Daily Archives: November 20, 2019

2019-11-20: News Headlines

Timothy M. Gill (2019-11-20). Towards a Democratic Socialist Foreign Policy. counterpunch.org Over the past few years, democratic socialists have rightfully spent a considerable amount of time honing their arguments on domestic policies, such as healthcare, education, and criminal justice reform. Bernie Sanders' Our Revolution and Bhaskar Sunkara's recently released The Socialist Manifesto are two good examples of this focus on the domestic. On the foreign policy More

WSWS (2019-11-20). Dutch health care strike: The defense of health care requires a socialist perspective. wsws.org Dutch health care workers are taking a stand with the first-ever nationwide strike, as part of the international resurgence of the class struggle.

Jeffrey D. Sachs (2019-11-20). Democratic Naysayers Are Wrong on Medicare for All. commondreams.org The American political debate over health care is absurd. Americans pay twice as much as any other nation for health care, and then are told daily that they "can't afford" to switch to a lower-cost system very similar to those of Canada and Europe.

Robert Reich (2019-11-20). Republicans (and Even Some Democrats) Trying to Scare You Away From Medicare for All Are Peddling Rubbish. commondreams.org The United States ranks near the bottom for life span and infant mortality—all while paying more per capita than nearly every other nation. Or maybe you're one of the 30 million Americans who don't have any health insurance coverage at all. (Image: Inequality Media / MoveOn) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Jess Pernsteiner (2019-11-20). Make Dental Care a Health Care Benefit. progressive.org Dental care is not a luxury—it is essential for overall health.

Ruth Milka (2019-11-20). Today's children will face lifelong health effects from the climate crisis. nationofchange.org "Without immediate action from all countries climate change will come to define the health of an entire generation."

Dan Bacher (2019-11-20). Governor Newsom orders scientific review of new fracking permits. indybay.org Food & Water Action California State Director Alexandra Nagy issued a statement today calling for more action on oil and gas in California. | "While we are encouraged by the moratorium on cyclic steam, which is needed, much more should be done to address oil and gas issues in California," said Nagy. "Since Governor Newsom took office, thousands of new drilling permits have been issued. The small steps announced today are in the right direction, but if we are really going to address fossil fuel-driven climate and health crises, much more is needed."

WSWS (2019-11-20). Elizabeth Warren backpedals on "Medicare for All" wsws.org Less than three weeks after presenting her "Medicare for All" proposal, Warren is backtracking on virtually all of its components.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-11-20). Medicare for All Advocate Ady Barkan Endorses Warren, Praises Her Understanding of the 'Central Challenge of Our Time'. commondreams.org Medicare for All advocate Ady Barkan on Wednesday announced his endorsement of Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic primary, applauding her plan to expand healthcare coverage to all Americans as quickly as possible by using legislative tools other Democratic leaders have shied away from. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Kerry-anne Mendoza (2019-11-20). Watch a GP demolish Boris Johnson's NHS lies in 64 seconds. thecanary.co During the first leader's debate of the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson made a string of promises about the NHS. The morning afterwards, a GP has fact-checked them. Spoiler alert: they're all lies. | Promises, promises: | Healthcare is the single biggest issue for voters this election, bar Brexit. During the debate, Jeremy Corbyn and Johnson were asked if the NHS was up for sale. They both categorically denied it. But Joh…

Dean Baker (2019-11-19). Impeachment is a Kitchen Table Issue. counterpunch.org As the Democrats have pushed ahead with impeachment proceedings, there have been criticisms from both the right and left that impeachment is a needless distraction from the pocketbook issues that people really care about. The argument is that people will see the Democrats as playing political games rather than focusing on health care, jobs, wages, More

Robert Reich (2019-11-19). Robert Reich: Medicare for All or Bust. truthdig.com Republicans and even some Democrats are out to scare you about Medicare for All. They say it's going to dismantle health care as we know it and it will cost way too much. | Rubbish. | The typical American family now spends $6,000 on health insurance premiums each year. Add in the co-payments and deductibles that doctors, hospitals, and drug companies also charge you — plus typical out-of-pocket expenses for pharmaceuticals — and that typical family's health bill is $6,800. | But that's not all, because some of the taxes you now pay are for health insurance, too — for Medicare and Medicaid and fo…

Mojmir Babacek (2019-11-19). Fifth Generation (5G) Cell Phone Systems Threatens Human Health and Intelligence. globalresearch.ca In 1960 Allan H. Frey was 25 years old, he had graduated in biophysics and worked at General Electric's Advanced Electronics Center at Cornell University. When a radar technician invited him to come and listen to a clicking sound of …

