Americas
Workers Struggles: The Americas
13 May 2014
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
6 May 2014
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Venezuela arrests 30 more military officers in coup plot
By Bill Van Auken, 17 April 2014
The report of the arrest came as the Maduro government continued its talks with the right-wing opposition.
Impact of fire in Valparaiso, Chile, fueled by poverty, inequality
By Rafael Azul, 17 April 2014
The conditions of life to which people have been reduced on the hills of Valparaiso were a key factor in producing a “perfect conflagration.”
Venezuela’s Maduro charges US with fomenting Ukraine-style coup
By Bill Van Auken, 10 April 2014
The indictment of Washington’s role in recent upheavals came as the government sought an accommodation with its right-wing opposition.
Artistic resistance to the US-backed juntas
Losing the Human Form: A seismic image of the 1980s in Latin America
By Armando Cruz, 10 April 2014
The exhibition, presented in Madrid in 2012 and recently in Lima, Peru, is a fascinating compilation of works from the 1980s that voiced opposition to the militarized regimes in Latin America.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
8 April 2014
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
1 April 2014
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
11 March 2014
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
4 March 2014
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
25 February 2014
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature
NSA spying poses “direct threat to journalism,” watchdog group warns
By Kate Randall, 14 February 2014
The Committee to Protect Journalists is warning that the spy agency’s dragnet of communications data threatens to make it “next to impossible for journalists to keep sources confidential.”
The Workers Inquiry into the bankruptcy of Detroit
By <em>World Socialist Web Site</em> Editorial Board, 14 February 2014
On Saturday, the Socialist Equality Party in the US is holding an Inquiry to reveal the social and political roots of the Detroit bankruptcy and provide workers with the information they need to fight back.
Clashes in Venezuela leave three dead
By Bill Van Auken, 14 February 2014
Clashes between demonstrators and security forces left at least three people dead in Venezuela amid sharpening social and economic tensions.
More than 100,000 gallons released in West Virginia coal slurry spill
By Clement Daly, 14 February 2014
More than 100,000 gallons of coal slurry—a toxic liquid mixture of cleaning chemicals and coal refuse—contaminated about six miles of a stream in Kanawha County.
Interview with director of homeless shelter in Long Beach
California’s homeless: Casualties of class warfare
By our correspondents, 14 February 2014
WSWS reporters recently visited a Long Beach, California homeless shelter.
Obama White House targeting American for drone murder
By Bill Van Auken, 11 February 2014
The aim of the AP report is to lend a veneer of "transparency" and legality to a conspiratorial and unconstitutional program of state murder.
Mass unemployment in America
By Andre Damon, 11 February 2014
Speaking Friday in advance of signing a bill slashing $8.7 billion from the food stamp program, President Obama hailed the dismal jobs report for January.
US Supreme Court justice declares mass internment inevitable
By Tom Carter, 11 February 2014
Referring to America’s mass internment of people of Japanese ancestry during the Second World War, current Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia declared, “You are kidding yourself if you think the same thing will not happen again.”
Two Brooklyn men freed after 21 years in prison for wrongful murder conviction
By Kate Randall, 11 February 2014
A record 87 exonerations were recorded in the United States in 2013.
Workers Struggles: the Americas
11 February 2014
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
14 January 2014
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature
Secret minutes of Argentine military junta found
By César Uco, 23 November 2013
On November 1, Argentina’s defense minister, Agustin Rossi, announced the discovery of 1,500 documents including 280 sets of secret minutes of the brutal military dictatorship that ruled the country for six years.
Workers Struggles, the Americas
19 November 2013
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
22 October 2013
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
10 September 2013
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Workers Struggles: The Americas
27 August 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
6 August 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Workers Struggles, the Americas
25 June 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
18 June 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Snowden defends actions as Obama administration pushes for prosecution of whistleblower
By Thomas Gaist, 14 June 2013
FBI director Robert Mueller pledged to take “all necessary steps” to go after Snowden, as the former intelligence employee said from Hong Kong: “I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality.”
FEMA refuses disaster relief to West, Texas
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 June 2013
The federal government has refused to provide additional money to help rebuild the small Texas town of West, where a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people in April.
Deadly chemical plant explosion in Louisiana
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 June 2013
On Thursday an explosion and fire at a chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, killed at least one person and injured at least 73 others.
Philadelphia inspector involved in building collapse commits suicide
By Nick Barrickman, 14 June 2013
On Wednesday night the body of Philadelphia building inspector Ronald Wagenhoffer was found with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Who are Detroit’s creditors?
