The Trump Presidency
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.
Chicago police to be deputized as federal immigration agents
By Kylie Rose and Andy Thompson, 20 January 2020
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says it will use the Chicago Police Department to enforce federal immigration laws.
US official delivers Trump’s threatening message to Sri Lankan president
By K. Ratnayake, 20 January 2020
Sri Lanka is a key focus of intensifying rivalry between US and India, on one hand, and China and Russia, on the other.
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.
US and UK clash over Huawei involvement in 5G rollout
By Robert Stevens, 18 January 2020
The rollout of 5G broadband wireless networks globally is becoming an arena for the eruption of geopolitical tensions.
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.
Virginia declares state of emergency barring guns at State Capitol ahead of far-right rally
By Harvey Simpkins, 17 January 2020
According to the governor’s executive order thousands of “advocates” will be descending on the city, many armed, with the intent to engage in “violence, rioting, and insurrection.”
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.
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.
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.
Iran admits to inadvertently shooting down Ukraine International Airlines jet, killing 176
By Jordan Shilton and Keith Jones, 13 January 2020
The felling of Flight 752 came amid a war crisis fomented by Washington’s campaign of “maximum pressure” on Tehran and its January 3 assassination of Suleimani.
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.
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.
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.
German government defends US war drive against Iran
By Johannes Stern, 10 January 2020
Having previously defended the US assassination of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, an illegal act of state terror, Berlin condemned Iran’s retaliatory strike.
New Zealand government backs US provocations against Iran
By Tom Peters, 10 January 2020
New Zealand’s Labour Party-led government has backed the US assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Suleimani and refused to withdraw NZ troops from Iraq.
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.
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.
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.
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.
As millions march in Tehran, US steps up military build-up against Iran
By Patrick Martin, 7 January 2020
As millions in Iran mourn the murder of General Qassem Suleimani, President Trump is assembling the forces for much greater crimes.
The US propaganda machine justifies the assassination of Qassem Suleimani
By Andre Damon and David North, 7 January 2020
To present with any degree of honesty the life of Major General Qassem Suleimani would require acknowledging the criminal role the United States has played in subverting the interests of the people of Iran and the entire Middle East for upwards of 70 years.
European governments defend US state terrorism following assassination of Iranian General Suleimani
By Peter Schwarz, 7 January 2020
While the European governments have called for de-escalation, they have refused to condemn as a war crime the targeted killing of a high-ranking representative of a sovereign country.
US assassination of Suleimani staggers Turkish government
By Ulas Atesci, 7 January 2020
The Turkish government took 10 hours to react to this illegal act of war carried out by its decades-long NATO ally.
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.
Maduro government ousts Guaidó as speaker of the Venezuelan National Assembly
By Andrea Lobo, 7 January 2020
The move to sideline the opposition is largely based on calculations that it can exploit the war crisis in the Middle East and growing popular opposition to the lawlessness of US foreign policy.
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.
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.
Washington escalates Mideast war threat with strikes on Iraq, Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 31 December 2019
Sunday’s airstrikes are part of an increasingly reckless US imperialist intervention in the region directed against Iran.
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?
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.
The US sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the danger of World War III
By Peter Schwarz, 31 December 2019
The decision by the US Congress to impose sanctions on companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline underscores the danger of world war.
Edward Gallagher, Donald Trump and America’s criminal wars
By Patrick Martin, 30 December 2019
A new report documents the gruesome record of the Navy Seal commander Trump has praised and pardoned.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
One day after impeachment: Democrats back Trump trade, budget bills
By Patrick Martin, 20 December 2019
One day after the US House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against President Trump, the House passed Trump’s top policy priority for 2019, the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, by a massive bipartisan margin.
Federal judge rules US government is entitled to seize proceeds from Edward Snowden’s book sales and speaking fees
By Kevin Reed, 20 December 2019
A federal court ruled Tuesday in favor of the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking all proceeds from the whistleblower’s recent memoir Permanent Record.
Right-wing campaigns in Georgia and Wisconsin purge half a million registered voters
By Jacob Crosse, 20 December 2019
The continued assault on democratic rights by the ruling class has led to millions of disenfranchised voters.
The impeachment crisis
A plague on both political parties
By Patrick Martin and Andre Damon, 19 December 2019
Despite the ferocity of conflict over impeachment, the Democrats and Republicans represent the twin imperatives of American imperialism: the drive toward war and fascistic authoritarianism.
Trump makes fascistic appeal in impeachment letter
By Andre Damon, 18 December 2019
While Trump is seeking to exploit the impeachment to rally a right-wing movement, the Democratic Party is fearful of and hostile to mobilizing mass popular opposition to Trump.
CIA Democrats back CIA-led impeachment
By Patrick Martin, 17 December 2019
Ten out of eleven newly elected representatives with military-intelligence backgrounds have publicly backed impeachment.
US military academies investigating use of “white power” hand gesture during annual Army-Navy football game
By Kevin Reed, 17 December 2019
The likely open use of the white power symbol by Army and Navy cadets is an indication of the growth of fascistic elements within the US military.
Democrats combine impeachment and collaboration with Trump
By Patrick Martin, 16 December 2019
In the midst of the impeachment inquiry, congressional Democrats are collaborating with Trump on trade war, attacks on immigrants, and a massive military build-up.
US-China deal a new phase in global trade war
By Nick Beams, 16 December 2019
In the longer term, the US wrecking operation against the World Trade Organisation is probably the most significant action in the global trade war.
