US ports are urging the Biden administration to reconsider a proposed 25% tariff on Chinese-made cranes, arguing it will increase costs by over $130 million and hurt their competitiveness. They argue there are no alternatives to Chinese cranes and the tariff will negatively impact efficiency, capacity, and the overall economy. The ports dispute the administration's claims of security threats posed by the cranes.

https://archive.is/ZdmoV

Seems like the next U.S. president could very well be their equivalent of Gorbachev.

It was telling, however, that for one issue Biden forcefully defended his foreign policy against Trump’s. That exception concerned NATO and the proxy war in Ukraine against Russia, which Biden backed 100%.

It was the only time in the debate that Biden seemed present, living in the moment. He defended the U.S. and the European powers’ role in prolonging the war. He attacked Vladimir Putin and Russia.

Biden skewered Trump for breaking with the European NATO powers and defended the hundreds of billions of dollars the U.S. — and the rest of NATO — has already spent in its aggressive war against Russia.

In other words, the one arena where Biden got energized and coherent was defending militarism. He pointed out that NATO countries were spending more for weapons. He even boasted that U.S. funds were not donated to Ukraine, but handed to U.S. arms manufacturers, spurring U.S. business and providing jobs.

Trump claimed credit for bullying the European NATO powers into spending more on war. And he bragged that the Pentagon generals loved him. He knows that U.S. intervention in the Ukraine war is unpopular among voters. That’s why he claimed, with no explanation, that under his administration there would have been no war in Ukraine.

Neither U.S.-dominated NATO nor a Pentagon superpower serves the interest of the working class — in the U.S. or worldwide. The Biden administration’s policies regarding NATO and Ukraine are based on strategies for maintaining U.S. hegemony globally. This means keeping the [neo]imperialist banks, trading currency, transportation and telecommunications under U.S. leadership — and profitable.

While Trump appeared more isolationist regarding Europe and Russia, there is no reason to believe his policies will be less aggressive. His goal is the same: U.S. domination.

Trump’s belligerence is more obvious regarding China, where he threatens 60% tariffs on imports, even though that would create a spike in inflation in the U.S. Remember, though, that the Biden administration has sought a military alliance with Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan directed at China, something like a Pacific version of NATO.

Trump outdoes ‘Genocide Joe’

Concerning Palestine, Trump even outdid Biden’s rhetoric, attacking Biden for withholding the 2,000-pound superbombs from [Zionism]. Trump chided Biden for hesitating to annihilate Hamas, while labeling Biden as being “Palestinian,” which Trump meant as a racist slur.

Fact check: There has been no break in the strategic alliance of the [Herzlian] settler state with U.S. [neo]imperialism, whatever differences have appeared in rhetoric and diplomacy between Biden and […] Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.

There is a good reason that the movement to end the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza calls the president “Genocide Joe,” even if Trump calls him weak. Biden’s administration has continued to arm [neocolonialism] despite [its] war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

There is no reason to believe a Trump presidency would alter Washington’s alliance with the [neocolony]. Both candidates and their parties can be expected to pursue the aggressive stance of [neo]imperialism in West Asia and worldwide.

A new candidate?

Nearly all the corporate media, even those that have been pro-Biden or who consider Trump a train wreck waiting to happen, faulted Biden for his overall incoherence and inability to counter Trump’s lies. Many editorialists — for example, a half-dozen veteran New York Times writers and its editorial board — are urging the Democratic Party to somehow find and nominate a new and younger candidate.

They want someone who can arouse enough enthusiasm to beat Trump without arousing a mass struggle that can defend the rights of migrants, win back the right to abortion, challenge U.S. militarism, battle against U.S. aggression aimed at Russia and China and stop arming the […] genocide in Gaza.

Whether or not the Democratic Party finds such a candidate, and Biden agrees to step down, there will still be reason for workers to withhold support from both capitalist parties’ selections.

(Emphasis original.)

In the past, Americans could argue that they possessed a vibrant democracy. But no longer. A “simple lie” was stripped bare on the world stage on June 27, exposing a “complex truth”: American “democracy” is represented by two repugnant geriatrics yelling at each other.

They are the least-liked major party candidates in three decades. Aleksandr Dugin compared Donald Trump and Joe Biden at the debate to the animated TV series, “Beavis and Butt-head”—two teenagers described by Rolling Stone “as thunderously stupid and excruciatingly ugly.”

On November 5, a country of 325 million people will be forced to choose between a felon and sexual deviant, dubbed the “Orange Gangster” for his orange spray-on tan and criminality; or “Genocide Joe,” the dementia-addled and adult diaper-wearing chief of crime family

The situation with Biden is much worse. His physical health has declined: he cannot ascend or descend stairs and has had many public falls, and he is known to wear adult diapers because of his inability to control bodily functions; hence his nickname, “Grandpa Poopy Pants.”

