United States
As neo-Nazis head to Richmond, Trump boosts gun-rights rally
By Patrick Martin, 20 January 2020
The president’s tweet is a declaration of solidarity with ultra-right forces on the eve of his impeachment trial.
Tesla under investigation by US government for defect that caused over 100 crashes
By Jessica Goldstein, 20 January 2020
The serious allegations of safety problems with Tesla’s vehicles and the suffering of the workers who build them are bound up with the subordination of the means of production to the capitalist system.
#MeToo provocation against Bernie Sanders organized by CNN and Elizabeth Warren
By David Walsh, 20 January 2020
This is a political stink bomb, borrowed from the #MeToo playbook, typical of American politics in its putrefaction.
Amid poverty wages and tax cuts for the rich
JPMorgan Chase records the biggest profit of any bank in US history
By Gabriel Black, 18 January 2020
The profit bonanza on Wall Street is the outcome of a bipartisan drive to enrich the financial elite at the expense of the working class.
Rich in US and UK live nearly ten more healthy years than the poor
By Kate Randall, 18 January 2020
Wealthy men and women generally have eight to nine more years of “disability free” life after age 50 than the poorest American and English adults.
Detroit, Michigan man declared innocent and released after nearly 30 years of wrongful imprisonment
By Dan Conway, 18 January 2020
Gerry Thomas, exonerated after spending close to three decades in prison, is one of thousands who have and are currently spending time in US prisons for crimes they did not commit.
New UAW Ford director part of union’s narrow inner circle
By Shannon Jones, 18 January 2020
The appointment of UAW Region 1D director Gerald Kariem to head the union’s Ford department elevates another long-time bureaucrat into the top leadership.
Snowplow operators in northeastern Minnesota begin strike over benefits
By Anthony Bertolt, 18 January 2020
The county government’s proposal would slash sick leave by nearly half for new hires and create a two-tiered benefit system dividing young and old workers.
Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning novel, The Friend: One form of contemporary misanthropy
By James McDonald, 18 January 2020
A novel about a middle-aged writing instructor whose recently deceased friend and mentor has bequeathed her his enormous Great Dane.
The impeachment trial begins as Trump escalates fascistic appeals
By Patrick Martin, 17 January 2020
The Democratic impeachment process will not stop Trump’s increasingly blatant assault on the constitutional foundations of basic democratic rights.
Trump administration to illegally divert an additional $7.2 billion to border wall construction
By Jacob Crosse, 17 January 2020
For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is diverting congressional appropriated funds in violation of the Constitution.
Trump seeks to roll back environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects
By Daniel de Vries, 17 January 2020
The administration announced a proposal to upend longstanding environmental law requiring the government to document environmental impacts.
House forwards impeachment articles, triggering Senate trial of President Trump
By Barry Grey, 16 January 2020
The onset of the Senate trial takes place in the context of an explosive political and social crisis and internal warfare within the American state without parallel since the Civil War.
Mideast war threat overshadows Democratic debate
By Patrick Martin, 16 January 2020
All six candidates—including the nominal “socialist” Bernie Sanders—criticized Trump’s actions from the standpoint of advocating a more carefully considered strategy to advance the interests of American imperialism.
US-China trade deal leaves basic conflict festering
By Mike Head, 16 January 2020
The “phase one” pact does not address the core demands issued by Washington for the wholesale restructuring of the Chinese economy.
Mass abstention as union pushes through New York City transit contract
By Alan Whyte, 16 January 2020
The vast majority of New York City transit workers boycotted a vote on a concessions contact backed by the Transport Workers Union.
Northern Virginia transit union officials announce tentative deal with private bus contractor to end bus drivers’ strike
By Nick Barrickman, 16 January 2020
The Amalgamated Transit Union's information blackout and its rush to force a vote are clear indications that the agreed-upon deal is a sellout.
“Why should we follow these politicians who want us to kill each other for corporate profits?”
