United States
Major wildfires force tens of thousands to evacuate in Northern California
By Peter Ross, 1 October 2020
Two more rapidly growing wildfires have torn across Northern California since Sunday, in what has already been an unprecedented and devastating fire season across the US West Coast.
Bailed-out US airlines escalate attack on jobs
By Jacob Crosse, 1 October 2020
After receiving billions in grants, no-interest loans and Fed bond purchases through the bipartisan CARES Act, major US airlines and aerospace companies are moving forward with tens of thousands of layoffs.
The ultra-right background of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett
By Alan Gilman, 1 October 2020
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a protegée of arch-reactionary Antonin Scalia, would significantly shift the court in the direction of religious obscurantism and political repression.
Trump administration prepares anti-immigrant raids in Democratic Party-led “sanctuary cities” ahead of November election
By Trévon Austin, 1 October 2020
The latest maneuver in Trump’s war on immigrants cannot be separated from his effort to carry out a coup d’état and establish a presidential dictatorship.
Evasions, anti-Russian demagogy at Comey hearing before US Senate
By Patrick Martin, 1 October 2020
The former FBI director claimed dozens of times not to be aware of the details of the initial stages of the 2016 investigation into Trump and Russia.
Safety committee denounces reopening of New York City schools
Stop the spread of COVID-19! Build rank-and-file safety committees to save lives! Prepare a nationwide strike to close unsafe schools!
By the New York City Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, 1 October 2020
Hundreds of thousands of middle and high school students in New York City are being sent back to classrooms for in-person instruction today as the pandemic continues to spread throughout the school system and the city.
The deadly outcome of school reopenings:
Four US school employees and two college students killed by COVID-19 this week
By Renae Cassimeda, 1 October 2020
At least 30 school teachers and staff have died from COVID-19 since late July, when schools began to reopen en masse, sending millions back into unsafe classrooms across the US.
Massive fire at Ohio auto parts plant threatens jobs and livelihoods of workers
By Katy Kinner, 1 October 2020
Employees were able to evacuate safely but many now face uncertain employment.
Detroit City Council defies public opposition and renews facial recognition contract
By Kevin Reed, 1 October 2020
A majority of the council of nine Democrats voted to approve a two-year, $220,000 upgrade and maintenance contract with South Carolina-based DataWorks Plus.
Trump’s Operation Dictatorship: What the debate exposed
By Joseph Kishore and David North, 1 October 2020
The White House is the center of a fascistic conspiracy to overturn the Constitution and establish a presidential dictatorship.
Trump uses debate to incite fascist violence
By Joseph Kishore—SEP candidate for US president, 30 September 2020
Trump renewed his call for supporters—that is, right-wing vigilante organizations—to monitor polling places and not accept the results of the election.
Coronavirus surges across US Midwest
By Bryan Dyne, 30 September 2020
The sharpest rise in new cases is in Wisconsin, where nearly one in five of those tested for the coronavirus tests positive.
Judge orders release of recordings in Breonna Taylor grand jury proceedings
By Kevin Reed, 30 September 2020
The Kentucky Attorney General's exoneration of the police officers who shot Taylor is being exposed as part of a cover-up that began when she was killed in her apartment on March 13.
Desperation swells among millions of unemployed in the US as layoffs mount and aid dries up
By Jacob Crosse, 30 September 2020
Audits conducted within the last month in California, Wisconsin, Florida and Nevada reveal that millions of calls to unemployment agencies have gone unanswered.
“They view soldiers as expendable”: Mother speaks out on son’s suicide at Fort Hood Army base
By Chase Lawrence, 30 September 2020
Patrician Troyan explained that her son, Pfc. Logan Castello, was isolated and neglected by the Army before his tragic death at the Texas military base in late 2019.
A wave of teacher protests spark staffing shortages and school closures across the US
By Emma Arceneaux, 30 September 2020
In addition to protests and work actions, states across the US are facing severe teacher and substitute shortages.
