(2021-12-01). Interview with Toni Gilpin on recent strikes and the need for fighting unions. fightbacknews.org Toni Gilpin is a prominent labor historian, author and activist. She wrote the book The Long Deep Grudge which covered the militant history of the Farm Equipment Union whose members later merged into the United Auto Workers, including some the locals that recently struck for five weeks at John Deere, where Gilpin provided support on the picket lines. | Fight Back! was able to speak to Gilpin recently about the John Deere strike, the uptick in recent strikes, union leadership and elections, and what is needed in the American labor movement today. The following are excerpts from that conversation. | Fight Back!: Wh…
(2021-12-01). Amazon workers in Alabama get a second chance to vote on unionizing. peoplesdispatch.org A federal labor official has ruled in favor of the union, which charged the company with illegally interfering with the election held earlier this year…
(2021-12-01). Amazon Workers in Alabama Get New Shot at Union After NLRB Rules Company Broke the Law in 1st Vote. democracynow.org 
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama may soon get another chance to decide whether to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Amazon violated U.S. labor law while waging an aggressive anti-unionization campaign against warehouse workers earlier this year in Bessemer, Alabama. This comes as Amazon workers worldwide from Bangladesh to Germany campaigned on Black Friday for fairer working conditions under the banner, "Make Amazon Pay." "If Amazon is trying to eat the world, it's also bringing many disparate sets of workers and activists and communities together to fight against the…
(2021-12-01). Leftist Castro's Victory In Honduras Vote Spells End Of US-Backed 'Narco-Politics, Neoliberalism'. popularresistance.org Xiomara Castro, the presidential candidate for the leftist opposition party Libre, seems to have won a resounding victory in Honduras' presidential elections. Her victory comes in spite of attempts by the ruling National Party, which overthrew her husband, Manuel Zelaya, in 2009, to stifle voter turnout, as one Sputnik journalist observed.
(2021-12-01). Anti-neoliberal candidate Xiomara Castro dominates Honduras' presidential election. mronline.org 
With a significant advantage over the closest contender, Xiomara Castro has emerged as the likely next president of Honduras.
(2021-12-01). Venezuela Greets Xiomara Castro's 'Historic Mandate' in Honduran Election. venezuelanalysis.com Castro's win marks yet another victory for the left in Latin America.
(2021-12-01). Massive Turnout in Favor of Leftists in Honduras Repudiates US-Backed Coup. zcomm.org Thousands of jubilant voters have been flooding the streets of cities across Honduras to celebrate the apparent electoral victory of leftist presidential candidate Xiomara Castro…
(2021-12-01). Headlines for December 1, 2021. democracynow.org Omicron Detected in Europe Days Before South Africa Reported Variant; FDA Endorses Merck COVID Pill, Michigan High Schooler Kills 3 Other Students in Shooting Rampage, Mark Meadows to Testify Before House Jan. 6 Cmte, Panel Pursues Jeffrey Clark Contempt Charges | , U.S. Removes FARC From Terror Blacklist, HRW: Taliban Have Killed or Disappeared 100+ Ex-Afghan Security Forces Since August, German Court Convicts Ex-Member of Islamic State For Genocide of Iraq's Yazidi Community, France Inducts Josephine Baker into Pantheon As Far-Right, Racist Pundit Announces Presidential Bid, Rep. Ilhan Omar Shares Violent, Isla…
(2021-12-01). Selected Articles: Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Biden's Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers in 10 States. globalresearch.ca 
By Finish naturopathic Doctor Ariyana Love s…
(2021-12-01). Sandinistas Won A Landslide Victory Because They Uplifted Nicaragua's Poor. popularresistance.org As predicted by multiple polls, the Sandinistas, led by Daniel Ortega, won a resounding victory on the November 7th elections in Nicaragua. The elections were a referendum on the path that the Sandinista government has taken the country, which is grounded on large investments in social programs that have benefited people, especially the most disadvantaged, in every nook and cranny of the national territory. | Support for the reelection of the Sandinista government was astounding. Of the entire patron electoral (eligible voters), about 65% came out to vote and, of those, about 75.9% voted for the FLSN (Sandinista…
(2021-12-01). The Latin American Left Is Ready For 2022. popularresistance.org Latin America, the 21st century's leading region for progressive victories, is in the midst of a leftist resurgence. A new "pink tide" is commencing, with the left holding office in a number of countries and challenging for power in upcoming presidential elections. Kicking off a collection of articles on Latin America's left, we present an overview of the continent's war between progressive and conservative forces as flashpoints loom from Chile to Brazil.
