The Trump Presidency
Protesters occupying Venezuela embassy in Washington DC speak out
By our reporters, 16 May 2019
For over a month, protesters opposed to the illegal US regime change operation in Venezuela have defended the embassy from being taken over by pro-Guaidó forces.
ICE conducts armed raid on student pastor’s home in Chicago, abducts three
By Jacob Crosse, 16 May 2019
Betty Rendón had been preaching at Emaus Lutheran Church in Racine, Wisconsin while studying for her doctorate degree in Chicago when she, her husband and cousin were snatched by federal agents last week.
Trump planning nationwide military round-up of 10,000 immigrants
By Eric London, 15 May 2019
The unprecedented scope of the raid would require de facto martial law and serve as a test run for the mass arrest and detention of political dissidents.
No to war against Iran!
By Bill Van Auken, 15 May 2019
The threat of all-out war in the Middle East is greater than at any time since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and the potential consequences are far graver.
Washington pushes to brink of war against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 14 May 2019
Pompeo’s abrupt trip to Brussels and the deployment of more US military assets to the Persian Gulf point to a calculated US escalation of a war crisis.
Trump welcomes Hungarian far-right prime minister Orbán to the White House
By Clara Weiss, 14 May 2019
The Trump administration is sending a clear message of endorsement of the far-right in the upcoming European elections.
Trump says he reported $1.17 billion in losses over 10 years to evade paying taxes
By E.P. Milligan, 14 May 2019
Trump’s statement that he claimed losses in order to evade taxes is tantamount to an admission of tax fraud.
A new stage in the US-China trade war
By Nick Beams, 14 May 2019
The fundamental and irresolvable contradiction of world capitalism, between world economy and the nation-state system, lies at the root of the accelerating US-China trade war.
The working class and the threat of dictatorship in the US
By Patrick Martin, 13 May 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats admit that there is a “constitutional crisis” but refuse to conduct a serious struggle against Trump’s authoritarian actions.
“Act now” on trade or it will get worse, Trump threatens China
By Nick Beams, 13 May 2019
The increasingly belligerent US rhetoric is being matched by action expected to target another $300 billion worth of Chinese goods with tariffs of 25 percent.
Trump administration to evict 55,000 children of immigrants from public housing
By Eric London, 13 May 2019
The Washington Post reports that Trump's fascist adviser Stephen Miller propagated the new rule, while HUD itself assesses its purpose is to increase poverty and destitution among immigrant families.
Trump rally roars approval for call to “shoot” immigrants
By Eric London, 10 May 2019
When an audience member at a Trump rally Wednesday yelled that the US should “shoot” immigrants, Trump laughed. Meanwhile, the government is arresting record numbers of families at the border.
US seizes North Korean ship
By Mike Head, 10 May 2019
This week’s developments demonstrate that the Trump administration has no intention of striking a deal with Pyongyang unless it involves a total capitulation and embrace of Washington’s offensive against China.
US tariff hike against China goes ahead
By Nick Beams, 10 May 2019
Trump said talks with Chinese representatives would proceed, but “I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
Venezuela tensions mount after arrest of coup leader
By Bill Van Auken, 10 May 2019
Washington continues to threaten military intervention in the oil-rich South American country.
House committee votes contempt charge against Trump’s attorney general William Barr
By Patrick Martin, 9 May 2019
The conflict between Congress and the White House represents the breakdown of the institutional framework through which American capitalist politics has operated for more than two centuries.
Pompeo lays down the law during UK visit
By Robert Stevens, 9 May 2019
The US secretary of state’s remit was to demand that the UK government toe the line in backing the geo-strategic imperatives of US imperialism… or else.
China to hit back if new US tariff threat goes ahead
By Nick Beams, 9 May 2019
The US is demanding China submit an inventory of laws and regulations it will enact to guarantee compliance with any trade deal—in effect dictating economic policy to Beijing.
Trump issues full pardon to former lieutenant who executed prisoner in Iraq
By Jessica Goldstein, 9 May 2019
The act of clemency for a war criminal was a calculated gesture to ultra-right and fascistic elements inside and outside the US military.
The social crisis and the global eruption of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 9 May 2019
Washington’s brazen and reckless military threats and provocations on a world scale are driven by deep-going social and political crises within the US itself.