A tale of two leaks
NYT hailed for publishing Trump’s tax returns, Assange pilloried for exposing DNC-Clinton corruption in 2016
By Oscar Grenfell, 30 September 2020
The New York Times, having led the chorus against WikiLeaks for its exposure of Clinton and the Democrats in 2016, has discovered the virtues of the fearless publication of leaked documents in the 2020 election.
New York City resumes in-person schools as COVID-19 infections continue to rise
By Alberto Escalera, 29 September 2020
The reopening of the nation’s largest school district threatens to produce a catastrophe in a city where nearly 25,000 have already succumbed to the deadly virus.
Teacher protests surge in Southern California as schools reopen
By Kimie Saito and Marc Wells, 29 September 2020
In Orange County, California, educators in at least four school districts are taking part in courageous protests against returning to work under unsafe conditions in defiance of their own unions’ recommendations.
New wildfires cause mass evacuations in California’s Napa Valley
By Rafael Azul, 29 September 2020
There are currently 27 major wildfires in California. In some areas, evacuations are barely staying ahead of the spreading flames.
US military suicides spike 20 percent in 2020
By Chase Lawrence, 29 September 2020
US Army leaders have suggested that the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic has played a part in the sharp rise in suicides this year.
Federal district judge blocks President Trump’s TikTok download ban
By Kevin Reed, 29 September 2020
A US district court judge blocked Trump’s emergency ban of the video sharing app on Sunday, saying it violates the exchange of “information and informational materials” protected by the constitution.
Jacobin magazine pleads with Biden and the Democrats to fight Trump
By Genevieve Leigh, 29 September 2020
One could hardly have a more inane analysis of American politics than that offered by Jacobin, which explains the unwillingness of the Democrats to oppose Trump’s coup plotting as the product of “learned helplessness.”
The world has reached the grim milestone of one million COVID-19 deaths
By Benjamin Mateus, 28 September 2020
With some 33 million infected out of nearly eight billion people, “herd immunity” remains a distant prospect and winter could bring conditions for a rapid resurgence of the pandemic.
Vote “No” on the Detroit Federation of Teachers contract!
Unite educators, students and parents to protect our lives against COVID-19
By the Detroit Rank-and-File Educators Safety Committee, 28 September 2020
The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) and the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) is seeking to ram through a one-year contract as part of the preparation for a return to full in-person learning.
US governors told in February that pandemic would get “much worse,” but did not alert public
By Kevin Reed, 28 September 2020
In a secret meeting, 25 US governors were told: “The coronavirus outbreak is going to get much, much worse before it gets better.”
US political warfare escalates with New York Times release of Trump tax returns
By Patrick Martin, 28 September 2020
While it is not clear whether Trump is even nominally a billionaire, he is certainly one of the great tax cheats of the 21st century.
Police respond to demonstrations across the US with vicious assaults on protesters and journalists
By Jacob Crosse, 28 September 2020
Abetted by the police, far-right Trump supporters, Proud Boys and neo-Nazis assaulted and provoked anti-police violence protesters throughout the weekend.
Michigan State University pushes forward with football amid a mass spike in COVID-19 cases
By Luke Galvin, 28 September 2020
Since August 24, there have been 1,250 cases of COVID-19 linked to the reopening of the university.
Trump’s Operation Legend prepares local police forces to suppress opposition
By Alex Findijs, 28 September 2020
Tens of millions of dollars have been provided to local police forces to hire more officers, upgrade crowd control equipment and develop surveillance operations.
Nearly 40,000 US airline workers could lose jobs on October 1
By Jerry White, 28 September 2020
The new job cuts come on top of the 100,000 temporary furloughs and forced retirements and buyouts implemented by United, American, Delta and other major US carriers.
US hits leading Chinese chip maker
By Nick Beams, 28 September 2020
The latest decision instigated by the Pentagon is aimed at crippling China’s ability to make high-tech advances.
More evidence of management spying on Amazon workers’ political activities
By Tom Carter, 28 September 2020
A whistleblower inside Amazon sent a message last week to a number of internal company listservs, warning fellow workers that the company is monitoring opposition on those forums.