Homeland Security memo exposes appalling medical mistreatment of immigrants in US custody
By Kate Randall, 14 December 2019
Men, women and children have been subject to delayed treatment for medical and mental health conditions, unnecessary surgeries, forcible medication, and other mistreatment resulting in unnecessary suffering and death.
Southern Poverty Law Center report highlights abusive conditions in US immigration detention centers
By Adam Mclean, 14 December 2019
The report was based on a comprehensive study of four adult immigrant detention facilities in southern Florida.
US tests INF-banned missile after Democrats rubber-stamp Trump’s nuclear build-up
By Andre Damon, 14 December 2019
The test comes just days after congressional Democrats voted for a massive military spending bill that stripped out language limiting the development of dangerous new nuclear weapons.
House Judiciary Committee votes to approve articles of impeachment against Trump
By Barry Grey, 13 December 2019
The debate has underscored the right-wing basis of the Democrats’ impeachment drive.
Boeing executives must be tried for murder
By Bryan Dyne, 13 December 2019
Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration were well aware of deadly safety problems of the 737 Max 8 aircraft that cost 346 human lives.
US announces ”in principle” agreement on “phase one” US-China trade deal
By Nick Beams, 13 December 2019
Any reduction in US tariffs, will be accompanied by a so-called “snapback” provision under which they would be immediately re-imposed if it is determined that China is not abiding by its side of the deal
Pentagon chiefs say US troops to stay in Syria for years
By Bill Van Auken, 13 December 2019
Less than two months after Trump’s demagogic announcement of a full withdrawal from Syria, the US military has made clear that it has no plans to leave.
Warrant targeting Assange supporter reveals scope of US government campaign against WikiLeaks
By Oscar Grenfell, 13 December 2019
As part of the FBI probe into supposed Russian interference in the 2016 US election, the entire contents of a Google account belonging to Somerset Bean, a WikiLeaks supporter and graphic designer, was subpoenaed by the American government.
The impeachment crisis and its political consequences
By Andre Damon, 12 December 2019
Regardless of the its final outcome in the House and Senate, the impeachment proceedings will have reactionary and dangerous repercussions.
US renews insults and threats against North Korea
By Peter Symonds, 12 December 2019
The Trump administration has made clear that it has no intention of meeting North Korea’s end-of-year deadline for meaningful talks, thus setting the stage for confrontation and conflict.
Trump signs executive order aimed at suppressing criticism of Israel
By Niles Niemuth, 12 December 2019
The purpose of the order signed Wednesday is to squelch free speech at publicly funded universities, targeting in particular the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Democrats release articles of impeachment against Trump on “national security” grounds
By Andre Damon, 11 December 2019
The articles of impeachment assert that the president “betrayed the nation” and “compromised the national security of the United States” by temporarily delaying military aid to Ukraine.
Report unmasks FBI intervention in 2016 elections
By Patrick Martin, 10 December 2019
The real threat to American democracy comes from the national-security state and the capitalist ruling elite, not from any foreign country.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
House Democrats begin next phase of impeachment drive
By Patrick Martin, 3 December 2019
The White House is refusing to participate in the first formal impeachment hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, set for Wednesday.
Iranian government kills hundreds in bid to suppress the worst protests in decades
By Jean Shaoul, 3 December 2019
There is no doubt that the US, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf monarchies and Israel are seeking to exploit the escalating crisis confronting Iran.
The DSA on impeachment or: How the DSA learned to stop worrying and love Bolton
By Genevieve Leigh, 3 December 2019
The Democratic Socialists of America has given its full support to the impeachment campaign, lining up behind John Bolton and the other reactionaries promoted by the Democratic Party.
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.
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.
Trump threatens to designate Mexican cartels as “terrorists”
By Andrea Lobo, 28 November 2019
The step would set the stage for direct US military interventions in Mexico, while pressuring the Mexican government to escalate militarized repression of social opposition.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
US, EU gave over $20 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine since 2014
By Patrick Martin, 21 November 2019
Testimony at the final impeachment hearing confirmed the massive scale of imperialist operations in Ukraine, aimed at undermining and attacking Russia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Former US Secretary of State Kissinger points to danger of “catastrophic” conflict between US and China
By Nick Beams, 16 November 2019
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has warned of an inevitable “conflict” between the US and China that “will be worse than the world wars that ruined European civilisation.”
Seeking to cultivate fascistic base, Trump pardons two war criminals and promotes a third
By Evan Blake, 16 November 2019
Trump’s unprecedented pardoning of war criminals highlights the authoritarian character of his administration.
The Trump impeachment and US policy in Ukraine
By Patrick Martin, 16 November 2019
The public hearings on impeachment have brought to light bitter recriminations within the US ruling elite sparked by the failure of its anti-Russia efforts in Ukraine.
Popular resistance mounts against Bolivian coup
By Andrea Lobo, 15 November 2019
Thousands of workers and peasants in Bolivia’s capital of La Paz, the neighboring district of El Alto and in Cochabamba have taken to the streets in defiance of police-military repression.
Leaked emails reveal Trump aide Stephen Miller’s fascist politics
By Trévon Austin, 15 November 2019
Emails published by the Southern Poverty Law Center show Stephen Miller, White House senior adviser in charge of immigration policy, espousing racist views and promoting white supremacist and neo-Nazi publications.
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