United States
America’s torturers and their co-conspirators must be prosecuted
By Tom Carter, 9 December 2019
Five years after the release of the Senate report on CIA torture, the gruesome drawings contained in the Seton Hall Law School paper on “How America Tortures” are a powerful indictment of the entire US political establishment.
Democrats, White House position themselves for impeachment vote
By Patrick Martin, 9 December 2019
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote articles of impeachment against Trump this week.
“All you have given us is a slap in the face”
Fiat Chrysler autoworkers denounce UAW sellout at informational meetings
By Tim Rivers and K. Nahsir, 9 December 2019
The United Auto Workers is attempting to pull a fast one on autoworkers by moving to ram through the thousand-page contract less than a week before voting began.
Wisconsin Democrats double down on Foxconn con job
By Jacob Crosse, 9 December 2019
Despite campaigning in 2018 against the largest state subsidy in US history, Governor Tony Evers has bent over backwards to accommodate the multibillion dollar company at the expense of the working class.
Worker injured in New Orleans hotel collapse deported by ICE
By Aaron Murch, 9 December 2019
Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma had been called a “crucial witness” to the mismanagement that caused the collapse which killed three workers in October.
100 Northern Virginia transit strike
9 December 2019
United Teachers Los Angeles and National Nurses Union back Democratic candidate
Union sellouts endorse the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign
By Dan Conway and Matt Rigel, 7 December 2019
The United Teachers Los Angeles and the National Nurses Union have both endorsed Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Video exposes US Custom and Border Protection’s lies in death of teenage immigrant
By Adam Mclean, 7 December 2019
The gross and criminal negligence shown in the video is not an accident, but is in line with the anti-immigrant policy of the Trump administration.
GM sends termination notices to 48 TPT workers in Indiana less than two months after UAW signs concessions contract
By Jessica Goldstein, 7 December 2019
The contract makes clear that the so-called “pathway” to regular employment in the contract highlights touted by the UAW is a fraud.
Saudi airman kills four at US Naval Base in Florida
By Bill Van Auken, 7 December 2019
The mass shooting at the base in Pensacola was the second such incident at a US Navy facility in the space of barely 48 hours.
Uranium contaminated site collapsed into the Detroit River during the Thanksgiving holiday
By Kevin Reed, 7 December 2019
The public was not alerted to the existence of the toxic spill potentially affecting Detroit’s drinking water until a report was published this week by a local paper across the river in Windsor, Ontario.
Harvard University retaliates against striking graduate students
By Kate Randall, 7 December 2019
Several academic departments have informed graduate student teaching staff that they are responsible for reporting whether they are working, and that those who are striking should not expect to be paid.
Northern Virginia transit worker strike spreads as 600 Fairfax Connector workers join 130 Metrobus workers on strike against Transdev
By Harvey Simpkins, 7 December 2019
The ATU is seeking to limit the Fairfax Connector strike as much as possible, stating that the strike is over “unfair labor practices” and “bad faith bargaining” committed by the Company. It has offered no official demands.
South Florida UPS driver, motorist killed in reckless police shootout in rush hour traffic
By Matthew Taylor, 7 December 2019
At least nineteen police officers fire 200 rounds into a UPS delivery truck which had been hijacked after a jewelry store heist, killing the driver, the two carjackers and an nearby motorist.
US farmer suicides on the rise as Trump’s trade war, extreme weather hit hard
By Anthony Bertolt, 7 December 2019
Farm debt in the US stands at a combined $416 billion, which is an all-time high, and more than half of all farmers have lost money every year since 2013.
Vote “no” on the FCA contract! Form rank and file committees to oppose UAW sellout!
By the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter, 7 December 2019
The United Auto Workers is seeking to ram through a sellout contract at Fiat Chrysler which will lay the basis for the expanded use of temporary workers, further attacks on health care and integrate the union even more closely with corporate management.
999 MTA cuts deal to avoid strike
7 December 2019
999 Workers on the 1619 Project
7 December 2019
Trump administration food stamp cuts spell hunger and destitution for millions
By Kate Randall, 6 December 2019
The Trump Administration announced Wednesday a rule change that will deprive nearly 700,000 people of benefits from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, increasing hunger for countless families.
Pelosi announces Democrats to begin drafting impeachment charges against Trump
By Patrick Martin, 6 December 2019
The House Speaker announced Thursday plans to draw up articles of impeachment for President Trump.
US prepares to deploy thousands more troops against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 6 December 2019
While the Pentagon denied a report that 14,000 more troops are being sent to the Persian Gulf, it made clear that a major escalation is under discussion.