Katrina vanden Heuvel (2019-11-19). The Furor Over Medicare for All Ignores a Key Question. thenation.com The Furor Over Medicare for All Ignores a Key Question…

Fight Back (2019-11-19). All out for relaunching of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviews Frank Chapman on the November 22-24 Chicago conference to refound the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression. | Fight Back!: Could you say a few words about what the conference to relaunch the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression will look like? | Frank Chapman: The most powerful incentive for the relaunching of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is the national epidemic in police crimes and state violence being perpetrated against Black and brown people, LBGTQ and trans people. Nothing demonstrates this more clearly than th…

United Nations (2019-11-18). Monday's Daily Brief: Progress and pitfalls in child rights, millions of Afghans acutely food insecure, Middle East nuclear-free zone, social media and child detention. un.org A recap of Monday's stories in brief: Uneven child rights progress; over 10 million Afghans severely food insecure; Middle East nuclear weapons conference gets underway; Social media posts increasing child detention cases; UN and partners commit to universal health.

Colin Todhunter (2019-11-18). Lab Rats for Corporate Profit: Pesticide Industry's Poisoned Platter. dissidentvoice.org Newly released pesticide usage statistics for 2018 confirm that the British people are being used as lab rats. That's the message environmentalist Dr Rosemary Mason has sent to Dave Bench, senior scientist at the UK Chemicals, Health and Safety Executive and director of the agency's EU exit plan. In her open letter to Bench, Mason …

United Nations (2019-11-18). UN, African Union make significant joint commitment to global health. un.org In the drive towards universal health coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) Commission cemented their mutual commitment to global health by signing on Monday an historic agreement.

Ryan Grim (2019-11-18). If You Care About Medicare for All or a Green New Deal, Here's the Senate Primary That Matters. theintercept.com Coons, a devotee of bipartisanship, is being challenged by Jess Scarane, who was inspired by progressive Kerri Harris's 2018 Senate campaign.

Staff (2019-11-18). Headlines for November 18, 2019. democracynow.org Bolivian Military Massacres 9 People at Indigenous Pro-Morales March, Leak of Secret Iranian Documents Reveals Iranian Influence in Iraq, Former Ambassador Yovanovitch Testifies in Impeachment Hearings, Trump Ally Roger Stone Found Guilty of 7 Charges, Trump Pardons 3 Soldiers Accused or Convicted of War Crimes, Trump's Unplanned Medical Visit Sparks Questions About His Health, Tens of Thousands Mark 1-Month Anniversary of Protests in Lebanon, Police Besiege Student Protesters at Hong Kong University, Fears Mount About Possible Disappearance of Nigerian Journalist Omoyele Sowore, Prince Andrew Grilled on Friendsh…

United Nations (2019-11-17). WHO supports measles campaign targeting millions of children in northern Nigeria. un.org More than 28 million children in northern Nigeria will be protected against measles and meningitis through an immunization campaign carried out by the authorities alongside international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO).

Matt Bruenig (2019-11-17). Warren's Head Tax Is Not More Popular Than A Payroll Tax. peoplespolicyproject.org As we know by now, Elizabeth Warren's Medicare head tax proposal is a regressive mess ( I, II, III, IV). Warren's team knows this. The goal of the proposal i…

Matt Bruenig (2019-11-17). CAP's Topher Spiro Is Trying to Deceive Journalists By Lying. peoplespolicyproject.org It's been fun to see how the Center for American Progress (CAP) navigates this year's presidential election. For insider political reasons, they can't support Biden or Sanders. But for a long time, it was unclear who the alternative candidate they could support would be. | When Kamala Harris was rising, CAP's staff was doing overtime boosting her on Twitter and in the press, including boosting Harris's absurd health care proposal. But Harris's collapse put an end to that strategy. Recently Warren has risen as the alternative and so CAP has been working to promote her campaign, which puts CAP in the comical positi…

Staff (2019-11-13). Headlines for November 13, 2019. democracynow.org Televised Impeachment Hearings Begin Today, Right-Wing Senator Declares Herself President of Bolivia, Turkish President Erdogan Visiting Trump at White House, Supreme Court Heard Oral Arguments over DACA Program, Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Case of Mexican Teen Killed by U.S. Border Agent, Supreme Court Clears Way for Sandy Hook Families to Sue Gun Manufacturer, Federal Court Rules Warrantless Searches of Phones at Airport Are Unconstitutional, HHS Probes Google's Program to Collect Healthcare Data of Americans, U.S. Government Detained Record Number of Migrant Children in 2019, SPLC: Stephen Miller Sought t…

Sari Beth Rosenberg (2019-11-05). How Peter Morley Turns Pain into Purpose Fighting for Health Care. progressive.org If the Trump Administration had its way, Americans would be completely unaware that the 2020 ACA enrollment period began on Friday, November 1. Enter Peter Morley.

