World News
The “treason” charge against Donald Trump
By Bill Van Auken, 19 July 2018
The Democrats have adopted a well-worn narrative from the history of the US right, merely changing the word “communism” to “Russia”.
EU and Japan sign trade deal
By Nick Beams, 19 July 2018
The deal was five years in the making but the impetus to have it finalised was increased by the US trade war measures that have targeted both parties.
Claiming that the war on poverty has been won, Trump administration works to gut social programs
By Shelley Connor, 19 July 2018
The White House report doubles down on the one consistent theme of the Trump administration: that the poor are imagining their poverty, and that all they lack is self-sufficiency and the impetus to work.
“We should be governing ourselves in this fight”
UPS workers’ opposition grows to Teamsters sellout
By Will Morrow, 19 July 2018
The proposed deal maintains poverty level wages for part-time workers, introduces a new lower-paid “hybrid” worker, and does nothing to address unsafe working conditions.
American Federation of Teachers convention devoted to boosting Democratic Party candidates
By Nancy Hanover, 19 July 2018
In the aftermath of the biggest teachers’ strike wave in 40 years, the American Federation of Teachers bureaucracy is seeking to head off a militant movement and defend its interests by promoting the Democrats in the mid-term elections.
General strike and ongoing protests in Panama against electricity rate hike
By Andrea Lobo, 19 July 2018
As militancy grows among construction workers, teachers and the public sector as a whole, the trade unions are struggling to contain social opposition against new rate hikes and social austerity.
Fascist assault on UK union leader Steve Hedley
By Julie Hyland, 19 July 2018
The brutal assault on Steve Hedley, assistant general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union by fascist thugs on Saturday is an outrage.
Australia’s new espionage laws target whistleblowers and political opponents
By Mike Head, 19 July 2018
The “anti-interference” legislation goes far beyond spying by foreign agents.
Amid silence from Democrats on attacks on immigrants
Trump moves to restrict asylum
By Alec Andersen, 19 July 2018
While the Democrats and the media are obsessing over Trump’s supposed pro-Russian “treason,” the administration is escalating its assault on the right to asylum.
Spain’s Socialist Party prepares new austerity budget, boosts military spending
By Alejandro López, 19 July 2018
The social democrats’ proposals to slow the pace of austerity reflect fear of a social rebellion by workers and youth amid a growing strike wave in Spain.
Australian PM promotes racist campaign over “African gangs”
By Oscar Grenfell, 19 July 2018
Malcolm Turnbull’s remarks are part of a broader attempt to whip up nationalism and anti-immigrant xenophobia.
Socialist candidate for Congress Niles Niemuth submits thousands of signatures for ballot access in Michigan
By our reporter, 19 July 2018
Niles Niemuth, the Socialist Equality Party's candidate for US congress, formally filed for ballot access Wednesday, submitting nearly 6,000 signatures from residents of Michigan's 12th district.
Sri Lankan SEP member Mohamdiramlage Chandrasiri (1955–2018)
By Wimal Fernando, 19 July 2018
Retired bank worker Chandrasiri will always be remembered for his selfless dedication to Trotskyism, the rights of the working class and the building of the SEP.
In South Africa speech deploring “exploding inequality”
Obama boasts: “I’m surprised how much money I got”
By Barry Grey, 19 July 2018
Obama may be surprised at his recent entry into the American financial oligarchy, but it’s not for lack of effort on his part to “join the club.”
UK: May government in meltdown over Brexit
By Robert Stevens, 18 July 2018
May’s attempted compromise over Brexit has blown up, due not simply to events in Britain, but also to the antagonisms between the US and Europe.
California Democratic Party leadership snubs Feinstein in reelection bid
By Dan Conway, 18 July 2018
The California Democratic Party leadership endorsed Senator Dianne Feinstein’s opponent, State Senator Kevin de Leon, although Feinstein is still heavily favored in the November election.
Intelligence inquiry whitewashes New Zealand’s spying in the Pacific
By John Braddock, 18 July 2018
The inquiry was part of a damage limitation campaign following revelations by Edward Snowden.
Australia: Another fire at Melbourne recycling plant
By Eric Ludlow, 18 July 2018
Toxic blazes continue to erupt at Australian recycling plants as companies stockpile tonnes of dangerous waste material.
US-backed Iraqi government guns down protesting workers
By Patrick Martin, 17 July 2018
Mass protests have erupted across southern and central Iraq over unemployment, the cutoff of electricity and running water, and the lack of opportunity for young people.
