Is a recession on the horizon?
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary John Snow called it “terrific news on jobs” when the government reported last week that 274,000 jobs were generated in April, higher than expected even though the 5.2 percent jobless rate remained unchanged.
UN nuclear talks stalled by Bush policies
UNITED NATIONS — The UN opened its review of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) amid an unprecedented level of antinuclear activity by more than 1,700 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Yet, the conference has stalled mainly due to the U.S. refusal to adhere to commitments it made in 1995 and 2000.
St. Louis salutes peoples champions
ST. LOUIS — The Missouri/Kansas Friends of the People’s Weekly World annual awards breakfast always draws a crowd. This year was no different.
Building for the future
Sunlight streams into the People’s Weekly World’s new editorial office in Chicago’s Unity Center as graphic designer Marguerite Wright lays out a page on her computer. In Los Angeles, PWW contributing writer Rosalio Muñoz taps out an e-mail in the cheerful, freshly painted Los Angeles Workers Center. In New York’s renovated Unity Center meeting hall, PWW reporter Dan Margolis helps host a reception for representatives of the global antinuclear movement who converged on the United Nations this month. The three buildings are the focus of a nationwide capital fundraising campaign to build a solid financial base for these “community centers of education and struggle.”
Student protesters: Stop GOP drive to gag Senate
WASHINGTON — College students gathered in the shadow of the Capitol, May 11, for a 24-hour “Frist filibuster” to protest Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s threatened “nuclear option.” Frist is seeking 50 votes to repeal the Senate’s 200-year tradition of open debate.
More money down the drain: War cost bleeds states, cities
As U.S. casualties in Iraq topped 1,600, the U.S. Congress approved another $82 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and related spending, with the bulk going to the Iraq occupation.
Soldier refuses Armys order to go to Iraq
PHILADELPHIA — Carl Webb, a U.S. soldier who had re-enlisted in 2001, found out two weeks before his contract was up in 2004 that the Army was extending his enlistment — without his consent — under what it calls its “stop loss” program. The Army told Webb to report for training with the Texas National Guard at Fort Hood in preparation for going to Iraq.
Red Lake tragedy has roots in inequities
In the wake of the March 21 shooting at Red Lake Indian Reservation, Native Americans and advocates for children say the tragedy has its roots in racism, the oppression of Native Americans, and misplaced national priorities that adversely impact America’s youth in general.
Washington U students sit in, demand living wage
ST. LOUIS — About 20 students and alumni entered the Washington University admissions office April 4, demanding a response to their appeal for a living wage for campus employees. The students are members of the Student Worker Alliance (SWA).
Rumsfeld sued for allowing torture
WASHINGTON — Defenders of human rights have hailed as long overdue a lawsuit holding Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld responsible for the torture of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan.