PG&E shuts off power to tens of thousands as West Coast wildfires continue to rage
By Kevin Martinez, 28 September 2020
The shutoff of power on Sunday came in advance of an expected heat wave which will heighten the danger of more fires.
Is Trump preparing an “October Surprise”?
By Bill Van Auken, 28 September 2020
With the US presidential election barely five weeks away, Washington is stoking conflicts across the globe, first and foremost with China.
Washington D.C. proposes to remove the names of Jefferson, Franklin and others from public places
By Dominic Gustavo, 28 September 2020
While the mayor of the US capital prepares to delete the names of revolutionaries and abolitionists, she recently renamed a building after disgraced former mayor Marion Barry.
As Trump nominates ultra-right jurist
Biden downplays danger of election coup
By Patrick Martin, 26 September 2020
In an interview with MSNBC, the Democratic presidential nominee sought to spread complacency about Trump’s threat of dictatorship.
“State of Emergency” declared in three states as protests continue over cover-up of Breonna Taylor slaying
By Jacob Crosse, 26 September 2020
Courageous multiracial demonstrators continue to defy curfews, police rampages and vehicle assaults in cities across the US to protest the state-sanctioned murder.
Detroit students stage sickout in opposition to the district’s back-to-school plan
By Genevieve Leigh, 26 September 2020
While the demands laid out by the students are limited to immediate measures, there is no doubt that they are motivated by much broader issues.
“Everyone I work with thinks that it is absurd to put us all in harm’s way”
Tennessee parents and educators speak out against unsafe school openings
By the World Socialist Web Site Educators Newsletter, 26 September 2020
The teachers and parents often shared similar complaints about the unsafe conditions in schools and pressure to accept the reopening policies.
Pennsylvania nursing students demand refunds, financial support due to COVID policies
By Alex Johnson, 26 September 2020
Students say their calls for adequate support and transparency, quality education, reduced costs and licensing accommodations have been met with indifference and hostility from university administrators.
White House nears antitrust lawsuit against Google while advancing new censorship rules for social media
By Kevin Reed, 26 September 2020
Any antitrust action against Google by the US government, whether focused on the search or advertising aspects of the tech firm’s business, has nothing to do with stopping anti-competitive practices or protecting the rights of consumers.
US college football season set to begin early November
By Andy Thompson, 26 September 2020
After an earlier decision to postpone the season, the Pac-12 football conference has announced games will begin November 6th.
Western US wildfires point to worsening trends of global warming
By Alexa Castro, 26 September 2020
Since the beginning of 2020, California has seen approximately 3.6 million acres burn—a testament to the growing climate crisis.
After the exoneration of Breonna Taylor’s killers: The way forward in the fight against police violence
By Niles Niemuth, 26 September 2020
The ubiquity of police violence in the US, with approximately 1,000 people killed every year, is bound up with the extreme growth of social inequality and class tensions.
Lessons of the University of Michigan graduate student strike
By the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (US), 26 September 2020
Throughout the course of the strike, many students admirably asserted that their fight was not only about the health and safety of themselves, but of the community as a whole.
Metropolitan Opera announces cancellation of entire 2020–2021 season
By Fred Mazelis, 26 September 2020
Management is demanding major concessions from its musicians, who have been furloughed without pay since March.
Protests across the US against whitewash of Breonna Taylor murder met with police repression
By Jacob Crosse, 25 September 2020
Four months of largely peaceful protests against police violence have been answered with violent repression and judicial cover-ups.
Social distress mounts in the US as new weekly jobless claims rise to 870,000
By Shannon Jones, 25 September 2020
The number of active unemployment claims, 24.1 million in total, far surpasses anything seen during the Great Recession of 2008-2009.
Study finds 90 percent of Americans would make 67 percent more without last four decades of increasing income inequality
By Gabriel Black, 25 September 2020
The study from the RAND Corporation provides new data on the incredible shift of income from the bottom 90 percent of the population to the top 10 percent.
