2022-04-29: News Headlines

WSWS (2022-04-29). US GDP drops 1.4 percent in first quarter amidst Omicron surge and war in Ukraine. wsws.org While Biden attempted to downplay the abysmal numbers, his bravado cannot paper over the myriad contradictions facing US and world capitalism.

WSWS (2022-04-29). Biden massively expands US war with Russia. wsws.org On Thursday, US President Joe Biden called on Congress to approve $20 billion in weapons shipments for the US war with Russia, increasing US involvement in the conflict by a factor of six.

ecns.cn (2022-04-29). Biden lacks real courage to curb sky-high inflation rates. ecns.cn U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has recently taken note of the U.S. 40-year record-high inflation rates, and said that lowering a select number of Trump-era tariffs could prove helpful. Nonetheless, Yellen's proposed solution seems short-sighted.

Matthew Gonzalez (2022-04-29). Starbucks workers: Partners in the labor movement. liberationnews.org Starbucks workers, also known as partners, at store #5583 in Covina, California, on the corner of Citrus and Rowland, declared their intent to file for a union election on April 11th. Over 230 of 9,000 U.S. Starbucks locations have filed for union elections within the last year, organizing with Starbucks Workers United.

WSWS (2022-04-29). At bogus aged care rallies, nurses union promotes Australia Labor Party's big business election campaign. wsws.org The protests were a cynical photo opportunity for Labor politicians, whose party has presided over the privatisation of the sector and the decimation of workers wages and conditions.

Mark Gruenberg (2022-04-29). Starbucks workers win an election in Baltimore, two in Metro D.C. peoplesworld.org BALTIMORE—The ever-accelerating drive to unionize exploited Starbucks baristas has notched its first win in Baltimore and its first two wins in the Washington, D.C., metro area, too. And it's not done. The Baltimore win on April 25 at the Starbucks at 1209 North Charles Street downtown was 14-0 among 22 eligible workers, the Baltimore Sun …

Mark Gruenberg (2022-04-29). Trump puppets seek control of 2024 election by winning key posts. peoplesworld.org LAS VEGAS—Several months ago, Jim Marchant, a Nevada businessman and Trumpite conspiracy theorist, spilled the beans about how that wing of the Republican Party plans to control all U.S. elections in the future. If you can't win by convincing voters to back your stands, win the lower-level offices—Attorney General, Secretary of State or elections board …

WSWS (2022-04-29). Kevin McCarthy meets with Republican House conference amid ongoing revelations regarding January 6 coup. wsws.org McCarthy received a "standing ovation" from House Republicans in a closed-door meeting Wednesday, his first with the conference following audio recordings released last week in which McCarthy suggested Trump should resign following failed coup.

WorkWeek (2022-04-29). WorkWeek 4-28-22 Protest At AFL-CIO On Gov Funding & El Golpe,US Labor, the CIA, & Coup. indybay.org WorkWeek covers the collaboration of the AFL-CIO with the CIA and National Endowment For Democracy NED in the attacks on trade unionists at the Mexico City Ford assembly plant and also against South African BTR workers who were on strike. The AFL-CIO gave millions to Zulu Chief Buthelezi who then organized thugs to attack and murder union strikers and their families.

Fight Back (2022-04-29). Minneapolis emergency response protest shows solidarity with Palestine. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On April 25, over 130 people came to an emergency protest to show outrage over the recent Israeli military attacks on worshipers at Al Aqsa mosque and missile attacks on Gaza during Ramadan. This protest and others in Chicago and DC this week have been organized to show solidarity with Palestine. The rush hour protest started outside of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's office, was followed by a march on Washington Avenue, and concluded with prayers. | Mariam El-Khatib, a board member of American Muslims for Palestine Minnesota, was the first speaker. The crowd, which was overwhelmingly Palestinian,…

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2022-04-29). Sharing Mayo Clinic: Gabriel Ryan wasn't supposed to live. Today, he is thriving. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Eric and Micayla Ryan were experienced parents. They had three children already and thought this ultrasound would be as routine as the ones that had come before. They knew what to expect. Or so they thought. But instead of reassurance, this ultrasound revealed a problem: cysts on the kidneys of the Goodhue, Minnesota, couple's fourth child. Their doctor arranged for the Ryans to meet with specialists at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, some 30 miles away,…

ecns.cn (2022-04-29). Pregnant woman in Beijing COVID-19 control zone sent to hospital within 10 minutes. ecns.cn A pregnant woman in Beijing's Chaoyang District, a temporary control zone designed to contain the spread of COVID-19, was sent to hospital within 10 minutes on Wednesday.