The way this news is written is SUPER BASED.

Nina McCollum has been laid off so many times that the 55-year-old is basically an unofficial expert. That’s how she describes herself, at least.

The marketing writer, who went viral in 2019 for documenting how she submitted over 200 applications during her two-year unemployment period, eventually landed her dream job at a major human resources tech company in the Bay Area. But then, in March 2023, she was let go — and suddenly back at square one.

“My chances of obtaining another great-paying FT job are next to zero,” she wrote to SFGATE in an email.

McCollum is not alone. Over the past two years, major tech companies in the Bay Area have hemorrhaged high-salaried workers, sending a chill throughout an industry that once seemed untouchable. Meta has let go of at least 21,000 workers, while Google has handed pink slips to hundreds of employees across San Francisco, Sunnyvale and Mountain View. Though the state government boasts about California’s growing economy and low unemployment rate, multiple people who spoke with SFGATE painted a bleak picture.

Archive link: https://archive.ph/rxOwe

Jason Cohen of Friends of Swazi Freedom noted that the Kenyan police killed at least 20 people on the day they stormed parliament protesting the finance bill and that on June 27 they reportedly killed 250 people as they left a protest.

Cohen said: “Ruto is acting as a puppet to protect U.S. and U.N. interests in Haiti by aiding the occupation. We are here to be in solidarity with the Kenyan protesters and further call on the Haitian masses to get the police out.”

The demonstration was called by Friends of Swazi Freedom, Black Alliance for Peace NY/NJ, Bronx Anti-War Coalition, Workers World Party and Komokoda, among others.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Supreme Court said on Monday that former US President Donald Trump can claim immunity from prosecution on election subversion charges as it relates to official acts as president, although he could still face prosecution for unofficial acts.

"Held: Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts," the Supreme Court said in a ruling.

An analysis published last December by the CDC, based on data collected in 2021, reported that the suicide rates in these industries are nearly double the average of all occupations and the highest of 20 industry groups examined.

The CDC analyzed suicide deaths by industry and occupation in 49 states using data from the 2021 National Vital Statistics System. The study noted, “The suicide rate among the US working-age population has increased approximately 33 percent during the last 2 decades.”

The study found that “overall suicide rates by sex in the civilian noninstitutionalized working population were 32.0 per 100,000 among males and 8.0 per 100,000 among females.”

Providence, one of Oregon’s largest corporations, owns one-quarter of Oregon’s health care market. The yearly income of Providence CEOs has risen to $10 million. The nurses are being offered a 7% raise the first year and only 3% in subsequent years, less than the annual rate of inflation.

On June 1, Oregon became the second state, after California, to establish mandatory nurse staffing ratios. The law establishes minimum staffing ratios to ensure quality patient care and to prevent nurse burnout, but the law is insufficient, as it gives the hospital corporations some flexibility. The ONA is insisting on maximum nurse-patient ratios. The union wants the contract to go beyond the minimum allowed by law, ensuring safer staffing ratios at Providence whereby nurses can provide care for patients with a wide range of needs.

Exactly one year ago, 1,800 Providence nurses and staff at three other Oregon locations carried out a week-long strike, demanding better health care coverage, paid time off, higher wages and improved staffing levels. An ONA speaker at last year’s strike rally called for fewer millionaires and more nurses. Since COVID-19 began, she said, “CEOs’ pay is up and staffing pay is down.” (workers.org/2023/06/71964/)

Last year, those striking nurses won wage increases between 17% and 26%, additional paid time off and a promise to add nurses in order to comply with Oregon’s staffing law.

After the current strike ended, because of a five-day contract Providence made with replacement (scab) nurses, the hospital locked out several striking nurses until June 23.

Nicole Hudson, an emergency room charge nurse at the Willamette Falls Medical Center, told this reporter that by not letting all the nurses back to work at the same time, “Providence is violating their contract, trying to separate us and cause discord between nurses.” She said the situation inside the hospital is dangerous now. There are reports from the inside that replacement workers don’t have the right experience for the job.

Hudson stressed: “We are united, demanding that we return to work as a unit to deliver the quality care we are trained for, that feels gratifying.”

In a profoundly disappointing ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court today decided that the US Constitution does not protect homeless people against cruel and unusual punishment, even when they have no choice to sleep in public using things like blankets or pillows.

Arresting or fining people for trying to survive is expensive, counterproductive, and cruel. This inhumane ruling, which goes against the values of nearly three-quarters of Americans, will make homelessness worse in Grants Pass and nationwide. Cities are now even more empowered to neglect proven housing-based solutions and to arrest or fine those with no choice but to sleep outdoors. While we are disappointed, we are not surprised that this Supreme Court ruled against the interests of our poorest neighbors.

