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US Politics

Death toll from California fires likely to soar, with nearly 1,300 people still missing

By David Brown, 18 November 2019

There is growing popular outrage as details emerge pointing to the culpability of the state’s energy giants and government officials in creating the conditions for the deadly inferno.

Congressional Democrats push Russia probe, censorship

By Patrick Martin, 19 November 2018

With virtually all results of the November 6 election determined, the Democratic Party has cemented control over the House of Representatives with a gain of nearly 40 seats.

Little Rock, Arkansas teachers’ union relinquishes due process rights

By Nancy Hanover, 19 November 2018

The union-endorsed agreement will open the door to streamlining the ability of the Little Rock School district to fire educators.

US has spent almost $6 trillion on wars since 2001

By Trévon Austin, 17 November 2018

The Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria wars cost $5.6 trillion alone, not including future interest on money borrowed that will total at least $8 trillion.

Eleven military-intelligence Democrats win US House seats

By Patrick Martin, 17 November 2018

The influx of former military commanders, CIA agents and civilian war planners is unprecedented for the Democratic Party.

Migrant caravan reaches US border as Latin American governments discuss austerity and repression

By Andrea Lobo, 17 November 2018

As the first caravan of mostly Honduran migrants begins to arrive at the US border, local elites met at the Ibero-American Summit, vowing deeper social austerity and militarized repression.

US teacher unions’ “Remember in November” fizzles

By J. Cooper, 17 November 2018

After sabotaging the teachers’ strike movement last spring, the teachers unions turned all energy toward the ballot box. What happened?

Trump manoeuvres ahead of US-China trade talks

By Nick Beams, 17 November 2018

The central demand of the Trump administration is that Beijing scrap its “Made in China” program and adopt a subservient economic position in relation to the US.

DSA-backed “progressive Democrats” drop phony opposition to Trump’s attacks on immigrants

By Will Morrow, 17 November 2018

The Democrats “progressive” caucus, including DSA member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is calling for a more “humane” and “effective” American immigration Gestapo.

Bipartisan panel: US must prepare for “horrendous,” “devastating” war with Russia and China

By Andre Damon, 16 November 2018

A bipartisan commission appointed by Congress has provided the Democrats’ rubber stamp to the Trump administration’s plans to prepare for war between “great powers.”

Facebook hires former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

By Joe Mount, 16 November 2018

Clegg joins Facebook at a time when it is censoring socialist, left-wing and oppositional web sites, including the closure of hundreds of such sites over the last several weeks.

Ocasio-Cortez holds climate change stunt to boost Pelosi

By Genevieve Leigh, 16 November 2018

The “protest” in the offices of Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi was a calculated operation aimed at solidarizing Ocasio-Cortez with the Democratic Party establishment.

Trump demands end to Florida recount in new attack on voting rights

By Patrick Martin, 15 November 2018

The president’s demand that his favored candidates in Florida be declared the victors, regardless of the actual vote, is an ominous warning.

DSA calls US midterm elections the “rebirth of the American socialist movement”

By Genevieve Leigh, 15 November 2018

As the Democratic Party continues its shift to the right, the DSA claims that the election of a handful of DSA-endorsed Democratic candidates has significantly altered the trajectory of American politics.

Court battles over ballot counts in Georgia, Florida

By Patrick Martin, 14 November 2018

One week after the November 6 elections, one Senate contest, two governor’s races and as many as a dozen House seats remain undecided.

As lame duck Congress convenes

Democrats seek agreements with Trump administration

By Patrick Martin, 13 November 2018

The likely leader of the new Democratic-controlled House, Nancy Pelosi, has dismissed opposition to Trump’s war on immigrants, saying Democrats should not “take the bait.”

Tensions mount over US election contests in Florida, Georgia, Arizona

By Fred Mazelis, 10 November 2018

The midterm results demonstrate again that the Democrats, far from offering an alternative to Trump and the Republicans, are part of the big business conspiracy against the working class.

Democrats rally to defend fired Attorney General Sessions, Special Counsel Mueller

By Tom Eley, 9 November 2018

The Democrats and their “left” allies fear that Sessions’ firing will derail the anti-Russia Mueller investigation.

