WASHINGTON—Even after decades of enforcement, activism and union campaigning, “workers are still paying the price every day” in deaths and injuries on the job “for corporate greed,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler says. Flourishing a copy of the federation’s 33rd annual report, Death on the Job: A Toll of Neglect,” Shuler told a Labor Department audience the job of campaigning to cut the toll is incomplete. Workers and their allies must lobby for tougher laws against companies and more enforcement, too, she said. The AFL-CIO’s comprehensive report, plus the Dirty Dozen study by the labor-backed ..read more

WASHINGTON—The right wing MAGA majority on the Supreme Court is aiming to rule that ex-presidents have at least some degree of immunity from prosecution for crimes they commit. Perhaps more important even than the words of any such ruling, however, is that it would likely further delay the proceedings against Trump on charges that he plotted to subvert and reverse the results of the 2020 election. It seems, based on what transpired at the Court yesterday, that they also will send the case back to the trial court, ordering it to draw distinctions between private and official conduct. Essential ..read more

The New York Times’ coverage of the Israeli carnage in Gaza, like that of other mainstream U.S. media, is a disgrace to journalism. This assertion should not surprise anyone. U.S. media is driven neither by facts nor morality, but by agendas, calculating and power-hungry. The humanity of 120,000 dead and wounded Palestinians because of the Israeli genocide in Gaza is simply not part of that agenda. In a report based on a leaked The New York Times internal memo, The Intercept found out that the so-called U.S. “newspaper of record” has been feeding its journalists with frequently updated “guide ..read more

The colonial empire in Portugal was the oldest in the world, while at the same time the country itself was colonized by imperialism. However, 50 years ago, a revolution began that brought about momentous change to both for the peoples of Portugal and its colonial empire. ALBANO NUNES, a member of the Central Control Commission of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and a direct participant in the events of April 25, 1974, talks to JAMSHID AHMADI, editor of the Liberation Journal, where this article originally appeared, about the triumphant overthrow of fascism in Portugal and the enduring im ..read more

LOS ANGELES—As historic labor struggles rage on, attacks on immigrant rights increase, housing prices skyrocket, and armed conflicts with unimaginable human loss continue, the Los Angeles May Day Coalition announces the 2024 May Day march theme: “Solidarity is Power: The People United.” This year’s May Day demonstration features a new march route and location. On International Workers’ Day, May 1, 2024, thousands of immigrants, workers, students, educators, parents, activists, and people of faith will unite in solidarity to take over the streets of Hollywood—the entertainment capital of the w ..read more

NEW YORK—U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson steps out the front door of Columbia University’s library and immediately faces a wave of heckling. The discomfort on his face settles into a sickly sweet politician’s smirk. “Booooo!” the crowd heckles. “We can’t hear you!” “Enjoy your free speech,” Johnson says into the mic, though the sound is fed directly into the dozens of television news networks present, and so no one in the crowd can hear him. Of course, Johnson isn’t here to address the Columbia student body. They simply present a tidy backdrop for his true audience: the extreme right, who cla ..read more

WASHINGTON—It’s deadline day for Donald Trump today at the U.S. Supreme Court, and maybe for democracy, too. At issue is whether, by being a former president, one-time real estate mogul Trump—and any other ex-president—will enjoy absolute and perpetual immunity from criminal prosecution. Trump says “yes.” Precedent says “no.” But the five-justice right-wing majority on the High Court has shown itself very willing to toss precedents out in favor of imposing their ideology on the country. Just as they did on women in junking the federal constitutional right to abortion. Just as they did for mil ..read more

WASHINGTON—The North American Building Trades Unions fired a shot heard across the nation this week when they gave a ringing endorsement to the re-election campaign of President Biden. The move was particularly significant because the last time around significant percentages of workers in the various building trades backed Donald Trump, who large numbers of union members now see as having betrayed their vital economic and political interests. The April 23-24 conference of more than 3,000 people heard from a parade of officeholders, capped off by President Joe Biden, who won the official endor ..read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Franklin County Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan has demonstrated long-standing support for Israel Bonds—including sinking public money into the investment vehicle that provides cash to the Israeli government. The treasurer has attended many of the company’s events, both before and during her time in office, including one that featured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She has also been personally recognized by Israel Bonds at an event in 2019 for her investments. According to emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, in August 2020, Sullivan proudly accept ..read more

KENT, Wash.—For five weeks, Selena Taylor has attended the trial of Joshua Puloka, the gunman accused of murdering her son, Ezra Taylor, in a shootout at La Familia Sports Club, Sept. 26, 2021. Puloka, armed with his 9mm Lugar sidearm, is also accused of murdering Antoine Matthews and Angelia Hylton and wounding two others—one of whom later died of his wounds. The trial, Judge Leroy McCullough presiding, is being held at the King County Superior Court in this suburb south of Seattle. The courtroom is crowded with the judge, jurors, stenographers, police officers, the defendant and his attorne ..read more