The Trump Presidency
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.
Trump recognizes Israeli annexation of Golan Heights: Green light for global war
By Bill Van Auken, 26 March 2019
Trump’s recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights sets the stage for far greater crimes by both Israel and its US imperialist patron.
US stages another provocation in the Taiwan Strait
By Ben McGrath, 26 March 2019
The move on Sunday is part of increased US military relations with Taiwan, risking a clash with China.
Mississippi “fetal heartbeat” law bans abortion after six weeks
By Ed Hightower, 26 March 2019
Senate Bill 2116 expressly contradicts established legal precedent permitting abortion within 24 weeks—a reduction in the timeframe for a woman to obtain the medical procedure by 75 percent.
Mueller report is a political debacle for the Democratic Party
By Andre Damon, 25 March 2019
The findings of the Mueller report cap two years of right-wing anti-Russia hysteria on the part of the Democrats, which has only strengthened the Trump administration.
Trump recognises Israeli sovereignty over Syria’s Golan Heights
By Jean Shaoul, 25 March 2019
Along with his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Trump has effectively repudiated the entire post-World War II international order in relation to Israel and Palestine.
US judge dismisses charges against J20 defendants “with prejudice,” closing case
By E.P. Milligan, 22 March 2019
The decision ends the more than two-year attempt by the US government to set a legal precedent for the criminalization of constitutionally protected political speech and protest.
Trump, Bolsonaro and the danger of fascism
By Patrick Martin, 20 March 2019
Trump hailed the “shared values” between his government and that of a former military officer, who praises the Brazilian military dictatorship that jailed, tortured and murdered tens of thousands of workers and students.
Trump presses UAW to impose immediate concessions in bid to reopen Lordstown GM plant
By Shannon Jones, 19 March 2019
In an exchange of tweets between Trump, General Motors and UAW officials over the weekend, the billionaire president called for reopening the UAW contract to “save” the Lordstown plant.
No training for pilots on new automated system
Boeing, FAA, pilots unions complicit in rushing doomed jets into service
By Trévon Austin, 18 March 2019
Southwest pilots union official: “They were building the airplane and still designing it.”
In vetoing bill to overturn national emergency, Trump makes fascist appeal
By Barry Grey, 16 March 2019
Trump is seeking to establish an authoritarian regime outside of the normal constitutional and political channels and largely independent of both traditional big-business parties.
US Senate votes to overturn Trump emergency decree
By Patrick Martin, 15 March 2019
The resolution has no immediate practical effect, because Trump will veto it and there is little prospect of an override by Congress, which requires a two-thirds vote.
Federal Aviation Administration accused of colluding with Boeing in wake of 737 crashes
By Dan Conway, 15 March 2019
The planes were finally grounded in the US on Wednesday after the FAA repeatedly assured the public that they were safe to fly.
Pompeo enlists US energy conglomerates for global oil war
By Bill Van Auken, 15 March 2019
The US secretary of state’s speech laid out in stark terms Washington’s turn to global “great power” conflict in which control of the world’s oil remains a key component.
US grounds Boeing 737s involved in Indonesian, Ethiopian crashes
By Barry Grey, 14 March 2019
The position of Boeing and the US carriers, backed by the Federal Aviation Administration, that the planes were perfectly safe had become untenable.
Pelosi dismisses efforts to impeach President Trump
By Patrick Martin, 14 March 2019
The top Democrat in the House is wary of the political upheaval that impeachment could spark under conditions of a growing movement of the American working class.
Trump proposes slashing public education by $7 billion
By Shelley Connor, 14 March 2019
Trump’s proposed budget, released earlier this week, would cut education spending by over $7 billion while transferring billions to charter and private schools.
New York Times lines up with anti-China hawks
By Nick Beams, 12 March 2019
The key US demand is that China must make “structural” changes to its economy, including abandoning state subsidies to major industries.
A US budget for worldwide war
By Patrick Martin, 12 March 2019
The Trump administration is seeking a record $750 billion in military spending, more than the next 14 countries combined.
US jobs numbers highlight global growth concerns
By Nick Beams, 11 March 2019
Last week the OECD cut its growth forecast for advanced economies in 2019 from 1.8 percent to 1 percent, with Europe taking the brunt of the downward revision.