By Nancy Hanover, 14 June 2013
As Detroit’s emergency manager prepares to release his plan for reorganizing the poorest large city in America, the media is demanding that the population of Detroit pay.
What Edward Snowden has revealed
By Joseph Kishore, 11 June 2013
The World Socialist Web Site calls on workers around the world to come to the defense of Edward Snowden, who is the subject of a ferocious assault by the American state.
Obama administration initiates criminal prosecution of NSA whistleblower
By Thomas Gaist, 11 June 2013
Representatives of the US establishment demanded swift action to punish the man responsible for leaks detailing the government’s massive surveillance program.
Media silent on the state killing of Boston bombing witness
By Tom Carter, 11 June 2013
The ubiquitous silence from the political establishment and the media amounts to an acknowledgement that Todashev was terminated by the state.
Reject the USW sellout in South Milwaukee! For an independent struggle by the working class!
By the Socialist Equality Party, 11 June 2013
The Socialist Equality Party is distributing the following statement to South Milwaukee Caterpillar workers urging them to reject the sellout deal being pushed by the United Steelworkers.
Philadelphia schools to lay off nearly 4,000 teachers
By Nick Barrickman, 11 June 2013
The “doomsday” budget passed last month will devastate the Philadelphia public school system.
SEP mayoral candidate speaks at two Detroit election forums
By Bryan Dyne, 11 June 2013
D’Artagnan Collier, the Socialist Equality Party’s candidate for Detroit Mayor, spoke at candidate forums Friday and Saturday, calling for a mass movement of the working class to oppose the financial manager.
SEC rules that Harrisburg misled investors
By Douglas Lyons, 11 June 2013
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sided with bondholders against the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
California’s San Onofre nuclear plant to shut down permanently
By Richard Vargas, 11 June 2013
The plant has been inoperative for more than a year due to radioactive steam leakage.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
11 June 2013
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Nashville Symphony threatened by foreclosure
By Fred Mazelis, 11 June 2013
The Nashville Symphony Orchestra is the latest prominent US musical institution to face the threat of dissolution, as its biggest creditor, the Bank of America, has begun foreclosure proceedings.
Obama reshuffles national security staff
By Alex Lantier, 6 June 2013
Obama announced Wednesday that his national security advisor, Thomas Donilon, will be replaced by the current US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice.
Bradley Manning’s supervisors testify in third day of court martial
By Naomi Spencer, 6 June 2013
The government is determined to connect Manning to Al Qaeda, arguing that because the WikiLeaks web site is publicly available to anyone, Manning must have intended to “aid the enemy.”
Worker dies from extreme heat at Georgia auto parts plant
By Kristina Betinis and Jerry White, 6 June 2013
Teresa Pickard, a 42-year-old Sewon auto parts worker, died May 29 after working on a weld line in the LaGrange plant.
Wall Street embraces Humala’s “left” government in Peru
By Armando Cruz, 6 June 2013
Measures carried out by Humala, who won the presidency in 2011 promising to battle “neo-liberalism,” have placed him to the right of his predecessors.
Hamtramck latest Michigan city declared in “financial emergency”
By Bryan Dyne, 6 June 2013
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder took the first step in installing an emergency manager for Hamtramck, the small enclave surrounded by Detroit.
Canada: Growing evidence Conservatives illegally suppressed vote in 2011 federal election
By Carl Bronski, 6 June 2013
A Federal Court judge has found that a nationwide voter suppression campaign was initiated from the Conservative Party’s central database during the 2011 federal election.
Unemployment, lack of education lead to higher US mortality rate
By Jake Dean, 6 June 2013
A new report finds that unemployment is one of the leading factors behind the growing gap in mortality rates between educated and non-educated white women in America.
US: Kansas legislature passes budget slashing education
By Matt Sloan, 6 June 2013
Among other measures, the budget will gouge the state’s universities, colleges, and community colleges of tens of millions of dollars.
US Supreme Court allows police to take DNA samples of arrestees
By Joseph Kishore, 4 June 2013
The US Supreme Court decision is a major attack on the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Bradley Manning’s court martial begins
By Naomi Spencer, 4 June 2013
After 1,100 days in prison, Army private Bradley Manning faced a military court martial Monday. Day one of the trial was characterized by government secrecy, vindictiveness, and lies.
School district of Philadelphia passes “doomsday” austerity budget
By Nick Barrickman, 4 June 2013
Under a plan approved May 30, Philadelphia schools will be deprived of many needed essentials, including learning programs, supplies and staff.