(2021-12-01). Isaías Rodríguez: Barinas Case Could Harm the Credibility of the Elections. orinocotribune.com Isaías Rodríguez, former attorney general and former vice president of Venezuela, warned that with the intervention of the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court in the Barinas governorship case, Venezuela may lose the credibility that it has been able to build though the elections, both nationally and internationally. | In the opinion of Rodríguez, who was also a member of the constituent assemblies of 1999 and 2017, the Electoral Chamber does not have competence to decide on an electoral result such as that of Barinas, since it is a matter that should be decided by the Constitutional Court. | "I speak fundament…
(2021-12-01). The Laura Flanders Show: Should Democrats Stop Talking About CRT? roarmag.org How Critical Race Theory Changed an Election & What Democrats Could Do About It: | From the contest for governor of Virginia to school board races across the country, opposition to Critical Race Theory proved an effective tactic for Republican candidates to defeat Democrats in this November's election. Does that justify the conclusions drawn by many in the media that Democrats need to stop talking so much about racism, history and structural inequality? | Must progressives face electoral reality, as many editorials have recently suggested, and tone down the so-called woke agenda? Or are there other ways t…
(2021-12-01). Does Henrique Capriles Want to 'Knock Down' Juan Guaidó? orinocotribune.com After the defeat suffered by Venezuelan opposition groups in the mega-elections of November 21, there is talk about the need for the right to renew its leadership in the coming weeks, facing future political and electoral challenges. One of the names most frequently mentioned is that of Henrique Capriles, as a possible replacement for former deputy Juan Guaidó. | In this sense, the debate increased within the right around the figure of Guaidó and his imaginary "interim government," lacking any legitimacy and questioned from within the oppositionist ranks themselves, who accuse him of not meeting objectives set al…
(2021-12-01). Prominent Egyptian activist Hossam Bahgat found guilty of insulting election authorities. peoplesdispatch.org Bahgat is the founder-director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). He has previously been targeted by successive governments for his work towards the advancement of civil liberties and human rights in Egypt…
(2021-12-01). Prison Gerrymandering: The Modern 'Three-Fifths Compromise'. otherwords.org Are free and fair elections too much to ask for? Thanks to partisan gerrymandering — and its ugly cousin, prison gerrymandering — the answer is often yes. | High-stakes redistricting battles now underway will help determine next year's midterm elections. In a perfect world, parties would work together to ensure fair representation for their various constituencies. In the real world, the party in power usually redraws district maps to favor itself. | This dirty little trick is called partisan gerrymandering. Both parties do it, but Republicans are taking it to extremes that their own voters don't even…
(2021-12-01). Barinas State PSUV Governor Argenis Chávez Resigns. orinocotribune.com 
This Tuesday, November 30, Argenis Chávez announced his resignation as governor of the state of Barinas. Chávez made the decision to comply with the two complex judgments made by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) this week related to the counting of votes and a second election that will take place in the eastern Venezuelan state. The resignation was issued despite the fact that the TSJ statements did not mention anything regarding Chávez's position being in question. | In addition, Chávez resigned from his candidacy for re-election for the new elections that will be held in the state on January 9, 2022, while an…
(2021-12-01). Jorge Rodríguez: We Are Not and Will Not Be Anyone's Colony. orinocotribune.com 
On Tuesday, November 30, the plenary of the Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) approved an Agreement of Support and Congratulations for the Brave People of Venezuela for their participation in the November 21 elections. | The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, emphasized that on November 21 peace won, "the people of Venezuela won. What we are experiencing is a second struggle for our independence. What they [the right] wanted for Venezuela was the dissolution of the Republic and they supported all that by those who claim to be representatives of the opposition in Venezuela and now they want the p…