Matt Bruenig (2019-11-03). Warren's Medicare Head Tax Would Be About $9,500. peoplespolicyproject.org On Friday, I wrote a piece arguing that Elizabeth Warren's use of an employer head tax was not a good way to fund Medicare for All and that instead the more conventional choices of income and payroll taxes would be better. The reason they are better is because income and payroll taxes are based on how much income you receive while a head tax charges the same dollar amount for every worker regardless of their income, making it much more onerous on the lower and middle classes. | This point holds…

Matt Bruenig (2019-11-02). What Is a Middle Class Tax Hike? Am I Losing My Mind? peoplespolicyproject.org I have been swimming in the Medicare for All waters for over a decade now, going back to when I worked on the Ralph Nader presidential campaign that made Medicare for All its number one issue. And during this time, I developed a specific understanding of what we might call the M4A Financing Problem. | The Problem: | The M4A Financing Problem, in simple terms, is that even if you bring in existing federal spending on health care, existing state spending on health care, and a bunch of new rich-people taxes, you still fall short of financing the program. Thus to actually complete the financing, you have to u…

Matt Bruenig (2019-11-01). Warren's Perpetual Medicare Head Tax Is Unworkable and Bad. peoplespolicyproject.org Elizabeth Warren released her Medicare for All financing plan today. The main purpose of the proposal appears to be to find a plan that you can message as "not increasing middle class taxes," which is of course a nonsensical goal insofar, as Warren herself has said, what matters is middle class health care costs, not whether you categorize those costs as premiums, taxes, or out-of-pocket expenses. | Nonetheless, bowing to the stupid media discourse on this, Warren put forward a financing pro…

Matt Bruenig (2019-10-24). New Poll Finds Voters Strongly Oppose Employer Insurance. peoplespolicyproject.org Many centrist pundits have convinced themselves that Medicare for All (M4A) is unpopular because, when you include certain details about M4A in polling questions, support levels drop significantly. But in convincing themselves of this, centrist pundits seem remarkably incurious about whether this same thing occurs for employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) when you include certain details about it in polling questions. | Earlier this week, Emerson Polling helped answer this question when it aske…

Matt Bruenig (2019-10-16). The Urban Institute Report Did Not Score Medicare for All. peoplespolicyproject.org The Urban Institute and The Commonwealth Fund put out a report today that provided cost estimates for 8 different health care reforms. One of those eight reforms, which is called "Single Payer Enhanced," describes a comprehensive, no-cost-sharing, national health plan similar to Medicare for All (M4A). However, the Urban plan uses hospital reimbursement rates that are 15 percent higher than the rates in the M4A legislation, meaning that its cost estimates are much…

Paul Kawika Martin (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 …

2019-11-20: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Towards a Democratic Socialist Foreign Policy
Timothy M. Gill | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-20
Over the past few years, democratic socialists have rightfully spent a considerable amount of time honing their arguments on domestic policies, such as healthcare, education, and criminal justice reform. Bernie Sanders' Our Revolution and Bhaskar Sunkara's recently released The Socialist Manifesto are two good examples of this focus on the domestic. On the foreign policy…
counterpunch.org/2019/11/20/towards-a-de…

Republicans (and Even Some Democrats) Trying to Scare You Away From Medicare for All Are Peddling Rubbish
Robert Reich | commondreams.org | 2019-11-20
The United States ranks near the bottom for life span and infant mortality—all while paying more per capita than nearly every other nation. Or maybe you're one of the 30 million Americans who don't have any health insurance coverage at all. (Image: Inequality Media / MoveOn) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2019/11/20/republ…

Today's children will face lifelong health effects from the climate crisis
Ruth Milka | nationofchange.org | 2019-11-20
"Without immediate action from all countries climate change will come to define the health of an entire generation."
nationofchange.org/2019/11/20/todays-chi…

Democratic Naysayers Are Wrong on Medicare for All
Jeffrey D. Sachs | commondreams.org | 2019-11-20
The American political debate over health care is absurd. Americans pay twice as much as any other nation for health care, and then are told daily that they "can't afford" to switch to a lower-cost system very similar to those of Canada and Europe.
commondreams.org/views/2019/11/20/democr…