After Helsinki, Democrats incite “deep state” action against Trump
By Bill Van Auken, 17 July 2018
Trump’s appearance alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki unleashed a wave of denunciations from Democrats and the media, with former top intelligence officials calling for his ouster.
As protests continue, Chicago police release footage of Harith Augustus’ murder
By our reporters, 17 July 2018
The footage was released very quickly, against official protocol, as the city attempts to defuse popular anger over the shooting and police aggression towards protesters.
Wall Street celebrates Teamsters deal with UPS
By Kayla Costa, 17 July 2018
UPS workers are in a direct fight with the Teamsters union, which is seeking to impose management’s dictates and defend the financial interests of the union executives.
As Jeff Bezos’ wealth reaches $150 billion
Unions strangle strike efforts by European Amazon workers on Prime Day
By Will Morrow and Genevieve Leigh, 17 July 2018
Prime Day is treated as a virtual public holiday by the corporate media, akin to Black Friday, but it is synonymous with increased exploitation for Amazon and other shipping workers.
Vermont Medical Center nurses fight low pay and understaffing
By Mike Ingram, 17 July 2018
Nurses at the University of Vermont Medical Center held a 48-hour strike last week after months of stalled negotiations for a new contract.
Pharmaceutical distributors flooded Missouri with opioids
By Shelley Connor, 17 July 2018
A Senate report found that three pharmaceutical companies shipped a total of 1.6 billion doses of opioids into Missouri between 2012 and 2017.
Families forced to rely on charity after Wisconsin explosion
By Jacob Crosse, 17 July 2018
The investigation into last week's explosion in Sun Prairie that killed one firefighter is still “ongoing,” with little information being released to the public.
Anti-Russia campaign revived in UK with alleged discovery of “novichok” in perfume bottle
By our reporter, 17 July 2018
The narrative being developed by the police is that a “container” of novichok was likely discarded by Russian state-sponsored agents who had attempted to assassinate double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4.
European powers fear loss of influence in Balkans after London summit failure
By Julie Hyland, 17 July 2018
The failure to integrate the west Balkan countries into the European Union has created opportunities for Europe's competitors.
Australian government prepares “foreign interference” prosecutions
By Mike Head, 17 July 2018
Australia’s political establishment, under mounting pressure from Washington to take a more aggressive stand against China, is already selecting targets to test the new laws.
New Zealand foreign minister: “Great Power competition is back”
By John Braddock, 17 July 2018
Peters’ speech underscored the strengthening alliance between the Labour-led government and the US in confronting China across the Asia-Pacific.
Former Pakistan PM Sharif arrested in run-up to election
By Sampath Perera, 17 July 2018
Pakistani state authorities banned all public gatherings in Sharif’s home town prior to his arrival, suspended mobile services, and deployed thousands of police and paramilitary Rangers.
Notes from the campaign trail
SEP campaign volunteers reflect on talking to thousands of workers in Michigan’s 12th District
By our reporters, 17 July 2018
Supporters and members of the SEP share their stories from campaigning to put Niles Niemuth on the November ballot for Michigan’s 12th congressional district.
SEP (Australia) holds Sydney meeting against new “foreign interference” laws
By our reporters, 17 July 2018
The Sydney meeting was the first public event held by an Australian political party against the anti-democratic legislation since it was rushed through parliament late last month.
Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand) holds online health workers’ meeting
By our reporters, 17 July 2018
The SEG’s forum, which included New Zealand and Australian workers, discussed the political lessons of the July 12 strike by 30,000 nurses, healthcare assistants and midwives.
Goodyear Mexico fires workers who attempted to form independent union
Workers Struggles: The Americas
17 July 2018
Around 50 workers from Goodyear’s San Luis Potosi factory have been fired in the wake of attempts by workers to oust the corrupt Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM).
British and Ecuadorian authorities in talks to evict Julian Assange from London embassy
By Oscar Grenfell, 16 July 2018
Media reports point to the ongoing conspiracy, involving the British, US and Ecuadorian governments, to terminate Assange’s political asylum in violation of international law.
An interview with a part-time UPS worker
We all see “the union being paid out and working with the company”
By Will Morrow, 16 July 2018
Part-time workers make up more than two-thirds of United Parcel Service’s 230,000 employees and are paid as little as $10 per hour.
Participants in the anti-Trump rallies in the UK speak out
By our reporters, 16 July 2018
WSWS reporters spoke to anti-Trump protesters in Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield. Meanwhile, protests continued in Helsinki, Finland on Sunday.
Israel carries out biggest air strikes on Gaza since 2014 war
By Keith Jones, 16 July 2018
In recent days, Israel has stepped up its campaign to crush resistance in Gaza, intensifying its economic blockade, shooting scores of protesters, and mounting massive air strikes.