Despite the setback, the National Homelessness Law Center finds strength in Justice Sotomayor’s compelling dissent. This dissent aligns with our long-held belief that no one should be punished for sleeping outside, especially when they have no other options. While we are enraged, we are now even more committed to ensuring that everybody has a safe place to call home.

TL DR. The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping and camping in public places.

As anti-imperialist Bronxites, we reject the bourgeois co-optation of queer revolt, the Zionist attempt to pinkwash the genocide in Gaza and the consistent pushing out of Bronxites by capitalist real estate developers.

While many of our trans siblings are unable to afford the health care necessary for gender reaffirming care, those in the Zionist entity are allotted free health care with our tax dollars.

Politicians use pinkwashing to gain our votes and then use their power to bankroll Israeli occupation while failing to protect trans rights.

Over 500 anti-queer and anti-trans laws have been proposed or passed in over 40 states. Pride parades are marching with the same Zionist-aligned politicians, connected to weapons manufacturers, banks and [neo]imperialist NGOs that contribute to the strangling of queer life abroad. This is why we say “No to pinkwashing!”

LGBTQ+ rights will NOT be used as a cover for genocide in Palestine or [neo]imperialist aggression against nations like Haiti, Cuba and beyond. Queer and trans people will not be used to beat the drums of war and genocide anywhere on the globe.

The struggle never began with representation and assimilation into the colonial/capitalist system. Our struggle is for the liberation of all peoples from the grasp of the U.S. Empire.

The affiliation agreement gives the ALU the exclusive right to organize other New York City area Amazon facilities into the Teamsters union, which has pledged an initial $8 million toward that effort.

The ALU’s rôle in Amazon organizing drives outside of Metro New York is defined in the agreement, with a minimum of three members involved in planning and strategy sessions. This essentially affirms the contributions of President Chris Smalls and other ALU leaders in the first unionization victory at an Amazon warehouse, the JFK8 facility in Staten Island, New York.

Workers attempting to organize Amazon’s largest airplane hub, KCVG in Kentucky, have also affiliated with the Teamsters. The union created an Amazon division in 2021.

The near-unanimous vote by Staten Island Amazon workers to affiliate with the Teamsters means from now on organizing drives will have the backing of one of the biggest U.S. unions, with 1.3 million members.

The Supreme Court has upended a 40-year-old decision that made it easier for the United States federal government to regulate the environment, public health, workplace safety and consumer protections, delivering a far-reaching and potentially lucrative victory to business interests.

On Friday, the court’s six conservative justices overturned the 1984 decision colloquially known as Chevron, long a target of conservatives. The liberal justices were in dissent.

Gun, e-cigarette, farm, timber and home-building groups were among the business groups supporting the fishermen. Conservative interests that also intervened in recent high court cases limiting regulation of air and water pollution backed the fishermen, as well.

“That is no longer a sufficient rationale for why Mr. Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year,” the editorial board wrote. “Voters… cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr. Biden is not the man he was four years ago.”

A flash poll conducted by CNN revealed that 67% of registered voters who watched the debate felt that Trump had won.

Jersey City protesters stretched a red banner across the width of the pedestrian plaza for their Red Line. They made posters with enlarged photographs of victims and the rubble of homes and hospitals left by [neocolonialism’s] bombs in Gaza. These same bombs were paid for by U.S. tax dollars.

The demonstrators called for an end to sending U.S. weapons and money for [the] genocidal attack on Gaza. They vowed continued support for Gaza, for Palestinian liberation and an end to [the] occupation. The protest also accused Biden, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ), of supporting genocide; denounced the members of the Jersey City City Council who abstained on a ceasefire resolution as complicit in genocide; and demanded an end to Jersey City’s sister relationship with Beit Shemesh, a right-wing settlement near Jerusalem.

Fourteen of the 15 remaining defendants, proudly wearing their Palestinian keffiyehs defiantly in court, turned down the ACD deal and issued a joint statement stating the reason for their decision: “We stand here today united by our action and the Palestinian cause. The state has attempted, once again, to divide us — dismissing some of our cases and offering others deals in accordance with their outside agitator narrative.

“All of us who took part in the liberation of Hind’s Hall [renamed in honor of a six-year-old Palestinian girl murdered by the Occupation Force] were driven by the same necessity to escalate, to escalate for Gaza, to resist the savage genocide of our siblings in Palestine.

“We exercised our shared right to oppose the U.S. war machine by putting our bodies upon the years of Columbia, one of its most well-oiled domestic components.” (abc7ny.com, June 21)

Workers World salutes these heroic students and their allies who refused to be bullied and divided by the pro-Zionist school administration, Mayor Eric Adams and the state repression of the NYPD and the courts.

These young activists, an integral part of a global movement, have been inspired by the determined struggle for the Palestinian people’s right to liberation and self-determination, including reclaiming their ancestral lands.

Long live the student Intifada!

https://archive.ph/x46HC