Dutch health care strike: The defense of health care requires a socialist perspective
wsws.org | 2019-11-20
Dutch health care workers are taking a stand with the first-ever nationwide strike, as part of the international resurgence of the class struggle.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/20/neth…

Make Dental Care a Health Care Benefit
Jess Pernsteiner | progressive.org | 2019-11-20
Dental care is not a luxury–it is essential for overall health.
progressive.org/op-eds/make-dental-care-…

Elizabeth Warren backpedals on "Medicare for All"
wsws.org | 2019-11-20
Less than three weeks after presenting her "Medicare for All" proposal, Warren is backtracking on virtually all of its components.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/20/warr…

Medicare for All Advocate Ady Barkan Endorses Warren, Praises Her Understanding of the 'Central Challenge of Our Time'
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-11-20
Medicare for All advocate Ady Barkan on Wednesday announced his endorsement of Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic primary, applauding her plan to expand healthcare coverage to all Americans as quickly as possible by using legislative tools other Democratic leaders have shied away from. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2019/11/20/medicar…

Watch a GP demolish Boris Johnson's NHS lies in 64 seconds
Kerry-anne Mendoza | thecanary.co | 2019-11-20
During the first leader's debate of the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson made a string of promises about the NHS. The morning afterwards, a GP has fact-checked them. Spoiler alert: they're all lies. | Promises, promises: | Healthcare is the single biggest issue for voters this election, bar Brexit. During the debate, Jeremy Corbyn and Johnson were asked if the NHS was up for sale. They both categorically denied it. But Joh…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/11/20/watch-a-gp-demolish-boris-johnsons-nhs-lies-in-64-seconds/

Robert Reich: Medicare for All or Bust
Robert Reich | truthdig.com | 2019-11-19
Republicans and even some Democrats are out to scare you about Medicare for All. They say it's going to dismantle health care as we know it and it will cost way too much. | Rubbish. | The typical American family now spends $6,000 on health insurance premiums each year. Add in the co-payments and deductibles that doctors, hospitals, and drug companies also charge you — plus typical out-of-pocket expenses for pharmaceuticals — and that typical family's health bill is $6,800. | But that's not all, because some of the taxes you now pay are for health insurance, too — for Medicare and Medicaid and fo…
truthdig.com/articles/robert-reich-medic…

Impeachment is a Kitchen Table Issue
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-19
As the Democrats have pushed ahead with impeachment proceedings, there have been criticisms from both the right and left that impeachment is a needless distraction from the pocketbook issues that people really care about. The argument is that people will see the Democrats as playing political games rather than focusing on health care, jobs, wages,…
counterpunch.org/2019/11/19/impeachment-…

Fifth Generation (5G) Cell Phone Systems Threatens Human Health and Intelligence
Mojmir Babacek | globalresearch.ca | 2019-11-19
In 1960 Allan H. Frey was 25 years old, he had graduated in biophysics and worked at General Electric's Advanced Electronics Center at Cornell University. When a radar technician invited him to come and listen to a clicking sound of …
globalresearch.ca/implementation-fifth-generation-cell-phone-systems-threatens-human-health-intelligence/5695407

The Furor Over Medicare for All Ignores a Key Question
Katrina vanden Heuvel | thenation.com | 2019-11-19
The Furor Over Medicare for All Ignores a Key Question…
thenation.com/article/the-furor-over-med…

All out for relaunching of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-11-19
Fight Back! interviews Frank Chapman on the November 22-24 Chicago conference to refound the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression. | Fight Back!: Could you say a few words about what the conference to relaunch the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression will look like? | Frank Chapman: The most powerful incentive for the relaunching of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is the national epidemic in police crimes and state violence being perpetrated against Black and brown people, LBGTQ and trans people. Nothing demonstrates this more clearly than th…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/11/19/all-out…

Monday's Daily Brief: Progress and pitfalls in child rights, millions of Afghans acutely food insecure, Middle East nuclear-free zone, social media and child detention
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-18
A recap of Monday's stories in brief: Uneven child rights progress; over 10 million Afghans severely food insecure; Middle East nuclear weapons conference gets underway; Social media posts increasing child detention cases; UN and partners commit to universal health.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1…

Lab Rats for Corporate Profit: Pesticide Industry's Poisoned Platter
Colin Todhunter | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-11-18
Newly released pesticide usage statistics for 2018 confirm that the British people are being used as lab rats. That's the message environmentalist Dr Rosemary Mason has sent to Dave Bench, senior scientist at the UK Chemicals, Health and Safety Executive and director of the agency's EU exit plan. In her open letter to Bench, Mason …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/11/lab-rats-for-…