Joint US-South Korean war games amid rising tensions with North Korea
By Peter Symonds, 11 March 2019
While there is no return as yet to Trump’s previous bellicose threats of war, negotiations are clearly stalled, if not unravelling.
030 Trump admin drew up surveillance list of journalists covering caravan
9 March 2019
After ripping up of INF treaty
Pentagon escalating buildup on Russia’s borders
By Bill Van Auken, 9 March 2019
The top US commander in Europe told a Senate panel that the Pentagon needs more troops and more warships to counter alleged Russian “threats.”
Trump signs executive order cementing secrecy over US airstrikes and shadow wars
By Jacob Crosse, 9 March 2019
Previous minimal reporting procedures introduced under the Obama administration are being scrapped as the US escalates strikes in Africa and Asia.
Trump makes perfunctory trip to survey Alabama tornado recovery efforts
By Ed Hightower, 9 March 2019
President Donald Trump’s visit to Lee County appears to have consisted largely of a helicopter overflight and briefings with local officials.
Trump Homeland Security chief defends family separation and caging children
By Patrick Martin, 7 March 2019
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen testified before the House Homeland Security Committee, one of four congressional hearings Wednesday on aspects of US immigration policy.
House Democrats issue wide-ranging subpoenas in Trump investigation
By Patrick Martin, 5 March 2019
The House Judiciary Committee sent document demands to 81 organizations and individuals associated with the Trump Organization, the Trump campaign and the White House.
Trump White House leads fascistic attack on socialism at Conservative Political Action Conference
By Niles Niemuth, 2 March 2019
The event opened Thursday with a five-and-a-half-minute video collage presenting the Democratic Party as a looming socialist threat from which only Trump and his supporters can save America.
Canada gives go-ahead for Huawei executive’s extradition to US
By Nick Beams, 2 March 2019
A statement from Meng’s defence lawyers objected to the Canadian decision in the face of what it called “the political nature of the US charges.”
The Trump presidency: From the Manhattan underworld to the White House
By Patrick Martin, 1 March 2019
The day-long testimony by former Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen gave a glimpse of the gangsterism out of which the Trump presidency has emerged.
Second summit between Trump and Kim collapses with no agreement
By Ben McGrath, 1 March 2019
Talks collapsed on the second day of the summit in Vietnam with the two sides failing to produce any tangible results.
Reports document sexual abuse of immigrant children detained in US
By Eric London, 28 February 2019
The Trump administration’s assault on immigrants underscores the urgent need to oppose all attacks on democratic rights and due process.
US House rejects Trump’s national emergency
By Barry Grey, 27 February 2019
Neither Pelosi nor any other leading Democrat has suggested that Trump’s subversion of the Constitution and move toward presidential dictatorship constitutes an impeachable offense.
Pence threatens war in Venezuela at Colombia summit: “There is no turning back”
By Eric London, 26 February 2019
“All options are on the table,” Pence said in a speech that combined threats of war with denunciations of socialism.
Despite talk of “progress” in trade negotiations
Deep divisions remain between US and China
By Nick Beams, 26 February 2019
The key point in US demands on any agreement is that China opposes a unilateral decision on compliance by Washington, insisting it must be determined by a joint evaluation.
Immigrants endure inhuman conditions at ICE prison in New Jersey
By Erik Schreiber, 26 February 2019
A report by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general describes detainees sickened by spoiled meat and moldy bread, forced to sleep on mattresses that are falling apart and shower in areas filled with mildew.
Sanders throws his support behind US propaganda campaign over Venezuela
By Genevieve Leigh, 26 February 2019
Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has tweeted his support for the staged “humanitarian aid” provocation in Venezuela.
US imperialism stages provocation on Venezuela’s borders
By Eric London, 25 February 2019
The threat of a disaster of world historic proportions looms as the US moves toward war in Venezuela.
After arrest of fascist Coast Guard officer
Report documents rise of ultra-right hate groups since Trump’s election
By Adam Mclean and Patrick Martin, 25 February 2019
The Southern Poverty Law Center asserts that the overlap between the sharp increase in active far-right hate groups and the presidential campaign and tenure of Donald Trump is not an accident.