US workers denounce war threats against Iran
By our reporters, 15 January 2020
Three decades of disastrous wars have produced popular skepticism to the official propaganda machine and opposition to the launching of new wars.
As refugees from earthquakes increase, Puerto Rican authorities prioritize repressive measures
By Andrea Lobo, 15 January 2020
With thousands losing or fleeing their homes, afraid that they will collapse, the response by local authorities and US government has been marked by callous austerity and fears of social unrest.
”We don’t trust any government institution”
Puerto Ricans speak out against government corruption as earthquake disaster unfolds
By Kayla Costa, 15 January 2020
Workers and youth spoke to the WSWS about the relation of government negligence to widespread corruption, the similar response after Hurricane Maria, and the defense of profit interests before human need.
Workers at Cleveland Public Library cast near-unanimous vote to authorize strike action
By Isaac Finn, 15 January 2020
The vote took place only a few days after the previous three-year contract negotiated between the SEIU and CPL administration expired on December 31.
Trump exploits Iran war crisis to incite violence against political opponents
By Barry Grey, 15 January 2020
Following Trump’s order for the murder of Iranian General Suleimani, his denunciations of political opponents for “taking the side of terrorists” can only be interpreted as a threat of violence.
“The saddest part of this is that the response of the Times is simply to defend their project”
An interview with historian Clayborne Carson on the New York Times’ 1619 Project
By Tom Mackaman, 15 January 2020
Professor Carson is professor of history at Stanford University and director of its Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. He is the author and editor of numerous books on King and the civil rights movement.
Sanders’ rise in polls alarms Democratic political establishment
By Patrick Martin, 14 January 2020
The increased support for the Vermont senator is linked to mounting antiwar sentiment in the midst of the Iran crisis.
After two crashes that killed 346 people
Fired CEO Dennis Muilenburg gets $80.7 million on exit from Boeing
By Bryan Dyne, 13 January 2020
The aerospace giant allocated only $50 million to compensate the 346 families who lost loved ones in the two Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes, $144,500 for each life lost.
House Democrats to forward Trump impeachment articles, setting stage for Senate trial
By Patrick Martin, 13 January 2020
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the next step would be taken Tuesday at a meeting of the House Democratic caucus.
Thousands displaced as Puerto Rico enters third straight week of relentless earthquakes
By Zac Corrigan, 13 January 2020
The earthquakes have compounded the social and economic crisis, with many residents still suffering from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the criminal government indifference that followed.
Working through injuries, bomb threats and tornadoes: Amazon workers describe conditions at Spartanburg, South Carolina warehouse
By Tom Carter, 13 January 2020
According to OSHA, there were 57 injuries last year at the GSP1 facility—but Amazon workers suspect the real number is higher.
Strikebreaking operation directed at workers in plant near Pittsburgh
By Samual Davidson, 13 January 2020
Management at a metal fabricating plant near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have begun hiring scabs to replace 90 members of the United Auto Workers, on strike since September.
GM layoff of 240 temps exposes UAW’s bogus “pathway” to full-time positions
By Tom Hall, 13 January 2020
This move reveals the pattern for the future: a small trickle of temps hired in, with the rest strung out on a nearly unattainable “pathway” before being disposed of.
Rank-and-file teachers in San Diego County initiate fight against layoffs and school cuts
By Evelyn Rios, 13 January 2020
After union-sanctioned mass layoffs, San Diego area teachers call for rank-and-file committees in every school to mobilize students, parents and workers to defend hundreds of educators' jobs.
Washington, D.C., political establishment blocks minimum wage increase for city’s tipped workers
By Douglas Lyons and Nick Barrickman, 13 January 2020
Analysis of the past two District election cycles found that restaurant industry lobbyists contributed more than $236,000 in total to the campaigns of the Democratic mayor as well as multiple city council members.
The assassination of Qassem Suleimani and the criminalization of US state policy
By Andre Damon, 13 January 2020
The normalization of extrajudicial killing is the outcome of the “war on terror” and decades of continuous war.