Mass protests in Iraq’s southern provinces
By Alec Andersen, 16 July 2018
Thousands took part in mass demonstrations in southern Iraq over the weekend against the intolerable economic conditions that prevail 15 years after the US-led war for regime change.
US rejects EU carve-out from sanctions against Iran
By Nick Beams, 16 July 2018
The US decision is another major economic blow against the European powers, which had looked to the nuclear agreement with Iran as opening the way for lucrative trade and investment deals.
Ford contests token fines for death of electrician Ivan Bridgewater
By Jessica Goldstein, 16 July 2018
The Kentucky state OSHA office report found that Ivan Bridgewater "suffered crushed injuries to include rib fractures and hemorrhaging which killed him.”
Australian royal commission reveals predatory bank lending to small businesses
By Oscar Grenfell, 16 July 2018
Testimony made clear that the banks routinely provided dubious loans that they knew small business owners and franchisees would have little chance of servicing.
Inflation cutting real wages of US workers
By Barry Grey, 14 July 2018
Wage stagnation amidst relatively low unemployment and accelerating economic growth is the outcome of a decades-long social counterrevolution, made possible by the trade unions’ suppression of the class struggle.
Mass protests against Trump’s UK visit
By Chris Marsden, 14 July 2018
Friday’s protests by hundreds of thousands of people in London made clear that masses of workers throughout the world despise Trump and everything he stands for.
In run-up to Trump-Putin summit, Mueller charges 12 Russian officers with DNC email hack
By Bill Van Auken, 14 July 2018
The announcement of the criminal charges against the 12 Russians provoked a wave of hysteria from the US television news networks and Democratic Party officials.
Only 57 of 3,000 immigrant children have been reunited with parents
By Trévon Austin, 14 July 2018
Children and parents were scattered nationwide including Maryland, Texas, New York, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona and Illinois.
Growing strike movement in New Zealand
By our reporters, 14 July 2018
The first cross-department public sector strike for over a decade, was held three days before the 24-hour nationwide nurses’ strike.
Widow of UAW vice president Holiefield, guilty of corruption, gets token sentence
By Shannon Jones, 14 July 2018
After pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegally diverted UAW-Chrysler training funds Monica Morgan faces just 18 months in jail, a $25,000 fine and one year supervised release.
“Now we’re all slaves, no matter what color you are”
UPS workers oppose sellout contract, warn of union fraud to pass agreement
By Kayla Costa, 14 July 2018
The union and company are seeking to impose a major new concession on workers after UPS posted $7.5 billion in profits in 2017.
Trump pardons far-right Oregon ranchers
By Alec Andersen, 14 July 2018
The pardons are part of the administration’s appeal to reactionary social layers as it prepares for war and further attacks on the working class.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh backed US militarism in his appeals court rulings
By John Burton, 14 July 2018
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has a long record expanding US war powers during his 12 years as a DC Circuit judge.
Human right groups reveal French complicity in torture in Egypt
By Francis Dubois, 14 July 2018
French corporations and governments are active accomplices in the bloody Egyptian military junta’s mass surveillance and repression of the Egyptian people.
Grenfell Tower Fire inquiry testimony reveals tragic consequences of fire service cuts
By Barry Mason, 14 July 2018
Firefighters put themselves at risk by going into flats to search for people without water and negotiating the lower floors without using their breathing apparatuses to conserve them for higher floors.
In the name of combating foreign interference
Australia’s new secrecy laws block exposure of government crimes
By Mike Head, 14 July 2018
The government is seeking to prevent access to critical information that the public has the right to know.
Literacy and education for all is a social right!
By Niles Niemuth, 14 July 2018
Niles Niemuth, the Socialist Equality Party candidate for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, issued a statement condemning the June 29 court ruling in Detroit that there is “no right to literacy.”
A quarter century since the Thai toy factory fire
By Richard Phillips, 14 July 2018
The Kader fire exposed the rapacious character of global capitalism, which was not improving factory conditions but further undermining them.
UK: The rotten politics of the SWP’s Stand Up to Racism
By Chris Marsden, 14 July 2018
The Socialist Workers Party’s aim is to promote the “progressive” credentials of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn and of the Trades Union Congress.
As workers’ opposition grows
Teamsters union extends UPS contract deadline to impose sell-out deal
By Will Morrow, 13 July 2018
The union is seeking to delay any vote on the contract after more than 93 percent of UPS workers voted to authorize strike action last month.