Financial parasitism and the stock market surge
By Nick Beams, 9 May 2019
In its maniacal drive for higher profits, increasingly generated by the parasitic inflation of stock prices, finance capital and its mouthpieces in politics and the media demand that more cheap money be made available through the slashing of interest rates.
Trump floats proposal to cancel 2020 elections
By Eric London, 8 May 2019
Bourgeois politics has degenerated to such a degree that political and legal norms considered fundamental since the American Revolution are now challenged by presidential tweet.
Former Trump chief of staff John Kelly joins board of migrant detention firm
By Genevieve Leigh, 8 May 2019
The retired general and anti-immigrant demagogue is profiting from the draconian policies he helped implement while working in the Trump administration.
Georgia governor signs “heartbeat” anti-abortion legislation
By Kate Randall, 8 May 2019
The “Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act” marks a new stage in an orchestrated campaign to outlaw abortion.
Canada’s Liberal government abets US-sponsored coup attempt in Venezuela
By Roger Jordan, 8 May 2019
Last week Canada proclaimed its support for Guaidó’s coup attempt and stepped up its efforts to bring to power a far-right, pro-imperialist regime in Caracas.
230 NYT and Uiughrs
8 May 2019
Betraying my principles is “a much worse prison than the government can construct”
After nearly two months in jail, Chelsea Manning submits powerful appeal for release
By Niles Niemuth, 7 May 2019
Manning has been detained for contempt of court after she refused to testify before a grand jury impaneled to bring frame-up charges against WikiLeaks publisher and journalist Julian Assange.
020 Attacks on immigrants in the US
6 May 2019
On eve of trade talks in Washington
Trump threatens new tariffs against China
By Nick Beams, 6 May 2019
Trump’s threats, aimed at putting intense pressure on Chinese negotiators when they sit down with their US counterparts on Wednesday, could have the effect of blowing up the talks.
215 NYT and Uighurs
6 May 2019
Washington political warfare intensifies with lawsuits, looming contempt charges
By Patrick Martin, 4 May 2019
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which would handle impeachment proceedings, warned that “the system of not having a president as a dictator is very much at stake.”
Neo-Nazi networks exposed across US military
By Jacob Crosse, 4 May 2019
Recent independent investigations have shown that multiple white supremacist groups are operating freely across all branches of the military.
US-China trade talks enter final phase
By Nick Beams, 4 May 2019
One of the main sticking points is agreement on the procedure by which US tariffs imposed on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods would be lifted if a trade agreement is reached.
Guatemalan boy detained by US Border Patrol dies after succumbing to illness
By Kevin Martinez, 3 May 2019
The 16 year old, who has not been named, is the third immigrant child to die in government custody in just five months.
US escalates threat of military intervention in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 2 May 2019
After Tuesday’s abortive coup attempt by Washington’s puppet Juan Guaidó, the Trump administration has issued even more explicit military threats.
US attorney general refuses to testify before House Judiciary Committee
By Patrick Martin, 2 May 2019
Barr’s decision came after a contentious day-long hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee where he took questions on his handling of the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Guaidó launches abortive military coup in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 1 May 2019
By late Tuesday, there was little indication that Guaidó’s call had provoked any significant uprising within Venezuela’s military.
In violation of international law
Trump orders new attacks on rights of refugees, asylum seekers
By Norisa Diaz, 1 May 2019
Trump has directed that his top officials to impose a fee on asylum seekers, give border patrol cops authority to determine credible fear claims and place restrictions on work permits.
US threatens UK over Huawei involvement in 5G network
By Robert Stevens, 1 May 2019
After it was leaked that Huawei could help build the British 5G network, the Trump administration is threatening to shut Britain out of “Five Eyes” intelligence sharing.
Preparing for World War Three
Global military spending tops $1.8 trillion, highest on record
By Niles Niemuth, 30 April 2019
Nearly three decades after the end of the Cold War, the world’s capitalist elite, led by the United States, are preparing for a devastating conflict of global proportions.
Biden holds first campaign rally in Pittsburgh-area union hall
By Patrick Martin, 30 April 2019
The former vice president appealed for support from working-class voters while embracing the organizations that have betrayed them.