Seton Hall Law School report exposes new details of CIA torture program
By Kevin Reed, 6 December 2019
The report reveals for the first time—with drawings and notes provided by CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah—details of the “enhanced interrogation techniques” used by the US government.
Over 2 million Americans don’t have access to indoor plumbing or water, report finds
By Jacob Crosse, 6 December 2019
The inequality that is endemic to the capitalist system finds expression in the lack of access to the most basic of human needs in the richest country in the world.
Seattle schools propose race-centric “ethnomathematics” curriculum
By Kayla Costa and Nancy Hanover, 6 December 2019
The curriculum proposal for an Ethnic Studies-based math is part of a broader effort to inject identity politics into public schools.
Impeachment hearing opens with Democratic Party blast against Russia
By Patrick Martin, 5 December 2019
The opening statement by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler set the tone for a hearing that repeatedly returned to the bogus allegations of massive Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
020 GM layoffs
5 December 2019
UAW sanctions “perma-temps” in Fiat-Chrysler tentative agreement
By Tom Hall, 5 December 2019
The deal reached with FCA does not even include the fig leaf “pathway” for temporary workers to regular employment found in the GM and Ford contracts.
Pompeo vows intervention against “riots” in Washington’s “own backyard”
By Bill Van Auken, 5 December 2019
Immediately following Pompeo’s provocative speech, the US slapped new sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba, which the secretary of state accused of fomenting violence.
Mueller probe accessed the Google account of Assange supporter Somerset Bean
By Kevin Reed, 5 December 2019
Somerset Bean, an artist and political activist, who has been a staunch supporter of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, revealed on Monday that Google was compelled by court order to provide the US authorities access to his online account.
Nearly 700,000 to lose food stamp benefits under new Trump Administration rule
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 5 December 2019
The rule will lead to 688,000 losing their SNAP benefits in the coming year.
The ignominious fall of Kamala Harris
By Evan Blake, 5 December 2019
While attempting to strike a middle ground among the Democratic candidates, Harris never successfully convinced working class voters that she was progressive at all.
PG&E failed to do inspections and maintenance on power lines for years, report finds
By Kevin Martinez, 5 December 2019
The 700-page report found that the company had systemic failures when it came to updating and fixing its infrastructure leading up to the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people.
NATO summit dominated by growing inter-state conflicts
By Alex Lantier, 5 December 2019
Explosive conflicts over trade and military policy between Washington and its main European allies erupted this week at the NATO summit in London.
Trump denounces Macron’s criticisms of NATO at London summit
By Alex Lantier, 4 December 2019
Bitter conflicts between the United States and the major European powers erupted into the open yesterday, at the start of the two-day NATO summit in London.
Democrats’ report confirms anti-Russia axis of impeachment inquiry
By Barry Grey, 4 December 2019
The Democrats’ 300-page report is all about Ukraine and the central role it occupies in the geo-strategic operations of the United States directed against Russia.
Trump escalates global trade war
By Nick Beams, 4 December 2019
Responding to a question in London on whether there was a deadline for a trade deal with China, Trump said: “I like the idea of waiting until after the election for the China deal.”
Harvard University graduate student union begins strike over pay, conditions
By Kate Randall, 4 December 2019
The HGSU-UAW has made only token appeals to other sections of workers at Harvard to support the grad student workers’ strike and has offered substantial concessions to the university on virtually all issues.
Fiat Chrysler workers face off against the UAW, an “FCA-controlled enterprise”
By Jerry White, 4 December 2019
The concessions forced on GM and Ford workers were imposed by the United Auto Workers, which a lawsuit by GM describes as an organization that was “acquired” by Fiat Chrysler.
A Warning: A manifesto of the pro-war “Resistance” in the American state
By Andre Damon, 4 December 2019
The book makes clear that the “Resistance” to Trump’s policies within the US government, which forms the basis of the Democrats’ impeachment drive, centers on claims that Trump is insufficiently aggressive in defending and expanding America’s imperial interests.
On eve of FCA contract votes, US Attorney says federal takeover of UAW still possible
By Shannon Jones, 3 December 2019
In a rare interview with the Detroit News, US Attorney Matthew Schneider, who is leading the investigation into UAW corruption, said a federal takeover of the union “shouldn’t be taken off the table.”
Harvard University grad students set to strike over pay, grievance procedures, healthcare
By Kate Randall, 3 December 2019
Harvard officials’ hard line in relation to collective bargaining on grad students’ pay is in line with a recent NLRB proposal that would curb the establishment of graduate student unions at private universities.
