(2019-07-09). Workers Struggles: the Americas. wsws.org Three Costa Rican public health unions began strike action July 4 against government policies while Costa Rican truckers blockaded highways over imposition of a value added tax.
(2019-07-09). Pentagon solicits virtual reality tech to prep soldiers for 'battlefield nuclear warfare'. rt.com 
The Pentagon has put out a call for virtual reality training environments with "radiological/nuclear considerations" — another sign that the US' unhealthy obsession with nuclear warfare isn't going away anytime soon.
(2019-07-09). US Big Pharma allowed to continue hiding 'intimidating' price info from customers in TV ads. rt.com 
A federal judge has stepped in to save drug companies from a new rule that would have forced them to disclose drug prices in TV ads, ruling that the Department of Health and Human Services lacks authority over the industry.
(2019-07-09). Global conflict situations, poverty lead to rise in mental health crises. wsws.org US imperialism and its allies bear principal responsibility for the wars and military interventions that have wrought devastation throughout the world.
(2019-07-09). Why Aren't the Democrats Talking About Ending Patent Financed Drug Research? counterpunch.org 
Many of the leading Democratic candidates, especially Sanders and Warren, have been putting forward bold progressive plans in a wide variety of areas. Sanders and Warren have both supported a quick transition to a universal Medicare program, with no premiums, co-pays, or deductibles. Several candidates have supported a Green New Deal, which in some versions More
(2019-07-09). Kenya launches effort to save the mountain bongo. cgtn.com 
Kenya is launching a comprehensive strategy to restore the population of the endangered mountain bongo amid risk of extinction linked to poaching, habitat loss, diseases and attack by large predators. | Najib Balala, cabinet secretary for tourism and wildlife, said the national recovery and action plan for the mountain bongo will guide protection of an iconic species that inhabit Kenya's major water towers. | "The implementation of this plan will be a defining moment in the conservation of the mountain bongo subspecies that is only found in Kenya," said Balala. | "It will ensure that the population of mountain b…
(2019-07-08). Giant US healthcare corporations fear hostile takeover by high-tech companies. wsws.org While the US population has expanded by 75 percent since 1960, to approximately 325 million people, healthcare expenditure, in constant dollars, has risen approximately 2000 percent.
(2019-07-08). "A High Potential for Catastrophe": Physicians for Social Responsibility Calls for Better Government Assessment of Public Health and Safety Risks Associated With Transporting LNG by Rail. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-07-08). The Financial Industry Preys on 401(k) Fees. It Doesn't Have to Be This Way. truthout.org Many people studying retirement income have long warned about the risk to future retirees from the collapse of the traditional defined benefit pension. Middle-class workers have generally been able to enjoy reasonably comfortable retirements due to the income these defined pensions provided, in addition to their Social Security. | However, with defined benefit pensions rapidly disappearing, and Social Security benefits replacing a smaller share of income, the prospects for future retirees looks considerably worse. An increase in the percentage of health care costs not covered by Medicare also does not help.
(2019-07-08). Chilean Gov't Returns to Talks With Striking Teachers. telesurenglish.net The striking Chilean teachers met with the directors of the school of teachers and the ministry of education Monday. | RELATED: | Chileans Take to Streets to Defend Public Health System | Minister of Education Marcela Cubillos proposed returning to dialogue after trying to pressurize the union in giving up their strike. However, the teachers must return to classrooms as a co…
(2019-07-08). 'It's a Terrible Existence': The Crisis of Emergency Dialysis Care for Undocumented Immigrants. thenation.com 'It's a Terrible Existence': The Crisis of Emergency Dialysis Care for Undocumented Immigrants…
(2019-07-07). Ebola Outbreak in Congo an Emergency: UK Development Secretary. telesurenglish.net The United Kingdom's (U.K.) international development secretary, Rory Stewart, has called to declare Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) an emergency, after a two-day visit to the emergency health centers for Ebola virus victims in the northeastern cities of Butembo and Beni. | RELATED: | Political Games Hinder Efforts to End Ebola in Congo: WHO | "We are on the edge with this crisis. We keep pulling it back from the brink but it is very dangerous. The very…
(2019-07-06). Medicare for all means radical change, not just reforms. liberationnews.org 
Healthcare, along with education, jobs, and affordable housing, are essential human rights indispensable for everyone.