UN, African Union make significant joint commitment to global health
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-18
In the drive towards universal health coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) Commission cemented their mutual commitment to global health by signing on Monday an historic agreement.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1…

The Killing Fields of American Health Care
David Penner | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-11-18
Hell is empty. And all the devils are here. — The Tempest (I.ii.) American health care is being crushed under the iron heel of a cabal of ruthless and merciless robber barons. Indeed, this primitive and backward system continues to be a source of horrendous suffering, as the health insurance companies, hospital executives, and pharmaceutical …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/11/the-killing-f…

If You Care About Medicare for All or a Green New Deal, Here's the Senate Primary That Matters
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-11-18
Coons, a devotee of bipartisanship, is being challenged by Jess Scarane, who was inspired by progressive Kerri Harris's 2018 Senate campaign.
theintercept.com/2019/11/18/chris-coons-…

WHO supports measles campaign targeting millions of children in northern Nigeria
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-17
More than 28 million children in northern Nigeria will be protected against measles and meningitis through an immunization campaign carried out by the authorities alongside international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO).
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1…

CAP's Topher Spiro Is Trying to Deceive Journalists By Lying
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2019-11-17
It's been fun to see how the Center for American Progress (CAP) navigates this year's presidential election. For insider political reasons, they can't support Biden or Sanders. But for a long time, it was unclear who the alternative candidate they could support would be. | When Kamala Harris was rising, CAP's staff was doing overtime boosting her on Twitter and in the press, including boosting Harris's absurd health care proposal. But Harris's collapse put an end to that strategy. Recently Warren has risen as the alternative and so CAP has been working to promote her campaign, which puts CAP in the comical positi…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2019/11/17/caps…

Warren's Head Tax Is Not More Popular Than A Payroll Tax
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2019-11-17
As we know by now, Elizabeth Warren's Medicare head tax proposal is a regressive mess ( I, II, III, IV). Warren's team knows this. The goal of the proposal i…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2019/11/17/warr…

How Peter Morley Turns Pain into Purpose Fighting for Health Care
Sari Beth Rosenberg | progressive.org | 2019-11-05
If the Trump Administration had its way, Americans would be completely unaware that the 2020 ACA enrollment period began on Friday, November 1. Enter Peter Morley.
progressive.org/dispatches/peter-morley-…

Warren's Medicare Head Tax Would Be About $9,500
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2019-11-03
On Friday, I wrote a piece arguing that Elizabeth Warren's use of an employer head tax was not a good way to fund Medicare for All and that instead the more conventional choices of income and payroll taxes would be better. The reason they are better is because income and payroll taxes are based on how much income you receive while a head tax charges the same dollar amount for every worker regardless of their income, making it much more onerous on the lower and middle classes. | This point holds…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2019/11/03/warr…

What Is a Middle Class Tax Hike? Am I Losing My Mind?
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2019-11-02
I have been swimming in the Medicare for All waters for over a decade now, going back to when I worked on the Ralph Nader presidential campaign that made Medicare for All its number one issue. And during this time, I developed a specific understanding of what we might call the M4A Financing Problem. | The Problem: | The M4A Financing Problem, in simple terms, is that even if you bring in existing federal spending on health care, existing state spending on health care, and a bunch of new rich-people taxes, you still fall short of financing the program. Thus to actually complete the financing, you have to u…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2019/11/01/what…

Warren's Perpetual Medicare Head Tax Is Unworkable and Bad
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2019-11-01
Elizabeth Warren released her Medicare for All financing plan today. The main purpose of the proposal appears to be to find a plan that you can message as "not increasing middle class taxes," which is of course a nonsensical goal insofar, as Warren herself has said, what matters is middle class health care costs, not whether you categorize those costs as premiums, taxes, or out-of-pocket expenses. | Nonetheless, bowing to the stupid media discourse on this, Warren put forward a financing pro…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2019/11/01/warr…

New Poll Finds Voters Strongly Oppose Employer Insurance
Matt Bruenig | peoplespolicyproject.org | 2019-10-24
Many centrist pundits have convinced themselves that Medicare for All (M4A) is unpopular because, when you include certain details about M4A in polling questions, support levels drop significantly. But in convincing themselves of this, centrist pundits seem remarkably incurious about whether this same thing occurs for employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) when you include certain details about it in polling questions. | Earlier this week, Emerson Polling helped answer this question when it aske…
peoplespolicyproject.org/2019/10/24/new-…