New Zealand nurses stage first nationwide strike in 30 years
By our reporters, 13 July 2018
Nurses, healthcare assistants and midwives in public hospitals struck for 24 hours yesterday after rejecting a sellout deal backed by the union.
What does it really mean to “Stop Trump?” The working class must be mobilised against capitalism and for socialism
Statement of the Socialist Equality Party (UK), 13 July 2018
This statement by the Socialist Equality Party (UK) is being distributed today at demonstrations in London and other towns and cities in the UK against US President Donald Trump.
Brett Kavanaugh: A reliably reactionary jurist
By Ed Hightower, 13 July 2018
Trump’s Supreme Court nominee boasts a record of reaction both as an attorney and as a judge
Millions of refugees face harsh conditions across South Asia
By Rohantha De Silva, 13 July 2018
The plight of millions of refugees in South Asia is a damning indictment of the imperialist powers and the regional ruling elites.
Australia: Inquest into Dreamworld tragedy reveals health and safety violations
By Richard Phillips, 13 July 2018
A few months before the fatal October 2016 accident, company officials ordered staff to stop spending money on repairs and maintenance.
Australian lawyers association warns foreign interference laws violate rights to free speech
By Richard Phillips, 13 July 2018
“This type of regulation of civil society is a prominent feature of repressive regimes. It is not a feature of open democracies.”
Trump denounces Germany and Europe at NATO summit
By Alex Lantier, 12 July 2018
A month after the collapse of the G7 economic summit, diplomatic and military ties between Washington and the European Union are rapidly disintegrating.
Twenty thousand demonstrate in Düsseldorf, Germany against police state attacks on democratic rights
By our correspondents, 12 July 2018
Last Saturday, 20,000 workers and young people marched from Düsseldorf Central Station to the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament to protest the new police law planned by the state government.
German interior minister’s “Master Plan” for refugees: Internment camps and mass deportations
By Johannes Stern, 12 July 2018
With its “Migration Master Plan,” the grand coalition government has adopted the refugee policy of the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Australia’s new “foreign interference” laws: A threat to anti-war dissent
By Mike Head, 12 July 2018
The unprecedented laws were demanded by Washington as a model for legislation to demonise and suppress opposition to war, particularly against China.
Youth mental health problems and suicides rising sharply in UK
By Alice Summers, 12 July 2018
The consequence of the burdens of stress, debt and lack of prospects, combined with poor access to mental health treatment, is a sharp rise in mental health problems and suicides among young people.
The July 3 Whitstable fire and the Grenfell inferno
Statement by the Grenfell Fire Forum, 12 July 2018
Whitstable House is known as the “tower next door” to Grenfell, which was destroyed on June 14, 2017 in the inferno that claimed 72 lives.
One worker killed, one injured hours apart at Florida’s Walt Disney World
By Jessica Goldstein, 12 July 2018
Juan Alberto Ojeda, 33, was killed at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida in an accident with a Toro utility cart.
The class war over wages
By Eric London, 12 July 2018
In an article published Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal worries that “rising wages are beginning to eat into the profits of some US companies.”
Ecuador’s government negotiating Julian Assange’s fate with the UK
By Bill Van Auken, 12 July 2018
The statements by Ecuador’s president and foreign minister come amid growing signs of Quito’s bowing to pressure from Washington.
US-Europe conflicts erupt in run-up to NATO summit in Brussels
By Alex Lantier, 11 July 2018
A month after the G7 summit in Quebec broke down over Washington’s trade war measures, Trump and EU officials exchanged threats before today’s summit.
More inconsistencies in account of second UK novichok poisoning
By Thomas Scripps, 11 July 2018
The theory advanced by the government is that “Russia has committed an attack on British soil which has seen the death of a British citizen.”
Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand) to hold online forum: The way forward for nurses and health workers
By the Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand), 11 July 2018
The online meeting will discuss a socialist strategy to fight for decent and well-funded public health services, in opposition to the Labour Party-led government and the nurses’ union.
Nicaragua sees bloodiest clashes yet after months of protest
By Bill Van Auken, 11 July 2018
Sandinista President Daniel Ortega publicly rejected calls for early elections as security forces and armed government supporters forcibly dismantled protesters’ barricades.
Ultra-nationalist US demagogue Stephen Bannon hails Australia’s new foreign interference laws
By James Cogan, 11 July 2018
The legislation is particularly admired by America’s far right, the Trump administration and the US military-intelligence establishment.
Nauru government bans ABC journalists ahead of Pacific summit
By Patrick O’Connor, 11 July 2018
Backed by the Australian government, Nauru’s president, Baron Waqa, has established a virtual dictatorship.