Fed officials push for new corporate stimulus package
By Nick Beams, 25 September 2020
Fed chair Jerome Powell said that while there had been some recovery, employment and overall activity remained well below pre-pandemic levels, and the future was “highly uncertain.”
Brown University study used to downplay spread of coronavirus in US schools
By Bryan Dyne, 25 September 2020
While seeking to minimize the impact of school reopenings on the spread of the virus, the study implies that some 18,600 teachers and 115,000 students have already been infected with COVID-19.
Four Texas universities report over 1,000 COVID-19 cases each
By Chase Lawrence, 25 September 2020
A surge in COVID-19 cases in Lubbock and Brazos counties coincided with the start of fall semester at Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University which are located in those respective counties.
California wildfires expose the wealth divide
By Rafael Azul, 25 September 2020
While hundreds of homes burn to the ground and essential services are cut for the working class, California’s oligarchs save their homes and preserve their lifestyles with the aid of private firefighting services.
Hollywood unions ratify return to work agreement dictated by giant corporations
By Marc Wells, 25 September 2020
After months of negotiations behind closed doors, the Hollywood unions reached a return-to-work agreement that will expose entertainment industry workers to the COVID-19 contagion as television and film production resumes.
SEIU and Illinois Nurses Association announce tentative agreements with University of Illinois at Chicago
By James Martin and Marcus Day, 25 September 2020
Simultaneously with the announcement of the deal, SEIU 73 shut down the 10-day strike by 4,000 university workers without releasing the full details of the agreement.
Why won’t the Democrats fight Trump?
By Andre Damon, 25 September 2020
The Democrats are determined to prevent the intervention of the broad mass of the population in opposition to Trump, which would challenge the interests of the financial oligarchy and the geopolitical interests of American imperialism.
Lessons from history: The 2000 elections and the new “irrepressible conflict”
By David North, 25 September 2020
This lecture was given by David North, chairman of the World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board, at a public meeting of the Socialist Equality Party of Australia on December 3, 2000 in Sydney.
Protests erupt over whitewash of police murder of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky
By Niles Niemuth, 24 September 2020
Neither of the two officers who fired the fusillade of 22 bullets that killed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor in her Louisville, Kentucky home were charged by the grand jury convened by state authorities.
Senate confirmation hearing for Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf reveals bipartisan support
By Jacob Crosse, 24 September 2020
Democratic as well as Republican senators thanked Wolf for his “service,” neglecting to question him on unconstitutional kidnappings, the mass incarceration of immigrants, and the state assassination of a Portland protester.
The Senate holds a COVID-19 hearing as US tops 200,000 COVID-19 deaths
By Benjamin Mateus, 24 September 2020
The number of individuals infected with COVID-19 is now more than 32 million globally, of which almost one million have perished.
Teachers across the US engage in sickout strikes to close schools
By Emma Arceneaux, 24 September 2020
This week, educators in South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and Wisconsin have responded to the unfolding crisis with sickouts, in some cases compelling entire school districts to suspend in-person instruction.
“We are just numbers on a spreadsheet”
Detroit students organize protest over school reopening plans
By Genevieve Leigh, 24 September 2020
Students are organizing a virtual “sick out,” where students do not log in to online learning for the entire day, to call attention to their demands.
“Lear is hell”: Workers speak out as COVID-19 outbreak at Indiana auto parts plant worsens
By Marcus Day, 24 September 2020
The WSWS recently spoke with two workers from Lear’s Hammond, Indiana, plant who had tested positive for COVID-19.
A twenty-year-old student dies from COVID-19 at California University of Pennsylvania
By Samuel Davidson, 24 September 2020
California University of Pennsylvania student Jamain Stephens Jr. died September 9 from a blood clot in his heart after he contracted COVID-19.
Las Vegas health reports detail spread of COVID-19 in casinos
By Adam Mclean, 24 September 2020
The vast majority of exposures in the Las Vegas area, where over 1,350 people have already died, occurred in casinos and resort hotels.