US-North Korean talks called off

By Peter Symonds, 9 November 2018

While the US said the meeting was merely postponed, the cancellation is another sign of an impasse in negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program.

At White House press conference, Trump calls reporter an “enemy of the people”

By Eric London, 8 November 2018

Trump made clear that his response to the midterm elections would be an even more open embrace of fascistic, anti-immigrant policies.

After midterm elections, Democrats call for bipartisan unity with Trump

By Patrick Martin and Barry Grey, 8 November 2018

From the standpoint of the interests of working people, the rearrangement of seats in Congress is largely irrelevant. No positive change is possible outside of the independent intervention of the working class.

EU responds to US midterm elections with calls for military build-up

By Alex Lantier, 8 November 2018

European ruling circles have concluded that US-European conflicts reflect a deeper crisis than they first believed.

Significant vote for SEP candidate Niles Niemuth in Michigan’s 12th district

By our reporters, 8 November 2018

Approximately 2,200 workers and young people cast a class-conscious vote for Niles’ campaign and expressed their support for socialism.

Citing war in Syria, ISO withdraws endorsement of Green Party gubernatorial candidate in New York

By Sandy English, 8 November 2018

The International Socialist Organization withdrew its endorsement of the Green Party candidate on the grounds that his campaign was associated with opposition to the US intervention in Syria.

US midterm vote: Democrats win control of House of Representatives

By Patrick Martin, 7 November 2018

The Republican Party retained control of the US Senate, gaining several seats, while the Democrats swept a series of governorships in the Midwest.

Billionaires, corporate money swing toward Democrats

By our reporter, 7 November 2018

The 2018 campaign is the most expensive congressional election ever, with more than $5.2 billion raised and spent.

Final campaign meeting for Niles Niemuth reviews experiences from campaigning

By our reporters, 7 November 2018

After six months of campaigning, the meeting reviewed the experiences of members and supporters of the Socialist Equality Party.

Trump steps up anti-immigrant campaign on eve of US election

By Patrick Martin, 6 November 2018

The move to shut down DACA is the latest effort to attack the democratic rights of immigrants.

White House report on socialism

The specter of Marx haunts the American ruling class

By Barry Grey, 6 November 2018

The very fact that the US government acknowledges a growth of support for socialism testifies to vast changes in the political consciousness of the working class and the terror this strikes within the ruling elite.

The way forward for young people: Not Democratic Party politics, but the fight for socialism!

By Genevieve Leigh, 6 November 2018

The fear mongering tactics of the Democratic Party and its allies are combined with a complete absence of any discussion of the actual conditions and concerns of the vast majority of young people.

Vote Niles Niemuth, Socialist Equality Party, for US House of Representatives in Michigan’s 12th district!

6 November 2018

The WSWS urges all its readers who reside in the 12th Congressional District of Michigan to cast a class-conscious vote for the only socialist candidate in the 2018 elections.

Former CIA Director Brennan endorses Democrat Beto O’Rourke

By Patrick Martin, 5 November 2018

While O’Rourke has been hailed as the new “progressive” standard bearer, the support of a notorious war criminal exposes his real politics.

Inviting Trump to Paris, Macron evokes the specter of fascism and the 1930s

By Alex Lantier, 5 November 2018

Macron is inviting America’s far-right president while hypocritically criticizing European neo-fascism as a danger to the pursuit of European imperialist interests.

On the eve of the US midterm elections: The political issues facing the working class

By Joseph Kishore, 5 November 2018

Regardless of the outcome, the elections will set the stage for a further shift of US politics to the right.

Democratic Party mailer removes SEP candidate Niles Niemuth from sample ballot

By our reporter, 5 November 2018

A voter guide delivered to thousands of residents in Dearborn, Downriver and western Wayne County omitted the SEP candidate in Michigan’s 12th district from a sample ballot.

Illinois governor’s race the most expensive in US history

By Alexander Fangmann, 5 November 2018

Two billionaire candidates are saturating the media to distract from their shared post-election plans to accelerate attacks on the working class.