Amid US provocation at Venezuelan border
Brazilian media promotes generals against Bolsonaro
By Miguel Andrade, 25 February 2019
The media is promoting the military’s supposed “independence” from the US-aligned policies of Bolsonaro.
Trump announces delay in China tariff deadline
By Nick Beams, 25 February 2019
Trump said that if “additional progress” were made in the negotiations, he would plan a summit meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.
Further blows to US anti-Huawei campaign
By Nick Beams, 23 February 2019
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the German government is “leaning towards letting Huawei … participate in building the nation’s high-speech internet infrastructure.”
US missile treaty withdrawal sparks global nuclear arms race
By Andre Damon, 21 February 2019
A half-century after the Cuban Missile crisis brought humanity to within a hair’s breadth of destruction, Washington is fueling an even more dangerous global nuclear standoff.
Sixteen Democratic-led states file lawsuit against Trump’s national emergency
By Eric London, 21 February 2019
As the faction fight in the ruling class intensifies, the legal question the courts will answer is: can the president usurp the powers of the legislature?
Trump regime targets “loser teachers” in red-baiting tirade
By Nancy Hanover, 21 February 2019
Speaking in El Paso last week, Donald Trump, Jr. launched into a vicious McCarthyite attack on public school teachers, one of a series of anti-socialist diatribes by the administration.
Bernie Sanders announces 2020 presidential campaign
By Niles Niemuth, 20 February 2019
The senator from Vermont is reprising his role as a lightning rod to contain and defuse social opposition amid an upsurge of the international class struggle and growing interest in socialism.
US media passes over in silence Trump’s fascistic diatribe in Miami
By Bill Van Auken, 20 February 2019
To the extent that the corporate media reported the speech it was limited to foreign policy and electoral calculations, ignoring the echoes of 1930s fascism in Trump’s remarks.
Trump declares global war on socialism
By Bill Van Auken, 19 February 2019
The presentation of Trump’s presidency as a global—and domestic—crusade against socialism resurrected the kind of language that characterized not only McCarthyism, but the rise of fascism in the first half of the 20th century.
Trump threatens Alec Baldwin, calls for “retribution” against NBC
By Barry Grey, 19 February 2019
There is no precedent in US presidential history for such a direct incitement of violence against a public personality.
Following national emergency declaration
White House pushes for rapid border wall construction
By Patrick Martin, 18 February 2019
Trump’s White House aide Stephen Miller told Fox News the goal was to build more than 200 miles of wall before the 2020 election.
ICE raids terrorize immigrants across the US Southwest
By Norisa Diaz, 18 February 2019
A five-day immigration sweep in Southern California targeting 122 businesses has led to the arrest of 212 immigrants.
Trump adviser John Bolton to conduct pre-election visit to Australia
By Mike Head, 18 February 2019
One of Washington’s most vocal war hawks will arrive in the midst of a political crisis and on the eve of the federal election.
Former FBI deputy director confirms FBI, Justice officials discussed removing Trump
By Barry Grey, 16 February 2019
In his “60 Minutes” interview, McCabe confirms the existence of a plot within the FBI and Justice Department to overturn the results of the 2016 presidential election.
No agreement on US-China trade with talks to continue
By Nick Beams, 16 February 2019
The next round will be virtually the last chance to reach a formal agreement before March 1, after which the US will increase tariffs—from 10 to 25 percent—on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
No More Deaths volunteers prosecuted for providing humanitarian aid to migrants
By Anthony del Olmo, 16 February 2019
The targeting of humanitarian aid groups is a warning that no one will be spared in the administration’s fascistic attack on immigrants.
Trump’s state of emergency
A step towards presidential dictatorship
By Patrick Martin, 16 February 2019
No American president has so flagrantly usurped the constitutional prerogative of Congress to decide how public funds are to be spent.
War summit in Warsaw
By Bill Van Auken, 15 February 2019
While Netanyahu’s statement that this week’s conference in Warsaw was called to discuss “war with Iran” was treated by the media as a gaffe, it was nothing of the kind.