(2021-12-01). Leopoldo López's Latest Gaff: He Calls on People to Take to the Streets over Supreme Court's Barinas Decision. orinocotribune.com On Monday, November 30, Leopoldo López, fugitive from Venezuelan justice, claimed that protests regarding the decision issued by the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court over the Barinas governorship election "are legitimate and necessary." | López, who currently resides in Spain, wrote on Twitter that, despite the "traps and obstacles, Freddy Superlano won; he had all the ballots, people took to the streets to defend his victory; the CNE delayed his proclamation and now the Supreme Court's invalid decision suspends the results over the count of three ballots." | López reiterated that in the midst of an "usurpa…
(2021-12-01). Opposition candidate Robredo endorses anti-Communist task force in Philippine election. wsws.org The anti-Communist task force, endorsed by Robredo, is a heavily funded and murderous apparatus of McCarthyism…
(2021-12-01). Georgia Rejects Record Number of Absentee Ballot Requests Under New Voting Laws. truthout.org 
Georgia election officials rejected absentee ballot applications in the state's municipal elections this month at a rate more than four times higher than during the 2020 election cycle, in large part as the result of Election officials rejected 4% of absentee ballot applications ahead…
(2021-12-01). Ocasio-Cortez Slams GOP for Silence on Islamophobia Against Ilhan Omar. truthout.org 
As Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) faces Islamophobic attacks from Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) and other far-right members of Congress, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has joined a chorus of Democrats in condemning Republicans for their silence on the issue. | On Tuesday, Omar
(2021-12-01). Seven Day March In Defense Of Democracy Concludes In Bolivia. popularresistance.org March for the Homeland reached the Bolivian city of La Paz on November 29 after covering a distance of more than 180km over seven days. Ôªø March for the Homeland reached the Bolivian city of La Paz on November 29 after covering a distance of more than 180km over seven days. Over a million people …
(2021-12-01). Sudan Security Forces Fire Tear Gas At Khartoum Protesters. popularresistance.org Sudanese security forces fired tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protesters near the presidential palace in the capital, Khartoum, as tens of thousands marched against military rule following last month's coup. The rally on Tuesday was the latest show of opposition to military rule since last month's coup that ended a partnership between civilian political groups and the military. Heavily armed police forces took to central Khartoum, fired tear gas, and began chasing protesters as they gathered about a kilometre from the palace, blocking a main road and chanting "Soldiers, go back to the barracks". Other protest…
(2021-12-01). Bolivia: Multitudinous 'March for the Homeland' Reaches La Paz. orinocotribune.com The 180 km "March for the Homeland" that set out from Caracollo, Bolivia, on November 23, arrived at the capital La Paz on Monday, November 29. The march was organized as a popular defense of peace and democracy against the seditious pretensions of the extreme right forces that are trying to carry out a coup against President Luis Arce. | The march was composed of union leaders, peasants, coca growers, workers and other social sectors. Tens of thousands of revolutionary sympathizers raised the Wiphala flag as a symbol of indigenous struggle and demanded respect for democratically elected Luis Arce's presidency.
(2021-12-01). Over 1.5 million Bolivians march in defense of democracy and President Arce's government. peoplesdispatch.org President Luis Arce thanked Bolivian citizens for their overwhelming support, and promised to continue working to rebuild the country and the economy with the people…
(2021-12-01). "Farewell to British Colonial Rule": Barbados Breaks From the Queen as Calls Grow For Reparations. democracynow.org 
Barbados has become the world's newest republic breaking ties with Queen Elizabeth 55 years after it became an independent nation, saying it was time for Barbados to break from its colonial past. The move comes as calls grow for the United Kingdom to pay reparations for enacting a regime of slavery in Barbados. While it was an occasion for celebration, it was also "55 years overdue" and should have happened when Barbados won its independence in 1966, says David Comissiong, Barbados's ambassador to the Caribbean Community and the Association of Caribbean States. "Barbados was a center of British power. You don't g…
(2021-12-01). Morocco-Algeria: A War on the Horizon? orinocotribune.com By Guadi Calvo — Nov 22, 2021 | The Moroccan regime, in full view of the whole world, continues to repress the Saharawi people, whom it continues to murder unceremoniously, not satisfied with having usurped eighty percent of its territory and continuing to exploit its phosphate deposits since 1975, the most important in the world, and also one of the world's largest fishing grounds, with the consent of the Spanish crown, a fundamental partner in the dispossession of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). | In November 2020, after an exchange of fire between the Moroccan army and Saharawi militiamen in…