Connecticut legislature nears passage of austerity budget
By Dorian Griscom, 4 June 2013
Connecticut’s Democratic governor and state legislature are in the final stages of drafting a state budget that will cut nearly $2 billion in social spending over the next two years.
Patriot Coal bankruptcy approved, thousands of retirees to lose health care
By Clement Daly, 4 June 2013
Patriot Coal has been granted permission to tear up its collective bargaining agreements with the United Mine Workers and escape its obligations to provide health care to its retirees.
Detroit emergency manager threatens sale of all cultural treasures
By Bryan Dyne, 4 June 2013
In line with his earlier appraisal of the value of the works at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Kevyn Orr is now determining whether the city should sell off every other public asset.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
4 June 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
US banks post record profits in first quarter
By Nick Barrickman, 30 May 2013
US banks posted a record $40.3 billion in the first quarter of 2013, according to a report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Guatemalan high court upholds overturning of Rios Montt conviction
By Bill Van Auken, 30 May 2013
Guatemala’s Constitutional Court Tuesday upheld its decision to throw out the conviction of ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Nine of Louisiana’s ten public hospitals to be privatized
By E.P. Bannon, 30 May 2013
In a state with one of the highest poverty rates in the country, the privatizations of public hospitals will have disastrous consequences for the poor and uninsured.
US officials cover up evidence of radioactive leak in Washington
By J. E. Noeli and Hector Cordon, 30 May 2013
The US Department of Energy and a private contractor managing waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation suppressed evidence of radioactive leakage for a year.
Victimized Illinois teacher denounces attack on education in YouTube video
By Jake Dean, 28 May 2013
Ellie Rubenstein, a teacher from Highland Park, Illinois, submitted her resignation in a speech on YouTube last week.
California: Police confiscate cellphones of witnesses after beating man to death
By Tom Carter, 28 May 2013
Nine police officers beat an unarmed man to death in Bakersfield, California, and then demanded that eyewitnesses turn over cellphones they had used to record the beating.
Toronto elite seeking to jettison right-wing populist mayor
By Dylan Lubao, 28 May 2013
Toronto’s big business elite has turned on Rob Ford—the city’s right-wing populist mayor and their designated hatchet man in imposing social spending cuts and concessionary contracts on city workers.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
28 May 2013
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More revelations of Justice Department crackdown on the press
By Ed Hightower, 24 May 2013
The Obama administration’s investigation into a leak to James Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent of Fox News, extends well beyond what was originally thought.
“I tell my people…we can never make enough profit”
Caterpillar CEO defends wage-cutting
By Niles Williamson, 24 May 2013
Explaining why he is seeking to impose wage cuts of up to 50 percent, Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman explained that his corporation could never make enough profits.
US housing distress deepens for renters
By Debra Watson, 24 May 2013
Today more than half of all renter households pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing, double the rate in 1960 when one in four renters were considered cost-burdened.
Los Angeles: Newly-elected mayor promises more cuts and privatization
By Dan Conway, 24 May 2013
The election was most notable for its extremely low turnout, with only 19 percent of registered voters taking part.
SEP campaigners oppose Detroit home evictions
By a campaign team, 24 May 2013
Supporters of Socialist Equality Party Detroit mayoral candidate D’Artagnan Collier spoke this week to residents facing eviction at the Henry Street apartments.
Devastating tornado kills dozens in Oklahoma City
By Niles Williamson, 21 May 2013
On Monday afternoon, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, leaving a mile-wide swath of devastation.
Washington’s hacking charges escalate pressure on China
By Alex Lantier, 21 May 2013
The New York Times on Monday published a front-page article reiterating unsubstantiated allegations that the Chinese military is carrying out cyberwarfare against US corporations.
New revelations of US government spying on the press
By Ed Hightower, 21 May 2013
The FBI followed and obtained emails from Fox News chief Washington correspondent James Rosen as part of an investigation of a 2009 leak of information from the State Department.
Employers to offer bare-bones coverage under health care law
By Kate Randall, 21 May 2013
US employers will be able to avoid penalties under the Obama-backed health care legislation, while offering token plans to their workforces.
Hedge funds eye Detroit for “hostile takeover”
By Zac Corrigan, 21 May 2013
Detroit’s $8.6 billion in junk bond debt is being eyed by hedge funds eager to play their part in the looting of the city.
Obama to college graduates: “No room for excuses”
By Andre Damon, 21 May 2013
US President Barack Obama used his commencement speech at Morehouse College on Sunday to insist that if young people are poor or unemployed, it’s their own fault.