UK: Labour schools spokesperson confirms bi-partisan “malign neglect” policy on COVID-19
By Julie Hyland, 24 September 2020
Remarks by Labour Party education spokesperson Kate Green and the panicked response of her frontbench colleagues have underscored the policy of “malign neglect” shared by Tory and Labour alike on COVID-19.
As Creek Fire become the largest in California history, farmworkers continue to labor without protection from smoke
By Aditya Veeraiah and Evan Winters, 24 September 2020
Even though plans were announced over a month ago to distribute hundreds of thousands of N95 masks to Fresno area farmworkers, few have received these masks, which provide a high level of protection against both air pollution and COVID-19.
Further revelations about sterilizations and medical malpractice at ICE detention facility in Georgia
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 24 September 2020
The latest revelations, including the naming of the doctor who performed them, strengthens the account given in a recent whistleblower complaint, while giving lie to the US government’s dismissals.
Trump’s coup d’état election
By Joseph Kishore and David North, 24 September 2020
Trump has publicly declared that he will not transfer power peacefully if he loses the November 3 election.
Video footage exposes police shooting of 13-year-old autistic boy in Salt Lake City
By Niles Niemuth, 23 September 2020
While Linden Cameron somehow survived being shot 11 times, police in the US are still on track to kill nearly 1,000 people, a grim toll they have exacted every year since 2015.
The CDC retracts its guidance that stipulated the airborne danger of the coronavirus
By Benjamin Mateus, 23 September 2020
Though the CDC said it had erroneously published the unvetted draft, the political fallout faced by the CDC suggests it was a political maneuver to save face.
Hundreds of Kenosha, Wisconsin teachers call in sick to force schools to close
By Renae Cassimeda and Evan Blake, 23 September 2020
Starting Monday, 276 Kenosha teachers engaged in a sickout strike in opposition to increasing COVID-19 outbreaks and deadly conditions in the school district.
Trump delivers anti-China tirade to United Nations
By Bill Van Auken, 23 September 2020
The annual opening of the UN General Assembly was held under the shadow of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the growing threat of imperialist war.
Facebook plans political censorship in anticipation of “chaos” and “violence” in the 2020 US elections
By Kevin Reed, 23 September 2020
Facebook is working with “world-class military scenario planners” to prepare for civil unrest in the US and “restrict the circulation of content” during the November elections.
Democrats capitulate as Republicans secure votes to install far-right justice on Supreme Court
By Barry Grey and Jacob Crosse, 23 September 2020
For all their bluster, the Democrats were focused on preventing a plunge in the stock market by reaching a government funding deal with the Republicans before the September 30 deadline.
Massachusetts education commissioner demands “low-risk” districts resume in-person learning
By Will McCallis, 23 September 2020
The letter warns that non-compliance with the “school reopening guidance" will be met with a potential loss of state funds.
Strike by 4,000 service workers at University of Illinois at Chicago enters its second week
By Andy Thompson and Fabian Salgado, 23 September 2020
To oppose the sellout being prepared, striking hospital workers must follow the examples of auto workers and educators by forming rank-and-file committees.
Two workers killed in fire at North Carolina paper mill
By Cordell Gascoigne, 23 September 2020
Two contract workers at the Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton, North Carolina tragically died Monday in a fire of still unexplained origin during maintenance operations.
Controversy over Mulan film used to further Washington’s anti-China agenda
By Ben McGrath, 23 September 2020
US accusations of human right violations in Xinjiang are highly selective, meant to further US imperialist interests and to provide a pretext for military aggression.
Trump on coronavirus pandemic: “Virtually nobody” affected
By Joseph Kishore—SEP candidate for US President, 23 September 2020
The indifference expressed by Trump to death on a mass scale expresses not only his personal outlook but the social policy of the ruling class.
Global banking system a network of criminality
By Nick Beams, 23 September 2020
The notification of suspicious activity that banks are required to file with the US government is not a means of preventing crime, but of facilitating it.
The global campaign to reopen schools drives COVID-19 deaths past one million
By Genevieve Leigh, 22 September 2020
Underlying the reckless drive to reopen schools is a broader policy of “herd immunity” adopted by every major capitalist country around the world.