As Congress enacts huge “border security” bill
Trump to declare national emergency to build wall
By Patrick Martin, 15 February 2019
The emergency declaration is an authoritarian move that overrides the constitutional separation of powers, elevating the executive branch above the legislative.
Uncertainty hangs over US border deal as shutdown deadline nears
By Patrick Martin, 14 February 2019
President Trump has not yet guaranteed that he will sign the deal to provide $1.375 billion to fund his planned border wall.
As China-US trade deadline nears
Global economic war intensifies
By Nick Beams, 12 February 2019
Prospects for a US-China trade deal took a blow last Thursday when US President Donald Trump ruled out a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping before the expiration of a March 1 deadline.
US navy challenges China in the South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 12 February 2019
The intrusion by two US destroyers is designed to send a menacing message to China as trade talks begin in Beijing on a deal to avert escalating US trade war measures.
Oppose the Democrats’ #MeToo witch-hunt against Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax
By Barry Grey, 11 February 2019
Once again, unsubstantiated and dubious sexual allegations are being used in a #MeToo operation driven by a right-wing political agenda.
Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage detained by ICE agents in “targeted operation”
By Nick Barrickman, 11 February 2019
The 26-year-old Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph is facing “removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts” for overstaying a temporary residency visa that expired in 2006.
Brazil’s Workers Party praises imperialist officials and Brazilian military involved in Venezuela regime change operation
By Miguel Andrade, 9 February 2019
As it feigns opposition to regime change in Venezuela, the PT has sent representatives to meet EU leaders who have been at the forefront of the siege of the country.
The working class and socialism
By Andre Damon, 9 February 2019
Trump’s denunciation of socialism in his State of the Union speech reflects the ruling class’s fear over the growth of the class struggle within the United States.
US commander says Pentagon prepared to intervene to defend Venezuela embassy
By Bill Van Auken, 8 February 2019
Testifying before the Senate Thursday, SOUTHCOM chief Admiral Faller linked the Venezuelan coup to the “great power” conflict with China and Russia.
Canada mobilizes support for US coup in Venezuela
By Keith Jones, 8 February 2019
Canada is front and center in Washington’s drive to install a virulent right-wing regime that will throw open the country to unbridled imperialist exploitation.
US-China trade talks to resume as deadline nears
By Nick Beams, 8 February 2019
While the Trump administration put a degree of positive “spin” on last month’s discussions, little progress has been reported on the key US demands.
State of Fear: Trump unleashes tirade against socialism
By Patrick Martin, 6 February 2019
The president’s claims of an economic “miracle” were belied by his denunciations of rising public support for socialism within the United States.
US issues new threats of war for oil against Venezuela
By Eric London, 4 February 2019
A military intervention in Venezuela—population 30 million—could kill hundreds of thousands or even millions of people and transform Latin America into an imperialist slaughterhouse.
Private contract workers left without pay following federal government shutdown
By Nick Barrickman, 4 February 2019
The plight of contract workers is a further exposure of the right-wing role of the federal employee unions.
As Trump threatens national emergency
Democrats offer increased spending for border policing
By Barry Grey, 2 February 2019
Even as Trump reiterated his threat to assume emergency powers, the Democrats made clear their support for the further militarization of the border.
No deal reached at US-China trade meeting
By Nick Beams, 2 February 2019
A statement issued by the White House at the conclusion of the discussions said Trump had reiterated that the US will increase tariffs unless an outcome is reached.
The US scraps the INF treaty: Another step toward nuclear war
By Andre Damon, 2 February 2019
The US withdrawal from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty marks a major escalation of US efforts to prop up its hegemony through military means.
Immigrants in US subjected to nasal force-feeding at ICE detention center
By Patrick Martin, 1 February 2019
The Trump administration has imported the savage tortures carried out at Guantanamo Bay and other CIA prisons, for use against immigrants and refugees.
US “Worldwide Threat Assessment” takes aim at China
By Andre Damon, 1 February 2019
The annual report reflects a bipartisan escalation of US efforts to block China’s economic, military and technological development.
US escalates threats against Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 1 February 2019
US officials have made no secret that control over Venezuelan oil, and its denial to Russia and China, are the driving force of the coup.
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