Pentagon fires Guantanamo prison commander for calling attention to US crimes
By Bill Van Auken, 30 April 2019
Vice Admiral Ring was removed from his post after telling the media that the US prison camp had to prepare for “end-of-life” care for detainees.
US government tries to distance itself from border militia
By Trévon Austin, 30 April 2019
The arrest of Larry Hopkins was carried out to mask the fact that militia groups act as auxiliary arms of Border Patrol.
Trump orders officials to refuse congressional subpoenas
By Eric London, 29 April 2019
The Democrats have responded by threatening to withhold funds from noncomplying agencies and to jail administration officials who are in contempt of Congress.
Fascist gunman attacks California synagogue
By Patrick Martin, 29 April 2019
President Trump is the moral author of this latest expression of fascistic violence in America and internationally.
US military set to loosen rules for troops operating along southern border
By Genevieve Leigh, 27 April 2019
The Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security are clearing the way for Trump to escalate his anti-immigrant program amidst silence from Democrats.
GM continues tax avoidance schemes while it slashes thousands of jobs
By George Kirby, 26 April 2019
General Motors has received billions of dollars in government tax benefits over the past decade even as it continues to cut jobs and extract concessions from workers.
Conflict mounts between White House and Congress over subpoenas
By Patrick Martin, 25 April 2019
President Trump has ordered lower-ranking officials to refuse to testify or supply documents to any investigation by the House of Representatives into his business and political activities.
US imperialism resurrects the Monroe Doctrine
By Bill Van Auken, 24 April 2019
The repeated invocation of the nearly two-century-old canon of US imperialist policy constitutes a warning that Washington is preparing for intensified military intervention in the region.
What the Supreme Court is repudiating
The Enlightenment, the American Revolution and the ban on cruel and unusual punishment
By Ed Hightower, 24 April 2019
Recent US Supreme Court rulings in death penalty cases represent a vast, anti-democratic cultural, legal and political retrogression.
Washington tightens sanctions to cut Iran oil exports to “zero”
By Bill Van Auken, 23 April 2019
The lifting of waivers granted to five countries that imported substantial quantities of Iranian oil represents a dangerous escalation of US economic warfare against Tehran.
In wake of Mueller report: Democrats, media push anti-Russian hysteria
By Patrick Martin, 23 April 2019
In the wake of the release of the report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the Democratic Party and the bulk of the corporate media have decided to intensify their campaign of anti-Russian slander and provocation.
Responding to public outrage, FBI arrests leader of border militia which detained hundreds of migrants
By Norisa Diaz, 23 April 2019
The arrest of border vigilante leader Larry Hopkins on Saturday is an effort by federal agents and CBP to publicly distance themselves from the right-wing militia groups with whom they routinely collaborate.
Legal experts: Assange likely faces espionage charges if extradited to US
By Oscar Grenfell, 22 April 2019
If he is extradited to the US, Assange will be denied genuine due process and will likely face charges carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Empty buildings, empty promises: Foxconn con job continues in Wisconsin
By Jacob Crosse, 22 April 2019
An estimated $300 million has already been siphoned from public coffers to provide transportation access for a nonexistent factory complex.
The Mueller report and the campaign against Russia
By Joseph Kishore, 20 April 2019
An editorial in the New York Times makes clear that the central purpose of the Democrats’ campaign against Trump has been to demand more aggressive action against Russia.
Armed militia detaining asylum seekers at gunpoint along US-Mexico border
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan and Niles Niemuth, 20 April 2019
An armed militia calling itself the United Constitutional Patriots posted videos of its members detaining hundreds of migrants at the New Mexico border, in actions seemingly coordinated with the Border Patrol.
CIA director called out for complicity in torture
By Trévon Austin, 20 April 2019
US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Gina Haspel was delivering a recruiting pitch to students at Auburn University on Thursday where she was called out by an audience member for her participation in torture and other crimes.
US education secretary to gut regulations, seek a “major shift” in higher education—Part 1
By Nancy Hanover, 20 April 2019
A crude assault on educational standards, which hardens the class divide in educational access and spurs the plundering of the “education market,” is being enacted under the cover of “rule-making” by the US Department of Education.
Trump administration escalates threats against Cuba
By Alexander Fangmann, 20 April 2019
The Trump administration is imposing unilateral sanctions aimed at punishing foreign corporations, particularly European and Canadian, with investments in Cuba.