Retiring Chicago Police Chief Superintendent fired after video shows police body-slamming a mentally ill man
By Ben Mateus, 3 December 2019
Democratic mayor Lori Lightfoot offered a standard prepared statement noting that the ensuing investigation “will be comprehensive and expedited so that the public may gain a complete picture.”
Anger mounts among FCA workers as UAW prepares to ram through sellout deal
By Jerry White, 2 December 2019
The UAW plans to get local officials to rubber stamp the deal on Wednesday and start ratification votes by the end of the week.
Obama spearheads campaign against Sanders’ nomination as Democratic presidential candidate
By Patrick Martin, 2 December 2019
The Democratic Party establishment wants to ensure that issues of social inequality are not a focal point in the elections, even in the toothless form represented by Sanders and Warren.
Perspectives for the coming revolution in America: Race, class and the fight for socialism
By Joseph Kishore, 2 December 2019
This is an edited version of a report delivered by Socialist Equality Party National Secretary Joseph Kishore to meetings in Michigan and California on the New York Times’ “1619 Project.”
US Attorney General William Barr’s brief for presidential dictatorship
By Tom Carter, 2 December 2019
Even by the degraded standards of American political discourse at present, Barr’s speech was exceptional for its essentially anti-democratic and fascistic content.
Imperialist powers intensify pressure on Iranian regime in wake of protests
By Jordan Shilton, 30 November 2019
US imperialism is chiefly responsible for the tense standoff in the Persian Gulf. But the claims of the Iranian regime that “collective security” can be achieved by establishing a closer military alliance with Beijing and Moscow are reactionary.
Explosions at Texas petrochemical plant force over 40,000 to evacuate their homes
By Jacob Crosse, 30 November 2019
The Port Neches plant, owned by the Houston-based Texas Petroleum Chemical Group, has been out of compliance for years and fined multiple times by the Environmental Protection Agency.
John Deere demands further job cuts through “voluntary separation program”
By George Gallanis, 30 November 2019
The “voluntary separation program” was announced just prior to Deere’s posting of lower net income during its fourth quarterly earnings call.
Audio recording refutes Hannah-Jones’ claim that she was falsely quoted by the World Socialist Web Site
By Eric London, 27 November 2019
The World Socialist Web Site publishes the audio of Hannah-Jones’ remarks.
Co-workers say Detroit Fiat Chrysler worker died after being told to pay $800 for ambulance ride to hospital
By Shannon Jones, 27 November 2019
The young autoworker suffering chest pains died after being forced to drive himself to the hospital because management said he would have to pay $828 for a ride in an EMS vehicle.
Canadian government-sponsored Security Forum rails against “strategic adversaries” China and Russia
By Roger Jordan and Keith Jones, 27 November 2019
Trump’s National Security Adviser demanded Canada massively hike military spending, restrict Huawei, and militarize the Arctic to counter China and Russia.
Baltimore, Maryland: Three men exonerated after 36 years behind bars for wrongful murder conviction
By Kate Randall, 27 November 2019
The trio’s harrowing experience was the direct result of a rush to solve a brutal crime, abetted by gross misconduct on the part of police and prosecutors.
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg begins campaign for Democratic nomination
By Barry Grey, 27 November 2019
Bloomberg is seeking effectively either to buy the presidency, or, at the very least, drive the Democratic campaign to the right.
Students walk out in support of Nashville teacher victimized for assigning homework on the “N-word”
By Trévon Austin, 27 November 2019
Steven Small was the subject of an anonymous complaint from a parent after he gave students an assignment discussing the 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Fences” and its use of the racial slur.
Job actions by New York City transit workers
By Alan Whyte, 27 November 2019
The union organized the slowdown because it fears it will be unable to impose the demands of the Democratic Party-run transit agency without provoking a rebellion by workers.
Google fires four workers in apparent retaliation for their workplace activism
By Kevin Reed, 27 November 2019
Google dismissed the workers on Monday in retaliation for their participation in the organized opposition of the workforce to company policies and practices.
Trump’s war crime pardons: Cultivating a fascistic base in the military
By Bill Van Auken, 27 November 2019
The unprecedented intervention in defense of Navy Seal Edward Gallagher is aimed not just at facilitating war crimes abroad, but at preparing forces to be used against the working class at home.
1619 Project director speaks at New York University
Nikole Hannah-Jones, race theory and the Holocaust
By Eric London and David North, 26 November 2019
There was not a single statement made by Hannah-Jones at NYU on historical issues that withstands serious examination.
US navy secretary fired in case of pardoned SEAL war criminal
By Bill Van Auken, 26 November 2019
The crimes of Gallagher and the other war criminals pardoned by Trump account for a minuscule portion of the civilians massacred in the illegal wars waged by US imperialism over the past 18 years.