Dave DeCamp (2022-04-28). More Blasts Reported in Russian Provinces Bordering Ukraine. news.antiwar.com A series of explosions Blasts were also reported in the provinces of Kursk and Voronezh in the latest suspected Ukrainian attacks inside Russian territory. | On Monday, Ukraine reportedly launched strikes on two oil depots in the Russian city of Bryansk, which is about 70 miles from Ukraine's b…

Natylie Baldwin (2022-04-28). The real Zelensky: from celebrity populist to unpopular Pinochet-style neoliberal. thegrayzone.com Ukrainian academic Olga Baysha details Volodymyr Zelensky's embrace of widely loathed neoliberal policies, his repression of rivals, and how his actions fueled the current war with Russia. A comedic actor who rose to the country's highest office in 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky was virtually unknown to the average American, except perhaps as a bit player in the Trump impeachment theater. But when Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Zelensky was suddenly transformed to an A-list celebrity in US media. American …

Rick Rozoff (2022-04-28). Report: Turkish combat drone "bombed oil depots deep inside Russia" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Middle East EyeApril 27, 2022 Ukrainian TB2 Bayraktar drone 'bombed oil depots deep inside Russia'Source says Turkish-made armed drone hit the fuel storages in Russia's Bryansk, breaching advanced air defences A Turkish-supplied armed drone is believed to have been used by Ukraine to hit two oil depots well inside Russian territory on Monday, bringing the …

_____ (2022-04-28). The Biden Family is Hardly the Only One to Profit from the Ukraine Conflict. journal-neo.org In the US, the future of the Biden administration and the President himself are at stake because of an ongoing corruption scandal that is closely linked to the war in Ukraine. The New York Times, a leading voice for Liberal America, published a rather unexpected special report, which confirmed the truth of the two-year-old leaks …

_____ (2022-04-28). Madeleine Albright's Funeral Buried Her Legacy Of War-Making And Deceit. popularresistance.org It's fitting that Joe Biden and Bill and Hillary Clinton should eulogize Madeleine Albright at the mammoth Episcopalian institution calling itself the "National Cathedral". After all, just last year, Albright eulogized fellow war maker, "trailblazer" and fellow Episcopalian Colin Powell there for his "honesty, dignity, loyalty and an unshakable commitment to his calling and word." | Albright, Biden and the Clintons covered for each other's criminal war making — and ultimately, they all enabled and covered for Republican criminality as well. All showed they were capable of murderous deceits. | It sparked som…

Ann Brown (2022-04-28). More Changes As Biden Falls In Polls: Advisor Cedric Richmond To Leave White House For Private Sector. moguldom.com President Joe Biden's senior advisor Cedric Richmond is leaving his White House job as director of the Office of Public Engagement to work in the private sector — for the Democratic National Committee. Some observers said Richmond had trouble finding footing in the West Wing, where he coordinated dialogue between the Biden-Harris administration and the …

rebekah (2022-04-28). Pressure Mounts on Biden to Take Action on Student Loan Debt. inequality.org

Kamal Iranidoost (2022-04-28). Biden to visit South Korea, Japan from May 20-24: White House. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (MNA) — US President Joe Biden will visit South Korea and Japan in late May for summit talks with his counterparts, the White House announced Wednesday.