Mueller report re-ignites political warfare in Washington
By Patrick Martin, 19 April 2019
Congressional Democrats and their media backers are seeking to use the findings of the investigation to boost their right-wing anti-Russia campaign.
US preparing more charges against Julian Assange
By Kristina Betinis, 19 April 2019
A report by CNN confirms the warnings made by the WSWS that if the journalist is extradited to the United States, additional, possibly capital, charges would be brought against him.
US attorney general orders denial of bond, indefinite detention of asylum seekers
By Patrick Martin, 18 April 2019
The action by William Barr overturns more than a decade of legal precedent and sets the stage for the criminalization of refugees seeking asylum.
Behind Trump’s clash with the Fed: Looming economic crisis and class conflict
By Nick Beams, 18 April 2019
The American president, in demanding that the Fed intervene to drive up the stock market, has stated openly what the US central bank has been doing for decades.
Vetoing congressional resolution, Trump reaffirms US support for Saudi slaughter in Yemen
By Niles Niemuth, 18 April 2019
Trump’s veto is a declaration of the absolute authority of the president to wage war without the fig leaf of congressional approval.
Trump, the Fed and the New York Times
By Nick Beams, 17 April 2019
Trump has repeatedly attacked the Fed after Wall Street last year experienced its worst December result since the depths of the Great Depression in 1931.
US Tax Day 2019: Sixty giant corporations pay zero income tax
By Patrick Martin, 16 April 2019
As a consequence of Trump’s 2017 tax cut for the wealthy, the number of Fortune 500 companies paying no federal income taxes has doubled.
240 Trump and Fed
16 April 2019
Stop the extraordinary rendition of Julian Assange!
By Eric London, 15 April 2019
What is being presented as an extradition request by the US is so loaded with illegality that it would be more precise to call it an extraordinary rendition.
Trump, ultra-right media target Representative Ilhan Omar
By Patrick Martin, 15 April 2019
The ongoing campaign of anti-Muslim vilification is an incitement to violence.
Palestinian leader of campaign to boycott Israel denied entry to US
By Fred Mazelis, 15 April 2019
The action taken against Omar Barghouti is another illustration of the close policy coordination between the ultra-right regimes of Trump and Netanyahu.
Trump officials discussed using troops to run migrant detention camps
By Barry Grey, 13 April 2019
Trump has been able to carry through his anti-immigrant program, despite popular opposition, because the Democrats have done nothing to seriously oppose it.
White House to intensify anti-immigrant rampage
By Patrick Martin, 11 April 2019
Multiple media reports say that the Trump administration is pushing for new anti-immigrant measures, including forcible separation of asylum seekers from their children.
As trade tensions increase, IMF lowers forecasts for global growth
By Nick Beams, 11 April 2019
The IMF reported that industrial production and investment remained weak in many advanced and developing economies, and world trade had yet to recover.
The dictatorial impulse behind Trump’s political purge
By Patrick Martin, 9 April 2019
The abrupt firing of the DHS secretary and Secret Service chief are part of an effort to surround Trump with a loyal praetorian guard.
US labels Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group
By Barry Grey, 9 April 2019
Trump and Pompeo made a point of threatening other foreign countries, officials and businesses with retaliatory sanctions and possible criminal prosecution.
Socialism haunts the American ruling class
By Andre Damon, 8 April 2019
Since Donald Trump vowed in his State of the Union address that “America will never be a socialist country,” the president has embraced anti-socialism as the defining theme of his 2020 reelection campaign.
Obama, Pelosi push Democrats further to the right
By Patrick Martin, 8 April 2019
Obama, who headed a thoroughly right-wing imperialist government, and House speaker Pelosi, who is married to a multi-millionaire real estate developer, have been working together in a joint effort to curb the activities of the “lefts” in the House Democratic caucus.
Trump calls for more cheap money for financial markets
By Nick Beams, 8 April 2019
Proposals by Trump to fill two vacancies on the Fed’s board of governors have brought denunciations of political stacking.
University of Arizona students arrested for protesting Border Patrol agents
By Shuvvu Batta, 8 April 2019
In Arizona, a Class 1 misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail and three years’ probation, along with a $2,500 fine plus surcharges.