Judge denies “absolute immunity” of White House aides
By Patrick Martin, 26 November 2019
The ruling by Judge Kenji Brown Jackson was a sweeping rejection of the Trump administration’s claims that top officials cannot be compelled to testify before Congress.
Lecturers and students speak out in UK university strike
”Whether you’re in Hong Kong, Bolivia, Chile or Lebanon, in Britain or in Italy, it’s the same fight…against social inequality and social injustice”
By our reporters, 26 November 2019
WSWS reporters spoke to university workers and lecturers on the first day of the strike at 60 higher education institutions in the UK.
US Attorney General Barr adds to coverup in death of Jeffrey Epstein
By Kevin Reed, 26 November 2019
In an interview Friday with the Associated Press, US Attorney General William Barr said the prison death of Jeffrey Epstein was a suicide made possible by “a perfect storm of screwups.”
Three homeless men die in abandoned house fire in New York City
By Philip Guelpa, 26 November 2019
As the city’s homelessness crisis continues to worsen, increasing numbers face life-threatening risks.
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor signs oil lobby-backed bill criminalising free speech
By Jacob Crosse, 26 November 2019
Governor Tony Evers made Wisconsin the tenth state to enact legislation drafted by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers association placing greater restrictions on anti-pipeline protests.
Democratic Party calls on Washington Metro Transit Authority to intervene against striking transit workers
By Nick Barrickman, 26 November 2019
A letter by three local congresspeople to Metro executives called on the transit authority to reopen the closed routes and to “take a more proactive role” in the dispute between Transdev and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689.
Union reaches deal with University of Chicago, creating two-tier system for nurses
By Benjamin Mateus, 26 November 2019
Nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center will vote tomorrow on the new contract, which will drive a chasm between higher-paid veteran nurses and all new hires.
GM bribery lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler fueling growing outrage among autoworkers over UAW corruption
By Tom Hall, 23 November 2019
The lawsuit is part of a ruthless struggle over market share in the auto industry, under conditions of an accelerating global downturn and an escalation of the attack on autoworkers.
Allegations of racist incidents lead to virtual shutdown of campus at Syracuse University
By Genevieve Leigh, 23 November 2019
The university has accepted the demands of students, including moves toward the segregation of dorms based on race, but the campus has been effectively closed through the end of the semester.
Historically low number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits due to increasing restrictions
By Jacob Crosse, 23 November 2019
Restrictions enacted by state and federal governments following the Great Recession have prevented millions from receiving their deserved benefits and discouraged those in need from applying.
Rising seas threaten US Pacific nuclear dump
By John Braddock, 23 November 2019
A concrete dome, a relic of the US nuclear testing program, is breaking up and beginning to spill deadly nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean.
Who decided the US should fight a “hot war” with Russia?
By Andre Damon, 23 November 2019
The impeachment inquiry has exposed a US conspiracy to spend billions of dollars to overthrow an elected government in Ukraine and foment a civil war that has killed thousands of people.
999 Farmer suicides in the Midwest
23 November 2019
GM lawsuit: UAW engaged in criminal conspiracy with FCA to cut labor costs
By Eric London, 22 November 2019
The extraordinary lawsuit filed by General Motors peels back the curtain on the “purchase” of the United Auto Workers by Fiat Chrysler and the other automakers.
Trump overrides Navy’s bid to evict war criminal from SEALS
By Bill Van Auken, 22 November 2019
This was the fourth intervention by the US president in the case of Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL charged with shooting civilians and murdering a prisoner during the 2017 siege of Mosul.
Bernie Sanders dispenses with his “political revolution” at fifth Democratic presidential debate
By Niles Niemuth, 22 November 2019
Sanders declared at Wednesday night’s debate that he agreed with Obama that it wasn’t necessary to “tear down the system and remake it.”
US activist who sheltered migrants found not guilty in second trial
By Aaron Murch, 22 November 2019
The verdict, after less than two hours of deliberation, reflects the broad support for humanitarian aid for immigrants.
080 Shredding of unemployment benefits in US
22 November 2019
“We want back all the money that was taken from us”
Fiat Chrysler workers react as further corruption allegations rock UAW in midst of contract talks
By Shannon Jones, 22 November 2019
The explosive allegations contained in the pending General Motors lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler, detailing the company’s buying of the UAW leadership, have further enraged FCA workers facing a new contract battle
UAW President Gary Jones resigns as GM lawsuit charges that UAW is a “controlled enterprise” of Fiat Chrysler
By Jerry White, 21 November 2019
Jones’ resignation came after the UAW International Executive Board, in an act of damage control, took measures to remove and expel him.
