statement that “billionaires should not exist” by pointing to the unthinkable reality that three men own more wealth than the bottom half of the U.S. population.
What do Trump’s Trade and Tech Wars Mean for Global Capitalism?
The escalating U.S.-China conflict is nothing short of a major crisis for global capitalism. With negotiations having all but collapsed there seems to be no “exit ramp” from the trade war that began in July 2018. This crisis points to a prolonged and increasingly rancorous struggle with potentially serious global effects economically, politically, and even militarily.