US Homeland Security chief forced out as anti-immigrant crackdown looms
By Eric London, 8 April 2019
Trump advisor Stephen Miller is orchestrating a right-wing takeover of the federal deportation apparatus with the support of a network of fascist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and border patrol officers.
Trump visits border to step up attack on immigrants
By Dan Conway, 6 April 2019
Trump’s visit took place two days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 280 immigrant workers in a raid on an electronics plant in Texas.
US-China trade deal pushed back
By Nick Beams, 6 April 2019
Trump emerged from a meeting with chief Chinese trade negotiator Liu He to say it would take at least four weeks to reach an agreement as he declined to set a date for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Amid rising tensions, NATO chief pitches confrontation with Russia to US Congress
By Bill Van Auken, 4 April 2019
The ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the US-led imperialist alliance were marked by sharp attacks from Washington on both Turkey and Germany.
Why aren’t Boeing executives being prosecuted for the 737 Max 8 crashes?
By Bryan Dyne, 4 April 2019
Not a single Boeing executive has been charged, much less arrested, for entirely avoidable tragedies that killed a total of 346 people.
The threat to close the US-Mexico border
By Bill Van Auken, 3 April 2019
The sealing of borders, the creation of concentration camps for refugees and the whipping up of xenophobic and fascist forces are all part of an international turn to reaction that echoes the darkest days of the 1930s.
Chelsea Manning files motion for immediate release pending appeal
By Kevin Reed, 3 April 2019
Manning was imprisoned by District Judge Claude Hilton on civil contempt charges for courageously refusing to testify before a secret grand jury preparing a frame-up case against WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.
Confrontation between Chinese and Taiwanese fighter jets
By Peter Symonds, 3 April 2019
The incident highlights the dangers of a war in Asia fueled by the Trump administration, which has deliberately inflamed the region’s volatile flashpoints.
US Supreme Court ruling guts ban on “cruel and unusual punishment”
By Patrick Martin, 2 April 2019
The death penalty decision in Bucklew v. Precythe eviscerates the prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment” in the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution.
Beloit College students protest speech by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, prompting cancellation
By Jacob Crosse, 2 April 2019
The founder of the notorious mercenary group had been invited to speak at the private liberal arts school in Wisconsin by the local chapter of Young Americans for Freedom.
Trump threatens to shut US-Mexico border, cuts aid to Central America
By Patrick Martin, 1 April 2019
The Trump administration is cutting off $600 million in aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, while threatening to devastate the economy of Mexico by closing the US-Mexico border.
Trump administration ordered jails to hold thousands of US citizens for deportation
By Norisa Diaz, 30 March 2019
ICE sent the Miami-Dade County jails 420 detainer requests for US citizens over a two-year period, but across the country the numbers are in the unknown thousands.
US-China trade deal still in the balance
By Nick Beams, 30 March 2019
The issue of enforcement has been at the centre of US demands, with Washington wanting the right to impose tariffs on China without any retaliation.
Trump rants against socialism, but his administration’s crisis deepens
By Barry Grey, 30 March 2019
Behind Trump’s fascistic tirades and his gloating at the expense of the Democrats lie desperation and fear at the growth of social opposition in the working class.
Trump backs court action to end health coverage for 25 million people
By Patrick Martin, 28 March 2019
While the Trump administration targets Obamacare for full repeal, the Democrats are dropping calls for “Medicare-for-all” in favor of billions more for the private insurance companies.
Pentagon announces transfer of $1 billion for border wall construction
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 28 March 2019
The Pentagon announcement came as Congress failed to override Trump’s veto supporting his declaration of a national emergency on the US-Mexico border.
Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning!
By Andre Damon, 28 March 2019
The fate of these political prisoners must be a focus of attention of the entire working class and all those who defend democratic rights.
The media and the Mueller report
By Barry Grey, 27 March 2019
The Mueller report is a political debacle for the Democratic Party, the New York Times and the bulk of the corporate media, which day after day pumped out unsubstantiated claims and outright lies.
044 Border wall
27 March 2019
Washington’s political warfare intensifies following Mueller report
By Patrick Martin, 26 March 2019
Congressional Democrats and Trump traded accusations of treason in the wake of the Mueller report, which cleared the US president of collusion with Russia.
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