(2019-07-05). Labor votes for Coalition's billions in tax cuts for the rich. greenleft.org.au 
It is an image that captured Labor's class betrayal on July 3, the first day of the new federal parliament. | A division had been called in the House of Representatives over the Coalition government's bill for huge tax cuts, which will disproportionately benefit the rich, erode progressive income tax by making marginal tax rates flatter, and force more cuts to public health, education and welfare. | On one side sat the sole Greens MP Adam Bandt and independent MP Andrew Wilkie. On the other, Labor and Coalition MPs. | The tax cuts then passed through the Senate the following day, with only Greens senators voting…
(2019-07-05). Born on the 5th of July. counterpunch.org 
The unifying factor behind environmental decline, an extractive health care system, mind-numbing work for poverty wages, perpetual wars and increasingly intrusive and assertive commercial relations, is capitalism. Of course, the term is an abstraction, shorthand for a belief system used to explain and organize social relations. Its history is of brutality, pillage and genocide explained by its perpetrators as laying the ground for some imagined future civility. More
(2019-07-02). FROM THE FIELD: facing up to the extreme mental health pressures of conflict. un.org For those caught up in conflict situations, the trauma can lead to severe mental health problems. This is also the case for the humanitarian workers who are trying to help them.
(2019-07-02). Livelihoods of millions in East and Southeast Asia at risk from Swine Fever epidemic. un.org The rapid spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) across East and Southeast Asia is threatening the food security and livelihoods of millions of households in the region which rely on pig farming, The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, reported on Tuesday.
(2019-07-01). 'Government-Run Healthcare' Is a Product of Health Industry—Run Media. fair.org 
At the first of two Democratic debates ( 6/26/19), MSNBC host and moderator Lester Holt asked the presidential hopefuls, "Who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan?" He asked the same question the next night ( 6/27/19), and prefaced another question to Sen. Bernie Sanders: "You basically want to scrap the private health insurance system as we know it and replace it with a government-run plan."— | At a glance, this seems enti…
(2019-06-28). Dem Candidates All Support Healthcare for Undocumented People, Split on Decriminalizing Immigration. democracynow.org 
Immigration was among the top issues in the second night of the first Democratic presidential debates, with California Senator Kamala Harris saying she would reinstate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that provides a temporary work permit and deportation relief for undocumented youth, on her first day in office. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg spoke of the criminalization of immigration as the basis for family separation, referring to the Trump administration's "zero tolerance "policy as "dead wrong." While most candidates are running on different platforms to address the criminalization of immig…
(2019-06-28). Walk to save south-west WA forests. greenleft.org.au 
Various ongoing threats, such as climate change and the timber industry, continue to plague the unique ecosystems of south-west Western Australia. Various species are coming under pressure and time may be running out for people to experience the serenity and cacophony of these forests in all their splendour. | To help raise awareness about this, a 1000-kilometre Walk For Forests is taking place this year. | Beginning on September 29 in Albany, in southern WA, and ending in Perth on December 13, the walk will pass through the forests of south-west WA, allowing participants to witness the current state of the natur…
(2019-06-27). Sen. Elizabeth Warren: We Need to Make Structural Changes to Our Government & Economy. democracynow.org 
Senator Elizabeth Warren pushed for structural changes to the U.S. government in Wednesday's presidential debate, saying she would make college free and eliminate private insurance altogether. We speak with Anand Giridharadas, editor-at-large at Time magazine and author of "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World," about Warren's debate performance and the issues facing the 2020 candidates. He joins a roundtable discussion with Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash, She the People founder Aimee Allison and Ana María Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy.
(2019-06-21). NAACP Invites Detroit and Surrounding Cities Residents to 110th National Convention Events. naacp.org 
NAACP Experience Hall, Health Pavilion and Career Fair to headline free events at Convention. BALTIMORE‚ÄØ— Families, students, professionals and residents of Detroit, MI and surrounding areas are invited to attend the NAACP Experience taking place Saturday, July 20 through Tuesday, July 23. Hosted at the COBO Center, hundreds of partners, companies, civic organizations, and vendors …
(2019-06-19). House Casts Historic Vote to Repeal Authorization for Endless War. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — June 19, 2019 — In response to the House of Representatives passing H.R. 2740 (Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Legislative Branch, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020), which includes language to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) eight months after …
(2019-04-04). How My Republican Parents Convinced Me the U.S. Needs Single-Payer Healthcare. millennialpolitics.co What my Republican parents inadvertently taught me was that a single-payer setup really isn't worse than our current system of healthcare in the United States.
(2019-03-31). These Democrats Represent Some of the Bluest Districts. So Why Don't They Support Medicare for All? millennialpolitics.co 
Medicare for All is more popular than ever, with even a majority of Republican voters supporting the policy. Tell the Democrats in deep blue districts.