Washington imposes new sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba

By Bill Van Auken, 3 November 2018

Bolton’s speech on the Trump administration’s policy toward Latin America amounted to a demand for regime change in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

US expands illegal, unilateral sanctions against Iran

By Mike Head, 3 November 2018

The measures Washington outlined yesterday are tantamount to a declaration of war.

Trump manoeuvres in lead-up to talks with Chinese President Xi

By Nick Beams, 3 November 2018

The aim is either to extract major concessions from China or, failing that, create the best conditions for pressing ahead with trade war measures.

Immigrant tent cities and right-wing terror: The new normal in America

By Eric London, 3 November 2018

Halting the growth of political violence and the moves toward dictatorship requires a break with the Democratic Party and the mobilization of the immense power of the American and international working class.

Christine Assange, mother of persecuted WikiLeaks publisher, endorses Niles Niemuth, SEP candidate for Congress

By our reporter, 3 November 2018

Christine Assange posted an endorsement of Niles Niemuth on Twitter, calling on her followers to vote for “an anti-corruption/ pro Assange candidate.”

Letters protest censorship of Niles Niemuth election campaign by WDIV

3 November 2018

The WSWS is publishing a selection of the letters which were sent in response to the open letter written by Niemuth, the Socialist Equality Party candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 12th District.

Abigail Spanberger: CIA Democrat for Virginia’s 7th District

By E.P. Milligan, 2 November 2018

Abigail Spanberger is one of the most prominent of the former military and intelligence operatives running as Democratic candidates for Congress in the 2018 midterm elections.

Trump calls for “massive cities of tents” and indefinite detention of immigrants

By Eric London, 2 November 2018

The right-wing demagogue described a hellish vision of concentration camps to imprison helpless men, women, and children, and urged the thousands of troops being rushed to America’s southern border to open fire on unarmed crowds.

New York Times tries to shame “disillusioned young voters” into supporting the Democrats

By Barry Grey, 2 November 2018

As masses of people grow increasingly disillusioned with capitalism and the two-party system, the Times is doing its best to shore up support for the Democratic Party.

An open letter to WDIV Local 4 News in Detroit

Stop the censorship of the Socialist Equality Party campaign!

By Niles Niemuth, 2 November 2018

The following open letter was sent to Kim Voet, the news director of WDIV Local 4 News and ClickonDetroit.com, protesting the exclusion of any information about the SEP election campaign from their coverage.

SEP candidate Niles Niemuth speaks with students and workers in Lincoln Park, Michigan

By our reporters, 1 November 2018

The Socialist Equality Party congressional candidate campaigned Wednesday in the Downriver suburb, a bedroom community for many workers in the area.

Thousands protest Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh synagogue following mass shooting

By Samuel Davidson, 31 October 2018

The popular rejection of Trump’s far-right policies highlights the cowardice and complicity of the Democratic Party, which offers no principled opposition to Trump’s fascistic attacks on immigrants and democratic rights more broadly.

A wolf in wolf’s clothing: West Virginia Democrat Richard Ojeda

By Naomi Spencer, 31 October 2018

A former career Army officer, Ojeda has been elevated to national prominence as a fighter for the working class. He is no such thing.

“It is like a pyramid scheme and we’re the worker ants at the bottom”

Amazon workers in Downriver Michigan speak to SEP candidate Niles Niemuth

By our reporters, 31 October 2018

Niles spoke with Amazon workers about working conditions as well as the Trump administration’s deployment of the military against immigrant workers.

After Pittsburgh massacre: New York Times covers up Trump’s role in instigating fascist violence

By Patrick Martin, 30 October 2018

The leading US newspaper’s editorial on the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre effectively absolves President Trump and his fascistic politics of any responsibility for the bloodbath.

Mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue

Anti-Semitic violence erupts in America

By Joseph Kishore, 29 October 2018

To understand the significance of the homicidal violence in Pittsburgh that has left 11 people dead, it is necessary to place the event in its international and historical context.

US armed forces deployed to Mexico border in preparation for expected closure

By Norisa Diaz, 29 October 2018

A violent clash is being prepared on the US-Mexico border as Washington readies emergency powers to close the border.