(2021-12-01). The Local Journalism Initiative: a proposal to protect and extend democracy. zcomm.org Local journalism as it has been known for 200 years has all but disappeared in most places in the United States over the past two decades…
(2021-12-01). India's Farmers Have Shown the Way to the Long Democratic Pushback. zcomm.org Never forget that politics is the art of the possible, a reality that the farmer's movement has proved with emphatic assertion…
(2021-12-01). "The Viral Underclass": COVID-19 and AIDS Show What Happens When Inequality and Disease Collide. democracynow.org 
As December 1 marks World AIDS Day, we look at the pandemic that preceded COVID-19 and how recorded deaths of complications from the coronavirus this year have surpassed those of HIV/AIDS in the United States. The head of UNAIDS has warned the COVID-19 pandemic may result in an increase in infections and deaths from HIV and AIDS. Both viruses disproportionately impacted vulnerable minority communities. Although treatment rollout for HIV/AIDS was uniquely inhibited by homophobia, racism, and sexism, it was also plagued by corporate greed and U.S. exceptionalism. "We're seeing very similar dynamics again now with C…
(2021-12-01). Omar Shares Audio of Chilling Death Threat She Received After Boebert's Attacks. truthout.org 
On Tuesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) shared audio of a harrowing death threat she received after a video of far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) making Islamophobic comments about her was posted and amplified online. | Omar played the voicemail — which was laced with profanities and racist slurs — during a press conference in the Capitol aimed at urging the GOP to take action against the Islamophobia within their party. The lawmaker said she received the voicemail sho…
(2021-12-01). Barbados Has Thrown Off Its Colonial Shackles, Now the Real Change Must Come. orinocotribune.com By Kareem Smith — Nov 26, 2021 | Barbados has removed the Queen as its head of state, as it begins a new national journey to remove any lingering British influence. | Barbados has completed its transition to a republican system of government. From 30 November, which marks
(2021-12-01). As COVID-19 cases surge throughout Ohio, Republican-controlled state senate holds a hearing on antivaccine bill. wsws.org Following the trend in the Midwest and Upstate New York, cases are resurging through Ohio after a brief respite, and hospital admissions are once more climbing.
(2021-11-30). Historic win of Xiomara Castro ends 12 years of far-right rule in Honduras. peoplesdispatch.org Castro's victory, with an historic turnout of over 68%, would end a dozen years of conservative and neoliberal rule. She has called for a government of reconciliation, peace and justice…
(2021-11-30). Los demócratas progresistas de la Cámara de Representantes quieren que el Senado agregue una reforma migratoria. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON — Habiendo tropezado en la Cámara dirigida por los demócratas, los progresistas allí y otros partidarios de la reforma migratoria integral esperan que el Senado la inserte en la legislación Build Back Better del presidente demócrata Joe Biden. Sin embargo, hay dos problemas: la oposición republicana histriónica y racista, y el parlamentario del Senado, …
(2021-11-30). Estados Unidos — Reforma migratoria: 35 años de pretextos. globalizacion.ca Decirle adiós a los pretextos y abrirle la puerta a la reforma migratoria. La reciente propuesta de reforma migratoria que ha sido enviada al Senado dentro del plan "Build Back Better" (BBB, Reconstruir Mejor) de Joe Biden, es una propuesta…
(2021-11-30). Xiomara Castro declares victory in Honduran presidential election. peoplesworld.org 
(2021-11-30). Top NLRB regional official orders re-run vote at Amazon warehouse in Alabama. peoplesworld.org 
BESSEMER, Ala.—Citing seven counts of Amazon labor law-breaking, mostly involving a giant mailbox for ballots set up before the front door of the firm's Bessemer, Ala., warehouse, a top National Labor Relations Board official has ordered a rerun unionization election vote there. The Nov. 29 decision by the agency's regional director for Georgia, Northern Alabama, …
(2021-11-30). Working Families Party director, Sochie Nnaemaka, says her party gives voters a real choice. peoplesworld.org 
NEW YORK — Sochie Nnaemeka, the daughter of Nigerian immigrant parents, has been State Director of the New York Working Families Party since late 2019. With a resume full of both union and grassroots democratic organizing history, she has always labored for progressive electoral politics at city, state, and federal levels. Prior to her position …