Igor Derysh (2022-04-28). Trump Conspiracy Theorists Made 8 Attempts to Breach Voting Systems in 5 States. truthout.org Republicans made eight attempts to breach voting systems in five states in search of evidence of a debunked conspiracy theory that voting machines flipped votes from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden, according to a Trump allies targeted voting systems in Colorado, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. At least five of the breaches are under investigation by federal or local law enforcement. Four of the breaches forced officials to decertify or repla…

WSWS (2022-04-28). Biden looking to delay end to Title 42 mass expulsions of migrants at US-Mexico border. wsws.org The use of Title 42 as a "border security" measure is a flagrant violation of international and domestic law. It effectively overturns the right to asylum along with all other legal rights of migrants.

WSWS (2022-04-28). Half of all Americans infected with COVID-19, three-quarters of children. wsws.org The Biden administration has scrapped even the pretense of curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, admitting that preventing infections is "not even a policy goal."

Amy Goodman (2022-04-28). Calls Grow for Biden to Win WNBA Star Brittney Griner's Release From Russia. truthout.org Image Credit: Enrico Calderoni/AFLO SPORT | The Biden administration participated in a prisoner swap with Russia this week, freeing a Russian pilot who was jailed in Connecticut on drug charges in return for a Marine veteran imprisoned in Russia since 2019. Meanwhile, the fate of jailed basketball player Brittney Griner remains unclear. The Phoenix Mercury center is one of the biggest stars of the WNBA, but both the league and the Biden administration have said little about her case since she was arrested at a Russian airport on February 17 on allegations of carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. "Ther…

Owen Fairclough (2022-04-28). Drop in U.S. GDP increases fears over economic recession. america.cgtn.com Fears of a recession in the U.S. were heightened on Thursday after data showed the economy going into reverse in the first quarter of the year. The contraction was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic struck two years ago. And while the Biden administration …

Fight Back (2022-04-28). Interview with Starbucks union organizer in New Orleans. fightbacknews.org New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, April 19, baristas at the Starbucks café on Maple Street filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union election. Workers complain about chronic understaffing, few hours and low wages. Poor scheduling was especially hard on the employees during Mardi Gras, when the New Orleans tourism industry is at its peak. Fight Back! interviewed Billie, a shift supervisor and organizer of the union drive. Billie's last name is not being used due to concerns about company retaliation. | Fight Back!: What are the issues that made y'all want to start unionizing? | Billie: I ha…

Kat Daveigh (2022-04-28). Apple retail workers in Atlanta file for landmark union election. liberationnews.org The Atlanta store is the first group of Apple workers to file for union election in the United States, and should they win their election they will become the first certified union at Apple as well as the largest certified unit of tech retail workers.

_____ (2022-04-28). Union Wins Two Elections Among Clinical Staff At McLean Hospital. popularresistance.org Belmont, Massachusetts – Local union organizers have scored another victory at McLean Hospital in Belmont, after winning two votes on Friday to unionize all hourly clinical staff like nurses and mental health specialists who assist with patient care. | In September, research assistants at the nationally prominent Harvard-affiliated psychiatric treatment and research institution formed a union — the first, the organizers say, in the hospital's long history. | All hourly clinical staff, excluding those with advanced degrees, will be part of the union if Friday's votes are confirmed. Through the effort, union…

G. Dunkel (2022-04-28). France's presidential elections — xenophobe loses, banker wins. workers.org Emmanuel Macron, the candidate for Forward the Republic (La République En Marche ), won the second round of France's presidential election with 58.54% of the vote. His opponent Marine Le Pen, the candidate for the National Rally (Rassemblement National [RN]), got 41.46% of the vote. When President Emmanuel Macron spoke . . . |

WSWS (2022-04-28). SEP (Australia) election campaigners find widespread opposition to inequality and cost of living crisis in Queensland. wsws.org Asked about what Labor and the Coalition were saying in the election campaign, Andrew, a Brisbane construction worker said with disgust: "I don't listen to them any more. It's all about money."

WSWS (2022-04-28). The Socialist Equality Party launches Australian election campaign. wsws.org The SEP is the only party in the federal elections opposing the explosion of militarism and Australia's front-line participation in the US-led war drive against Russia and the escalating provocations against China.