US and Israel escalate Middle East tensions in wake of Suleimani assassination
By Bill Van Auken, 11 January 2020
A report that Washington attempted to assassinate a second Iranian official in Yemen has given the lie to the claim that Suleimani was killed to prevent an “imminent” attack.
After millions march against US imperialism in the Middle East
Trump boasts of “executing” Iranian General Suleimani in Ohio campaign speech
By Barry Grey, 11 January 2020
Trump’s biggest asset is his nominal political opposition, the Democratic Party.
Boston area professor fired after anti-Trump Facebook posting
By Dan Conway, 11 January 2020
Asheen Phansey lost his career over statements made in jest, while Trump and his enablers in the Democratic Party make real threats against Iran without any consequences.
Denied US entry, asylum seeker takes his own life on US-Mexico border bridge
By Norisa Diaz, 11 January 2020
The suicide of Jesús García Serna casts light on the dire conditions facing the migrants being turned away from the US southern border.
Surveillance video outside Jeffrey Epstein’s cell during first “suicide attempt” deleted
By Kevin Reed, 11 January 2020
The loss of the video from July 23 lends further credence to the explanation that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered rather than killed himself.
Mack Trucks to layoff 305 workers at Allentown, Pennsylvania factory
By Steve Filips, 11 January 2020
The announcement comes only months after the UAW’s betrayal of the Mack Truck strike last year.
US and Australia ready another “regime-change” operation in Solomon Islands
By Patrick O’Connor, 11 January 2020
American and Australian officials had exerted considerable efforts to dissuade Sogavare from aligning with China, and reacted with fury to his diplomatic switch away from Taiwan.
Bernie Sanders says “some wars are necessary”
By Tom Hall, 11 January 2020
Sanders’ stated opposition to Trump’s threatened war in Iran is a political trap being set for workers and youth.
Bombshell invents a ruling-class hero
By Erik Schreiber, 11 January 2020
To present former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly as a truth-teller and role model, Bombshell minimizes Kelly’s right-wing views and largely ignores her employer’s role in promoting them.
The Democrats pass Pelosi’s phony antiwar resolution
By Patrick Martin, 10 January 2020
On Thursday, House Democrats backed a “concurrent” resolution that places no meaningful restrictions on Trump’s ability to launch a war against Iran.
Corruption investigation targets newly installed UAW president Rory Gamble
By Shannon Jones, 10 January 2020
According to press reports Gamble and Settles may be linked to bribes paid by businessman Jason Gordon in exchange for the award of contracts for merchandise.
US alcohol-related deaths doubled between 1999 and 2017
By Kate Randall, 10 January 2020
The increase in alcohol deaths—along with other “deaths of despair,” including those from opioids and suicides—has contributed to a decrease in life expectancy in the US, which fell each year from 2015 to 2017.
Trump administration initiated program to deport Mexican asylum seekers to Guatemala
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 10 January 2020
The deportations were already under way when the story broke Monday; however, the Trump administration has since paused the program, in part due to the strong criticism from immigration advocates as well as within federal agencies.
Chelsea Clinton’s millions and the American aristocracy
By Sam Dalton, 10 January 2020
Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, reaps millions through her family’s connections with the super-rich.
Florida teachers to rally January 13 against attacks on public education
By Matthew MacEgan and Nancy Hanover, 10 January 2020
Next Monday, thousands of angry educators will descend upon Florida’s state capitol, Tallahassee, to protest the conditions of the state’s public education system.
Central banks losing firepower to counter recession
By Nick Beams, 9 January 2020
The key message from the annual meeting of the American Economic Association last weekend was that central banks do not have the tools to cope with a world of low inflation and low interest rates.
UN rapporteur Nils Melzer condemns US torture of Chelsea Manning
By Oscar Grenfell, 9 January 2020
In a statement responding to Melzer’s finding, the courageous whistleblower declared: “Even knowing I am very likely to stay in jail for an even longer time, I’m never backing down.”