Thousands attend memorial for victims of mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue

By Samuel Davidson, 29 October 2018

An overflow crowd packed the hall and hundreds stood outside in the rain to pay respect to those struck down by a fascistic gunman.

Eleven killed in deadliest attack on Jewish community in US history

By Samuel Davidson, 28 October 2018

The attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh occurs in the midst of an international escalation of fascist violence.

Arrest of bomb scare suspect heightens political warfare in Washington

By Barry Grey, 27 October 2018

The mail bombs are a symptom of a deepening social and political crisis in the United States, the center of world capitalism.

As federal judge orders Georgia to count tossed-out ballots

Voter suppression looms large in 2018 US elections

By Kranti Kumara, 27 October 2018

The issue of deliberate voter suppression has become a highly contentious issue with less than two weeks before Election Day.

Defend immigrant workers against Trump’s military crackdown

By Bill Van Auken, 27 October 2018

American workers must come to the defense of immigrants and refugees as the Trump administration threatens to close the border and turn armed troops against working class men, women and children.

Trump to deploy hundreds of troops to the border against Central American migrants

By Andrea Lobo, 26 October 2018

The domestic deployment of the military against immigrants is a warning to the entire working class.

Former Fed chair warns of new financial crisis

By Nick Beams, 26 October 2018

In remarks unprecedented for a former central banker, Janet Yellen told the Financial Times that the lessons of the financial crash of 2008 were being forgotten.

CIA director briefs Trump on Khashoggi torture tape

By Bill Van Auken, 26 October 2018

CIA Director Gina Haspel, dispatched to Turkey to investigate the murder of the Saudi journalist, has intimate familiarity with acts of torture and tapes recording them.

What the mail bomb uproar says about American politics

By Patrick Martin, 26 October 2018

The American media has dropped virtually all other topics to focus its attention on the mail bombs sent to eight leading Democrats or public critics of Trump.

Obama stumps for Democrats in Michigan: A legacy of social devastation

By Niles Niemuth, 26 October 2018

Obama is visiting Cass Tech High School in Detroit in an effort to convince workers once again that the Democratic Party, a right-wing, pro-capitalist and pro-war party, represents their interests.

Bombs mailed to prominent Democrats and Trump critics

By Patrick Martin, 25 October 2018

None of the devices exploded and no one was injured, even though two of the bombs reached the offices of CNN and a Florida congresswoman.

Oppose Trump’s attacks on immigrants! Defend the migrant caravan!

By Niles Niemuth, 25 October 2018

Workers in the US must unite with workers in Mexico and Central America to ensure the safe passage into the country of the several thousand workers making their way towards the US-Mexico border.

New York Times celebrates downfall of 201 “powerful men:” The ugly face of the #MeToo campaign

By David Walsh, 25 October 2018

The article inadvertently points toward an important truth: the #MeToo campaign is fundamentally an effort by a layer of upper-middle class women to advance their economic interests at the expense of their male rivals.

Republicans and Democrats prepare bipartisan agenda of social cuts and war

By Patrick Martin, 23 October 2018

Two weeks before the US congressional elections, the outlines of a reactionary deal between the Trump administration and the Democratic Party are coming into view.

Gavin Newsom: A California governor groomed by the financial aristocracy

By Dan Conway, 23 October 2018

The Los Angeles Times recently published a report documenting the role of eight wealthy San Francisco families in bankrolling the political career of Democrat Gavin Newsom.

Bernie Sanders tours Michigan to prop up the Democratic Party

By Matthew Brennan, 22 October 2018

The candidate brought his “revolution” to Ann Arbor Michigan to drum up support for establishment and right-wing political candidates.

New York’s Metropolitan Republican Club hosts leader of fascistic street gang

By Tom Carter, 22 October 2018

This event exposes the close ties between a faction of the Republican Party and the political gutter of open racists, bigots and the “alt-right.”

Socialist Alternative and Democratic Socialists of America hold election rally for Democrats in Chicago

By Kristina Betinis, 22 October 2018

The pseudo-lefts are collaborating to refurbish the image of the increasingly right-wing Democratic Party, which is running an unprecedented number of CIA agents in the midterms.