Report documents criminality and corruption at heart of global banking system
By Barry Grey, 22 September 2020
The report documents the role that major banks knowingly play in laundering trillions of dollars in dirty money from terrorist organizations, drug cartels and assorted international financial criminals.
US escalates military intervention in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 22 September 2020
The bolstering of the US force with another 100 troops, armored vehicles, and air power heightens the threat of confrontation between the world’s two biggest nuclear powers.
Trump to nominate new Supreme Court justice as early as Friday
By Jacob Crosse, 22 September 2020
Ignoring Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s pleas to wait until after the election, Trump has pledged to nominate a women by Saturday.
Louisville police chief declares “state of emergency” in advance of state’s decision on charges against policemen who killed Breonna Taylor
By Kevin Reed, 22 September 2020
Federal police agencies have been requested by U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman to provide protection for the courthouse and three other buildings in downtown Louisville in anticipation of protests this week.
Youth in the US most likely to be low-paid ‘essential’ workers
By Melody Isley, 22 September 2020
Adding insult to injury, students, many of whom who are frontline workers and therefore unable to escape exposure, are being blamed for the explosion of cases on college campuses.
Opposition mounts at the University of Michigan as COVID-19 outbreaks emerge on campus
By Jesse Thomas, 22 September 2020
The possibility that the university administration delayed the public announcement of the cases until after the strike was officially smothered cannot be discounted.
Devastation left in the wake of Hurricanes Sally and Laura along the US Gulf Coast
By J. L'Heureau, 22 September 2020
The region stretching from Texas to Florida remains locked in the crosshairs of a historically overactive hurricane season.
160 UIC staff strike
22 September 2020
“As COVID spreads, autoworkers lives are in danger!”
Fiat Chrysler worker describes rapid abandonment of safety measures after return work
By a Fiat Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly worker, 22 September 2020
A member of the FCA Jefferson North Assembly Rank and File Safety Committee describes management’s flouting of safety protocols at the factory.
The New York Times and Nikole Hannah-Jones abandon key claims of the 1619 Project
By Tom Mackaman and David North, 22 September 2020
The Times has abandoned, without any public announcement or explanation, the central thesis that 1619, not 1776, was the “true founding” of the United States.
Supreme Court fight deepens political crisis surrounding US elections
By Patrick Martin, 21 September 2020
The death of liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has created a vacancy on the highest US judicial panel that President Trump aims to fill with an ultra-right nominee.
President Trump gives preliminary approval to takeover of TikTok by Oracle and Walmart
By Kevin Reed, 21 September 2020
In an unprecedented act of imperialist piracy, the assets of Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok are being handed over to Oracle, Walmart and group of private investors.
San Diego County seeks to exclude university outbreaks to undercount coronavirus cases
By Melody Isley, 21 September 2020
As COVID-19 cases skyrocket, San Diego County supervisors are lobbying to artificially lower case numbers by excluding the recent outbreak at San Diego State University.
Strike by 4,000 University of Illinois at Chicago workers reaching critical juncture
By Jessica Goldstein, 21 September 2020
The only way for service workers and nurses at UIC and UIH to combat poverty wages and the threat of the pandemic is to take their struggle into their own hands.
Who runs the University of Illinois?
By Brian Brown and James Martin, 21 September 2020
An examination of the university's Board of Trustees shows the political forces arrayed against the nearly 5,000 nurses and university workers who have gone on strike.
SEIU calls off health care strike in Minnesota after Allina hospital system threatens legal action
By Jonas Boquist, 21 September 2020
The cancellation of the strike comes as 4,000 workers at the University of Illinois at Chicago in SEIU Local 73 remain on picket lines in Chicago, Peoria, Rockford and Urbana.
Dry weather continues to fuel historic wildfires in California, rains bring new dangers to Pacific Northwest
By Kevin Martinez, 21 September 2020
While fires continue to burn, destroying homes and displacing thousands, the Democrats and Republicans each seek to pass the blame onto each other.
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