The crisis of Venezuela’s “Bolivarian” revolution and the political independence of the working class
By Bill Van Auken, 21 May 2013
Venezuelan workers can rely only on their own independent strength to defend social gains won over the past period and defeat the threat of a right-wing coup.
Guatemala’s high court overturns dictator Rios Montt’s genocide conviction
By Rafael Azul, 21 May 2013
Guatemala’s Constitutional Court has overturned former dictator José Efraín Rios Montt’s 80-year sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity.
House hearing whitewashes US government seizure of AP phone records
By Barry Grey, 16 May 2013
A House committee that heard testimony from Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday initiated a bipartisan whitewash of the virtually unprecedented assault on press freedom carried out by the Obama administration.
US Defense Department to furlough 650,000 civilian workers
By Naomi Spencer, 16 May 2013
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday announced plans to impose 11 days of unpaid leave for most of the Pentagon’s 800,000 civilian employees beginning in July.
Union seeks sellout deal at South Milwaukee Caterpillar plant
By Niles Williamson, 16 May 2013
A week after the collapse of negotiations between Caterpillar and the United Steelworkers in South Milwaukee, the union is determined to push through a concessions contract.
Schools in Buena Vista, Michigan may reopen after board approves cuts
By Shannon Jones, 16 May 2013
The state of Michigan restored funding to the district after the school board agreed to a drastic deficit reduction plan.
Detroit’s emergency manager outlines slash and burn “restructuring” plan
By Jerry White, 14 May 2013
Kevyn Orr released a report on Monday, outlining a “comprehensive restructuring plan” for the city involving savage cuts to city workers’ jobs, wages and pensions and the elimination of services to a large section of the population.
Mother’s Day shooting in New Orleans injures 19 people
By Fred Mazelis, 14 May 2013
Eight years after Hurricane Katrina, poor and working class sections of the city remain devastated by unemployment and poverty.
Pontiac, Michigan school crisis provokes outcry from parents, teachers
By a WSWS reporting team, 14 May 2013
The district has agreed to massive budget cuts as a condition for receiving state aid.
Philadelphia mayor threatens elimination of school programs, staff
By Nick Barrickman, 14 May 2013
City officials have seized upon the school system’s $300 million budget deficit to demand further cutbacks in education.
Twenty-four dead in Mexican truck explosion
By Rafael Azul, 14 May 2013
A tanker truck carrying pressurized LP gas careened off a highway near Mexico City killing 24 people.
Congressional hearing confirms
FBI, Homeland Security withheld information on Boston bombing suspects from local, state police
By Barry Grey, 11 May 2013
The Boston police commissioner and a top Massachusetts Homeland Security official told Congress Thursday that the local and state police were never informed by the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security of multiple warnings about Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Ontario: NDP preparing to support another Liberal austerity budget
By Keith Jones, 11 May 2013
With strong backing from the trade unions, the New Democratic Party is again preparing to enable Ontario’s minority Liberal government to impose a big business austerity budget.
Video: Detroit tenants denounce mass evictions
By Jerome White and James Brewer, 11 May 2013
Hundreds of low-income Detroit residents are being forced from their homes as part of a plan by Detroit officials to gentrify the downtown area.
Unions, ministers organize protest in Detroit over fast-food worker pay
By Shannon Jones, 11 May 2013
The Detroit protests held Friday at locations across the city shut down several fast-food restaurants.
Massachusetts high school student charged as terrorist for Facebook post
By Tom Carter, 11 May 2013
In a prosecution that has all the hallmarks of a calculated test case, teenager Cameron D’Ambrosio faces up to 20 years in prison on “terror” charges for making reference to the Boston Marathon bombings in a Facebook post.
Seattle transit agency proposes deep cuts in service
By Angelo Bosworth, 11 May 2013
Seattle’s Metro Transit plans to slash service by one third to address a $75 million funding shortfall.
Obama warns against “cynicism” at Ohio State commencement address
By Andre Damon, 7 May 2013
The US president, whose tenure in office has underscored the corporate control of both political parties, counseled students not to be “cynical” about government.
US preexisting conditions health plan closed for enrollment
By Kate Randall, 7 May 2013
An estimated 40,000 people with serious medical conditions will be turned away from a federal insurance plan that is running out of funds.
Guatemala imposes state of siege against mine protests
By Bill Van Auken, 7 May 2013
The Guatemalan government has imposed a 30-day state of siege to repress protests against a Canadian-owned mining operation.
Obama education secretary, Michigan governor promote school “reform”
By Jerry White, 7 May 2013
Obama administration Education Secretary Arne Duncan joined Michigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder on Monday to promote the attack on teachers and public education.
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