Pompeo meets with Mexican government as its police attack Honduran migrants

By Eric London, 20 October 2018

Hundreds of women and children were injured in the crackdown on a narrow bridge over the river separating Mexico and Guatemala.

Trump demands five percent budget cut from each Cabinet department

By Shelley Connor, 20 October 2018

In a move to counter the growing federal deficit, Trump has called upon each Cabinet secretary to cut spending.

As Trump administration prepares to withdraw from nuclear missile treaty

US charges new Russian conspiracy to interfere in midterm elections

By Will Morrow, 20 October 2018

The charges have been released without the slightest evidence, but have immediately been accepted as gospel and amplified by the American media.

Trump threatens to deploy military to close US-Mexico border

By Eric London, 19 October 2018

Trump, with the complicity of the Democrats, has invoked the phony “threat” of the immigrant caravan to whip up xenophobia before the midterm elections.

Trump scrambles to cover for Saudi regime as crisis over Khashoggi murder mounts

By Barry Grey, 19 October 2018

Pompeo’s meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed were aimed at signaling continued US support while making a pretense of seeking a full accounting of Khashoggi’s disappearance.

The Harvard case on racial preferences and the antidemocratic character of affirmative action

By Ed Hightower, 19 October 2018

Affirmative action policies seek to conceal the class division in society while permitting the political right to pose as defenders of equal protection.

Anti-Kissinger protest at New York University

By Isaac Finn, 19 October 2018

Protesters gathered outside of NYU’s business school to oppose the appearance of the notorious war criminal Henry Kissinger.

One year of the #MeToo movement

By David Walsh, 19 October 2018

The ostensible aim of this movement is to combat sexual harassment, i.e., to bring about social progress. However, the repressive means resorted to give the lie to the campaign’s “progressive” claims.

Genuine socialism vs. the Democratic Party politics of Bernie Sanders

By Niles Niemuth, 19 October 2018

Amid growing opposition to capitalism and interest in socialism, Sanders plays a critical role in directing oppositional sentiments back behind the Democratic Party.

CIA Democrat Max Rose faces off against Trump Republican in Staten Island

By Daniel de Vries, 18 October 2018

A debate Tuesday evening in Staten Island demonstrated the right-wing character of the Democratic Party’s opposition to Trump.

Record flood of cash to buy US midterm elections

By Patrick Martin, 18 October 2018

The sheer scale of the fundraising and spending demonstrates the profoundly anti-democratic character of the American political system.

Florida gubernatorial election: Suddenly “socialism” becomes the issue

By Matthew MacEgan and Jean Bellevie, 18 October 2018

Democrat Andrew Gillum is being falsely portrayed as a progressive, left-wing candidate by both his supporters and his Republican opponent.

Feigning moral outrage, the Times’ Thomas Friedman comes to the defense of the Saudi killer regime

By Barry Grey, 18 October 2018

Friedman poses the problem of how to respond to the murder of Khashoggi from the “practical” standpoint of imperialist Realpolitik.

Former first lady Michelle Obama declares George W. Bush “my partner in crime”

By Nick Barrickman, 16 October 2018

Bush is guilty of war crimes of the highest order, but they are crimes that the entire political establishment supports and is pledged to continue.

Facebook’s purge of left-wing media: A frontal assault on freedom of speech

By Andre Damon, 15 October 2018

The social media monopoly’s removal of left-wing news pages with millions of followers is the latest step in a conspiracy by the state and the technology giants to censor the internet.

Death toll from Hurricane Michael continues to climb

By Matthew Taylor, 15 October 2018

Hurricane Michael is now considered to be the third most powerful storm to impact the US.

Trump considers reinstating family separations at the border

By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 15 October 2018

The proposal to force parents to choose between separation and deportation to war-torn Central America is a form of emotional torture.

New York judge dismisses a sexual assault charge against producer Harvey Weinstein

By David Walsh, 15 October 2018

Judge James Burke took the action after it came to light that a New York City police detective had failed to report an interview with a friend of one of the complainants, Lucia Evans, which casts doubt on her version of events.