Our Reporter (2022-04-28). Odongo Otto loses election petition to remove Komakech from Parliament. plusnews.ug The Court of Appeal in Kampala has upheld the election of Christopher Komakech as the Aruu South Member of Parliament. The decision stems from an application filed by Komakech challenging a decision by Justice Tadeo Asiimwe throwing him out of parliament. Komakech run for the Aruu South Member of Parliament as an independent in the …

Dianne Mathiowetz (2022-04-28). Atlanta Apple store workers move to unionize. workers.org Atlanta April 27 — Shock waves were no doubt felt at tech giant Apple headquarters when workers at the Cumberland Mall Apple retail store in Atlanta made national news with the announcement that they had filed for an National Labor Relations Board election — the first Apple store to do . . . |

Peoples Dispatch (2022-04-28). Janez Jansa's right-wing govt loses to newly formed Freedom Movement in Slovenia. peoplesdispatch.org In the general elections to the Slovenian National Assembly held on Sunday, April 24, the newly formed liberal party Freedom Movement (GS) led by Robert Golob emerged triumphant by ousting the right-wing coalition led by prime minister Janez Jansa. The elections witnessed a high voter turnout of 70.10%. The Freedom Movement secured 41 seats in the 90-seat National Assembly with 34.53% votes, while Jansa's conservative Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) managed to win 27 seats with 23.53% votes. The Christian Democrats-New Slovenia (NSi) won eight seats. Levica (Left) managed seven seven and Social Democrats (SD) fi…

_____ (2022-04-28). Earth Overshoot Demands Stronger Civic Infrastructure. popularresistance.org The challenges we face from climate change, extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and all the other symptoms of "Earth overshoot" are, in part, civic challenges. Our ability to respond effectively is complicated by rampant misinformation and the absence of safe spaces for informed, participatory planning. Older forms of public engagement—attending conventional "three minutes at the microphone" public meetings, signing petitions, writing letters to the editor—are insufficient for meeting these challenges and out of step with how Americans live today. If we want to achieve better environmental resilience,…

Nitza Soledad Perez (2022-04-28). Florida repeals Disney's special tax status. america.cgtn.com Florida is proving fertile ground for a spate of culture wars, pitting its Republican governor against Democrats and progressives, even Disney. The entertainment giant is the governor's latest target following its public stand on the rights and safety of the LGBTQ community.

Anonymous669 (2022-04-28). Damascus-SDF Agreement Ends Siege On Several Areas In Northern & Northeastern Syria. southfront.org Source: sdf-press.com | The Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reached an agreement to de-escalate and end siege on several areas in northern and northeastern Syria. | Syrian government forces lifted its siege of the SDF-held district of Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo city. On April 28, trucks loaded with wheat and other supplies entered the district coming from government-held areas without facing any problems. | The Syrian Arab Army besieged Sheikh Maqsoud exactly 46 days ago in response t…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-04-28). How Selling the 'Russia-China' Threat Serves the US. libya360.wordpress.com Salman Rafi Sheikh Today, if there is one issue in the United States that draws equal support from both the Republicans and the Democrats, it is the fact that China presents the most serious threat to the US global supremacy. Related to this is the other point of agreement i.e., developing a global coalition against…

WSWS (2022-04-28). At Staten Island rallies, Amazon Labor Union closes ranks with Democrats and trade union bureaucracy. wsws.org The rally, attended by few actual Amazon workers, emphasized the abandonment of the ALU's much vaunted "independence" and growing integration into the pro-corporate unions.

Staff (2022-04-28). Kim Jong Un: To Cope with Possible Future World Crisis We Will Advance a Faster Armed Forces Build Up & Especially Nuclear Forces. orinocotribune.com This April 25, 2022, a grand military parade to be remembered in Korea's history was held at Kim Il Sung Square in the capital city of Pyongyang, the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army (KPRA), the first revolutionary armed forces of Juche type. | The military parade began with a magnificent demonstration of skills by paratroopers who landed on the square, fluttering a large national flag. The State Merited Chorus in charge of playing music for the parade entered the square. | On April 25, 1932, Juche 21 was the day when the dawn of national liberation was brought to the Korean peo…

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