Trump administration begins collecting DNA from detained immigrants
By Kevin Reed, 9 January 2020
The new policy violates Fourth Amendment rights and is the first step in the establishment of a law enforcement biometric database for the entire population.
Another Kentucky coal company refuses to pay miners
By Samuel Davidson, 9 January 2020
Following the pattern of Blackjewel, Perry County Coal Company has refused to give miners their final paycheck and money for unused vacation days.
Trump bides his time, but the preparations for war against Iran will continue
By Bill Van Auken and David North, 9 January 2020
The media falsely claims that Trump’s failure to order immediate strikes against Iran signals an opening for peace.
Harvey Weinstein criminal trial begins amid media frenzy
By Eric London, 9 January 2020
At stake in Weinstein’s prosecution is the fundamental due process right to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial by an untainted jury.
Iran strikes US bases in Iraq as Pentagon deploys B-52 bombers
By Bill Van Auken, 8 January 2020
In evident preparation for full-scale war, the Pentagon has dispatched a bomber strike force consisting of six B-52 heavy bombers to the US military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
Earthquake strikes Puerto Rico, killing one and knocking out power to the island
By Rafael Azul, 8 January 2020
Tuesday’s 6.4 magnitude quake was the most severe among numerous seismic events along an underwater fault line in recent days, marking the most damaging wave of tremors in more than a century.
House and Senate deadlocked over Trump impeachment trial
By Barry Grey, 8 January 2020
It was the decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine, which is fighting a US proxy war against Russian-backed separatists, that triggered a furious conflict within the state and the Trump administration itself.
Boeing, reversing its stance, recommends simulator training for 737 Max 8 pilots
By Bryan Dyne, 8 January 2020
The airplane manufacturer’s reversal highlights its culpability in previously opposing simulator training, even after two deadly crashes of 737 Max commercial jets that took a combined total of 346 lives.
Lessons of the US autoworkers’ struggle of 2019
By Tom Hall, 8 January 2020
The sellout contracts imposed by the United Auto Workers on GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler workers has set the stage for new and more explosive struggles.
Iranian-Americans detained at US-Canada border in wake of Suleimani assassination
By Benjamin Mateus, 7 January 2020
More than 60 US citizens were held at a border crossing in Washington state Saturday, subject to illegal detention and interrogation before being allowed to return to their own country.
CBS’ “60 Minutes” program raises questions on death of Jeffrey Epstein
By Kevin Reed, 7 January 2020
A “60 Minutes” segment reveals new evidence about the death of the multi-millionaire sex offender consistent with suspicions that he was murdered and did not commit suicide.
Settlement reached in lawsuit against Detroit killer cops in Damon Grimes case
By Tyler van Dyke and Tom Hall, 7 January 2020
The family of Damon Grimes, a Detroit teen who died in an ATV crash after police tasered him from a moving vehicle, received a $12 million settlement.
Two workers die in Texas while cleaning chemical tank
By Dan Conway, 6 January 2020
Shawn Jarmail Brown and Sidarieub Lozano died after becoming overwhelmed by fumes as they cleaned out a truck-mounted chemical tank at a facility near Houston, Texas, on December 28.
Oppose Trump’s criminal war against Iran!
By The International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, 6 January 2020
Trump’s provocation of a war with Iran is an attempt to find a way out of the increasingly desperate crisis of American capitalism—international and domestic—through spectacular acts of violence.
Trump’s anti-asylum “Remain in Mexico” policy to expand to Arizona
By Adam Mclean, 4 January 2020
Immigrants seeking asylum at the border city of Nogales, Arizona, will be turned back and left to fend for themselves on the southern side of the border.
UAW capitulates to Harvard, shuts down grad student strike
By Kate Randall, 4 January 2020
The shutdown of the strike is a complete capitulation by the UAW, which exploited the genuine anger of graduate student workers over their exploitation by Harvard in a nearly month-long stunt that achieved virtually nothing.