New Zealand defence policy targets China, Russia
By John Braddock, 11 July 2018
In line with the US Trump administration, the NZ Labour-led government is preparing for war abroad and class war at home.
Trump chooses second ultra-right Supreme Court justice
By Patrick Martin, 10 July 2018
Brett Kavanaugh is a reactionary in the mold of Trump’s first high court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigns to prepare possible Conservative leadership challenge
By Chris Marsden, 10 July 2018
Unlike David Davis, who stressed that he remained loyal to Theresa May, Johnson quit in a manner designed to inflict maximum damage to the prime minister.
“Nerve agent” death of Dawn Sturgess raises fresh questions over UK Skripal affair
By Thomas Scripps, 10 July 2018
In marked contrast to the hospitalisation of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, the fatality of Dawn Sturgess—apparently also through “novichok” poisoning—has met with a more muted response.
New Zealand nurses reject union-backed sellout, prepare nationwide strike
By Tom Peters, 10 July 2018
Nurses, healthcare assistants and midwives in public hospitals are preparing for a nationwide strike on Thursday, after rejecting a sellout offer recommended by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.
Trump administration misses deadline to reunite immigrant children with parents
By Alec Andersen, 10 July 2018
The administration failed to meet a court-imposed deadline to reunite all undocumented immigrant children under the age of five with their parents, with more than half remaining in detention Tuesday.
Violent Haitian protests triggered by IMF austerity measures
By John Marion, 10 July 2018
The cuts in government fuel subsidies would have raised the cost of gas by 38 percent and the cost of kerosene even more, in a country where gas costs almost as much as a day’s wages.
US provocatively sends two warships through Taiwan Strait
By Peter Symonds, 10 July 2018
The naval transit coincided with the escalating trade war between the US and China, marked by the implementation of the Trump administration’s 25 percent tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports.
Germany: Tens of thousands demonstrate against inhumane anti-refugee policies
By Gustav Kemper, 10 July 2018
The protests Saturday were organised within the space of a few days almost exclusively via social media.
Amnesty International denounces Australia’s “foreign interference” laws
By Richard Phillips, 10 July 2018
“The core message from Amnesty International on these laws is that we will not be changing the way we operate.”
Famed geneticist Francisco Ayala resigns following unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment
By Kimie Saito, 10 July 2018
The rapid removal of Ayala from his position at the University of California has provoked opposition from academics in the US and Europe.
National Grid cuts off healthcare for locked-out workers in Massachusetts
By Kate Randall, 10 July 2018
The company is continuing operations with management personnel and contractors, threatening public safety due to the dangerous nature of working with live gas lines.
Ontario’s new Tory government slashes social spending, scapegoats refugees
By Roger Jordan, 10 July 2018
Employing the rhetoric of Trump and the European far right Doug Ford is accusing refugees of imperiling Ontarian’s access to housing and social support.
Floods and landslides in Japan leave more than 100 dead
By Ben McGrath, 10 July 2018
Natural disasters in Japan are increasing as a result of climate change, but nothing is being done to address this crisis.
Australian unions’ bogus campaign over sacking of Longford maintenance workers
By Oscar Grenfell, 10 July 2018
The unions now claim to be leading a “struggle” in defence of the workers, having enforced the destruction of their jobs 12 months ago.
Allies no more: Trump escalates threats against Europe
By Andre Damon, 10 July 2018
This week’s NATO summit, planned as a showcase of European rearmament, has been overshadowed by increasingly unbridgeable divisions between the US and Europe.
The Thailand cave rescue and the humanitarian hypocrisy of imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 10 July 2018
The outpouring of human solidarity, international cooperation and the employment of unlimited resources in the efforts to rescue 12 Thai boys and their coach from a flooded cave complex stands in stark contrast to the routine treatment of youth by global capitalism.
The Guardian’s Marina Hyde accuses actress Susan Sarandon of being Trump’s “asset”
By David Walsh, 10 July 2018
Sarandon’s great crime? Failing to endorse Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and instead calling for a vote for Jill Stein of the Green Party.
The way forward for UPS workers
By Tom Hall, 10 July 2018
The World Socialist Web Site calls on UPS workers to form rank and file committees to mobilize all UPS workers, part-time and full-time, along with Amazon, FedEx, USPS and other sections of workers.
“Like you, I want justice for Jacoby!”
Workers honor young Ford worker who died at Detroit-area plant
10 July 2018
Fiat Chrysler workers in Ohio and Indiana sent messages to the family of Jacoby Hennings, who held a memorial picnic Sunday for the young autoworker who died last year.
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