(2021-11-30). Backed by AFRICOM, corporations plunder DR Congo for "climate-friendly" materials and blame China. thegrayzone.com Cobalt, a key metallic element used in lithium batteries and other "green" technology, is sourced from slave labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As the West points the finger at China, the US Africa Command is indirectly policing mining operations that profit US corporations. Ever since Belgium's King Leopold II (1835-1909) established the Congo Free State in 1885, international powers have exploited the region's vast resources. Leading a regime that went on to kill an estimated eight million people …
(2021-11-30). Labor Board Calls for New Amazon Union Election After Finding Company Misconduct. truthout.org 
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has directed that Amazon workers in Alabama get a second chance at forming a union after finding that the company illegally interfered with the union election As the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) pointed out after the first union election failed in April, Amazon employed a number of tactics to bust the un…
(2021-11-30). Biden Is Quietly Continuing a Trump-Era Ploy to Privatize Medicare. truthout.org 
A Trump-era pilot program that could result in the On Tuesday, a group of physicians from around the nation will tr…
(2021-11-30). Congress 'Asleep at the Switch' as Biden Continues Trump-Era Ploy to Privatize Medicare. scheerpost.com 
By Jake Johnson / Common Dreams A Trump-era pilot program that could result in the complete privatization of traditional Medicare in a matter of years is moving ahead under the Biden administration, a development that—despite its potentially massive implications for patients across the U.S.—has received scant attention from the national press or Congress. On Tuesday, a group of …
(2021-11-30). Headlines for November 30, 2021. democracynow.org World Health Organization Warns of "Very High" Risk Posed by Omicron Variant, Nurses Demand COVID-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver; China Pledges 1 Billion Doses for Africa, Centers for Disease Control Strengthens Vaccine Booster Recommendation for Adults, Federal Judge Blocks Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers in 10 States, Pentagon to Investigate U.S. Airstrike That Killed Dozens of Civilians in Syria, Iran Demands Sanctions Relief as Talks on Revived Nuclear Deal Resume in Vienna, Majority of Australian Parliament Workers Face Bullying, Sexual Harassment or Assault, Ghislaine Maxwell Sex Trafficking Trial Gets Und…
(2021-11-30). "A Moment of Hope": Xiomara Castro's Likely Win in Honduran Election Ends Years of Right-Wing Rule After Coup. democracynow.org 
We go to Honduras, where thousands took to the streets to celebrate the leftist presidential candidate Xiomara Castro's lead in the polls ahead of the right-wing National Party candidate Nasry Asfura. The historic election saw a record voter turnout and could signal the end of the 12-year brutal regime under the conservative National Party, which rose to power after a coup backed by the U.S. in 2009 overthrew democratically-elected leftist President Manuel Zelaya. Castro, who is Zelaya's wife, would become the first woman to serve as president of Honduras if her victory is confirmed. "It's brought hope to the ent…
(2021-11-30). Biden administration is cracking down on corporate recidivists. nationofchange.org The Justice Department is ramping up efforts to fight corporate crime, which is particularly bad news for repeat offenders.
(2021-11-30). Biden's message to Wall Street: Mass death will not interfere with corporate profits. wsws.org In his statement Monday, the US president delivered a message to the financial markets that nothing will stand in the way of boosting the profits and wealth of the super-rich.
(2021-11-30). Honduras: Left wins landslide election victory after 12 years of resistance. liberationnews.org 
Castro's landslide victory signals the end of the right-wing, U.S.-backed National Party's 12-year grip on power, which began in a 2009 military coup.
(2021-11-30). The Battle of Ideas and the War of Interpretations. orinocotribune.com -By Reinaldo Iturriza | There is a certain bitterness which I perceive amongst those wishing to direct the the current debate concerning the implications of Venezuela's most recent elections. These official spokespersons—and, most pointedly, certain commentators—exhibit the vague uneasiness of those who aspire to monopolize the truth and struggle to tolerate conflicting perspectives. | It's something, and I must stress this, which can be widely identified across Venezuela's political spectrum. That is to say, apart from being vague, this uneasiness can be found in all corners of Venezuela's political…