The murder of Qassem Suleimani and assassination as state policy
By Bill Van Auken, 4 January 2020
In a reckless and criminal act, the Trump administration has effectively declared war on Iran, threatening to drag the whole world into a catastrophic conflict.
Black Mirror Season 5: The elephants in the room
By Zac Corrigan, 4 January 2020
The central theme of the series, one of the most watched of the past decade, is the supposed dark side of technological development.
US assassinates top Iranian general as 4,000 troops readied for Iraq intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 3 January 2020
The umbrella group for Iraq’s Shia militias reported Friday morning that a US-targeted assassination at Baghdad airport killed Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani.
Trump sets date for signing of “phase one” trade deal with China
By Nick Beams, 3 January 2020
The signing of the “phase one” deal would not bring an end to the US trade war against China launched in May 2018 but is merely a limited truce.
Three African migrants die in US custody during Christmas and New Year holidays
By Kevin Reed, 3 January 2020
The growing number of deaths shows that the mistreatment of immigrants by the US government is not incidental but deliberate.
Senator Bernie Sanders leads preliminary Democratic fundraising totals for fourth quarter and all of 2019
By Patrick Martin, 3 January 2020
The support for Sanders shows that American population is moving to the left, even as the Democrats move further to the right.
New study shows link between auto plant closures and opioid deaths in working class America
By Jessica Goldstein, 3 January 2020
The study found a staggering 85 percent increase in opioid deaths in counties which experienced a plant closure.
Florida: James Dailey faces execution based on testimony of a serial jailhouse informant
By Kate Randall, 3 January 2020
Dailey has consistently maintained his innocence in the 1985 murder of Shelly Boggio. By the prosecution’s own admission, no eyewitnesses or forensic evidence connected him to the crime.
The impeachment crisis and US war plans against Russia
By Andre Damon, 31 December 2019
The ferocity with which the entire US national security apparatus responded to a temporary delay in sending anti-tank missiles and radar to Ukraine raises the question: Is there a timetable for using these weapons in combat against Russia?
Texas church shooting caps record year for mass killings in America
By Trévon Austin, 31 December 2019
This year has marked the most mass killings in the US since the 1970s.
Operation Relentless Pursuit: Federal agents occupying a city near you
By Jacob Crosse, 31 December 2019
As part of new law-enforcement initiative, Attorney General William Barr announced that an additional $71 million in federal funds will be allocated to seven US cities ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Hexavalent chromium contamination likely leaking onto Detroit-area freeway since 2016
By Kevin Reed, 31 December 2019
As more details emerge about the oozing of the known carcinogen from the basement of a small metal plating company over the Christmas holiday, it is becoming clear that government environmental agencies are also directly responsible.
Hasidic Jews injured in machete attack in Rockland County, New York
By Philip Guelpa, 30 December 2019
The attack Saturday was the latest in a growing number of hate crimes occurring within a climate of racial tension encouraged by both Trump and the Democrats.
“They treat us like cavemen. They don’t care if we live or die.”
Striking Arizona copper miners determined to continue fight
By Evan Blake and Jerry White, 30 December 2019
On strike for 11 weeks against Asarco LLC, the miners have shown great determination in the face of a virtual blackout by the mainstream media and pro-corporate unions.
As the Transport Workers Union attempts to push through major concessions
New York City transit workers speak out about workplace dangers and attacks on health care
By Daniel de Vries, 30 December 2019
While the TWU has tried to hide the extent of the concessions, the reality is that the agreement contains $44 million in health care and other givebacks.
Washington state legislator investigated for ties with violent far-right groups
By Kayla Costa, 30 December 2019
Representative Matthew Shea mobilized support for armed militia standoffs, and drafted a document of rules for militia-based war during his time in office.
The 1619 Project and the falsification of history: An analysis of the New York Times’ reply to five historians
By David North and Eric London, 28 December 2019
New York Times Magazine editor Jake Silverstein, reviving discredited racialist distortions of the American Revolution and Civil War, refuses to correct historical errors in the 1619 Project.