Israeli airstrikes on Syria threaten wider Mideast war
By Bill Van Auken, 21 November 2019
The air raids follow by barely a week a bombing campaign against Gaza that killed 34, including an entire family of eight.
Naval command challenges President Trump’s war crimes pardon
By Kevin Reed, 21 November 2019
In an extraordinary and open conflict between the leadership of the US Navy and the White House, Rear Admiral Collin Green pressed forward on Wednesday with plans to remove Edward Gallagher from the SEALs following his exoneration by President Trump.
Patriot Act extension concealed in funding bill passed by House Democrats
By Barry Grey, 21 November 2019
Coming in the midst of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, the extension of the Patriot Act underscores the absence of any democratic content in their opposition to Trump.
California utility PG&E plans regular blackouts for another ten years as more residents have power cut this week
By Anthony del Omo and Dan Conway, 21 November 2019
Earlier this week, the Pacific Gas and Electricity utility (PG&E) announced that they would shut off electrical power to hundreds of thousands of customers beginning Wednesday morning in the fourth such mass power outage since October.
Australian Strategic Forum tries to downplay danger of US-China conflict
By James Cogan, 21 November 2019
Warnings that US-China tensions could lead to war were largely dismissed by the majority of the forum speakers.
The impeachment crisis and American imperialism
By Patrick Martin, 21 November 2019
The principal crime revealed in the impeachment hearings is how American imperialism conducts itself towards smaller and less powerful nations such as Ukraine.
IYSSE holds meeting on “Race, Class, and the fight for Socialism” at New York University
By Owen Mullan and Sandy English, 21 November 2019
The meeting was addressed by socialist scholar Tom Mackaman who responded to the historical falsifications put forward by the New York Times’ 1619 Project.
Impeachment hearing highlights conflict over US policy in Ukraine
By Patrick Martin, 20 November 2019
The driving force of the Democratic Party inquiry is the US effort to use Ukraine as a base of operations and front-line state in the confrontation with Russia.
More than 15,000 Indiana teachers walk off job against low wages and attacks on public education
By George Marlowe, 20 November 2019
Indiana teachers confront conditions no less horrendous than their counterparts throughout the United States and internationally.
In the face of attacks by billionaires, Obama
Elizabeth Warren backpedals on “Medicare for All”
By Kate Randall, 20 November 2019
Less than three weeks after presenting her “Medicare for All” proposal, Warren is backtracking on virtually all of its components.
Two New York prison guards charged in connection with Epstein death
By Matthew Taylor, 20 November 2019
The pair who were guarding Epstein on the night of his mysterious death have been charged with falsifying records and defrauding the US government.
Epstein scandal engulfs Britain’s Royal family after BBC interview with Prince Andrew
By Chris Marsden, 20 November 2019
Prince Andrew maintained his relations with Epstein long after the sex offender and trafficker was convicted for his crimes.
Washington, DC area transit workers call for expansion of fight as strike enters fourth week
By Nick Barrickman, 20 November 2019
Bus drivers opposing privatizations and poverty pay must defy the Amalgamated Transit Union’s effort to divide and weaken their struggle.
UAW continues blackout on Fiat Chrysler negotiations as media talks of possible strike
By Shannon Jones, 20 November 2019
The United Auto Workers has been silent on the progress of negotiations with Fiat Chrysler amid indications the company will not agree to terms of the Ford and General Motors agreements.
United States has the highest child detention rate in the world
By Niles Niemuth, 19 November 2019
A UN report released Monday finds that the United States leads the world in depriving children of liberty, particularly through immigration detention.
As second week of public hearings begins
Pelosi doubles down on anti-Russia politics of impeachment inquiry
By Barry Grey, 19 November 2019
Pelosi once again defined as the sole issue in the Democrats’ case for impeachment the charge that Trump endangered US “national security” and strengthened Russia.
US declares Israeli settlements no longer illegal
By Jean Shaoul, 19 November 2019
The US ruling is a green light for an escalation in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the annexation of Palestinian land.
US Steel job cuts continue as it lays off workers in Indiana
By Jessica Goldstein, 19 November 2019
The recently announced layoffs are further proof that trade war measures are ultimately aimed against the working class around the world.
Protests as Trump labor board moves to restrict grad student unions
By Michael Walters, 19 November 2019
The Trump-appointed National Labor Relations Board proposed a rule that would deny the right of graduate students to organize.
Michigan judge throws out state charges against Flint water consultants
By James Brewer, 19 November 2019
Claims of professional negligence and public nuisance against private water companies advising the City of Flint were dismissed by a circuit court judge on November 8.
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