New WikiLeaks documents expose doctoring of chemical weapons report to justify 2018 US attack on Syria
By Niles Niemuth, 28 December 2019
Just as extraordinary as the leaks themselves is the complete blackout observed by the mainstream media in the United States and Europe.
Trump issues hypocritical threat over Syrian offensive
By Bill Van Auken, 28 December 2019
Syrian government troops backed by Russian air power have advanced on the last redoubt of Al Qaeda-linked militias in Idlib province.
San Diego teachers notified of looming pink slips and layoffs
By Evelyn Rios, 28 December 2019
Amidst the continued cuts by the Sweetwater Union High School District, teachers are beginning to speak out in defense of their jobs and the future of education.
Christmas Day fire in Minneapolis, Minnesota displaces more than 200
By Kate Randall, 27 December 2019
The tragedy underscores the Trump administration’s vindictive housing policy, which has cut funding for housing programs and strengthened work requirements for obtaining assistance.
“It’s just getting harder and harder to live”
Homeless in San Diego, “America’s Finest City”
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan and Ryley Koffing, 27 December 2019
San Diego has the fourth-highest number of homeless residents in the United States.
Bloomberg, Steyer spend $200 million on Democratic nomination fight
By Patrick Martin, 27 December 2019
The two billionaires combined have outspent the rest of the Democrat field three times over.
Industrial carnage in US: 5,250 workers killed on the job in 2018
By Steve Filips, 27 December 2019
Fatal on-the-job injuries in the US increased by 2 percent in 2018, according to this year’s report by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
DC Transit Authority and union approve public workers’ contract, isolating striking private transit workers
By Nick Barrickman, 27 December 2019
Despite the contract’s promise to end privatization at the transit authority, it does nothing to end the attacks on metro workers.
Trump boasts of Democrats’ backing for his assault on immigrants
By Bill Van Auken, 24 December 2019
With bipartisan support, conditions on the US-Mexico border and in detention centers for immigrants have become increasingly hellish.
Christmas 2019: More than half a million homeless in America
By Niles Niemuth, 24 December 2019
At a time when the ruling elite is celebrating the continued rise in the stock market and patting themselves on the back for historically low unemployment figures, the number of people who are being thrown out on the streets is on the rise.
“We all want justice, but not at the expense of truth”
Historian Gordon Wood responds to the New York Times’ defense of the 1619 Project
24 December 2019
The Times refused a request to correct what five leading historians described as “factual errors” which evinced “a displacement of historical understanding by ideology.” This is Professor Wood’s response.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg forced to resign
By Bryan Dyne, 24 December 2019
Muilenburg’s removal will not change the underlying drive by Boeing for ever-greater profits at the expense of human lives.
Trump slashes Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico
By Julio Patron, 24 December 2019
President Trump personally intervened in last week’s spending talks to reduce funding for Puerto Rico, which has been plagued by recession and ruthless social inequality.
Historian Victoria Bynum replies to the New York Times
A historian’s critique of the 1619 Project
By Victoria Bynum, 22 December 2019
Historian Victoria Bynum, author of Free State of Jones and distinguished emerita professor of history at Texas State University, wrote the following reply to the New York Times’ 1619 Project.
Over 1,500 steelworkers to lose their jobs as US Steel announces idling of Great Lakes Works outside of Detroit
By Jessica Goldstein, 21 December 2019
The attack on steel industry jobs is part of a worldwide assault on manufacturing jobs and wages as corporations seek to restructure in advance of a looming recession.
Trump signs Pentagon budget imposing new sanctions on Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 21 December 2019
The record $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act was passed with the overwhelming support of House and Senate Democrats.
Democratic debate: Candidates denounce Trump, ignore party votes for Trump’s program
By Barry Grey, 21 December 2019
The seven candidates said nothing about the fact that the impeachment of Trump was bracketed by congressional votes in which the Democratic Party endorsed Trump’s key legislative priorities.
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