(2020-01-14). Insurers warn of volcano apocalypse, as investors make bank on 'catastrophe bonds'. rt.com 
Lloyd's of London, one of the world's largest insurance markets, warned that volcanic eruptions could bury 15 major cities in lava and ash in the coming two centuries. As always though, there's money to be made in catastrophe. | The Philippines' Taal Volcano belched into life on Sunday, spewing a cloud of ash half a kilometer into the sky and shutting down Manila's international airport less than 80km (50 miles) away. As lava shot out of the volcano and earthquakes rumbled nearby, scientists warned of an "imminent" eruption. | The Taal Volcano last erupted in 1977, but a previous eruption in 1911 killed more t…
(2020-01-14). 'I don't like disposable champions': Figure skating coach compares new generation skaters to single-use plastic cups. rt.com 
Prominent figure skating coach Rafael Arutyunyan, who has spoken in favour of raising the age limit in ladies single skating, has compared the success of young champions to single-use plastic cups. | The renowned coach underlined that young female skaters should only enter senior events after going through puberty, when they have "well-trained and healthy" bodies. | READ MORE: Anna Shcherbakova performs INSANE quad-jumping routine to win Russian figure skating championship (VIDEO) | Current rules w…
(2020-01-14). UN moves to tackle 'hidden abuse' and violence against Europe's children. news.un.org Each year, at least 55 million children in Europe suffer some form of physical, sexual, emotional or psychological violence, the UN health agency (WHO) said on Tuesday.
(2020-01-13). Democratic Debate: Will Progressives Highlight the Cost of War? therealnews.com 
Senators Sanders and Warren could have their best opportunity yet to argue that if the U.S. has trillions to pay for war abroad, it can invest in healthcare, education, and infrastructure at home.
(2020-01-13). During Yemen's Annual Martyr Week, Anti-American Sentiment Prevails. mintpressnews.com 
SANA'A, SADAA, YEMEN — As the ongoing war and blockade against their country enters its sixth year, Yemenis are commemorating the annual Martyr Week amid an increasing feeling of hatred and resentment towards the United States, a feeling never seen at this level in the war-torn country. | In Yemen, a country far from the prosperous and bustling United States, the size of cemeteries has increased dramatically in the past five years, with new burial sites springing up to house victims of the weapons supplied by western countries, particularly by the United States, as well as the blockade, hunger, and disease…
(2020-01-13). Philippines: Communists mobilizing to help after volcano eruption. fightbacknews.org The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is urging revolutionary mass organizations in Calabarzon to assist those affected by Taal volcano's ash explosion. A more dangerous eruption is also forecast, requiring emergency response and relief preparations, including those that address the disaster's health implications. | The U.S.-backed regime of President Rodrigo Duterte is well known for its incompetence and indifference to people's needs in the wake of natural disasters. | According to a statement from the CPP, "Civic organizations are also urged to coordinate with peasant and fisherfolk families from seve…
(2020-01-13). 'No shortcuts to a healthier world': WHO chief sets out health priorities for the decade. news.un.org The head of the UN health agency, WHO, has set out his urgent global health challenges for the next ten years — designated the "Decade of Action" by the UN General Assembly" — and underscored the importance of investing in public health, in a statement released on Monday.
(2020-01-13). UN health agency urges China to continue search for source of new virus, as Thailand case emerges. news.un.org It is "essential" for China to continue investigating the source of a previously unknown strain of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Monday, following confirmation that an infected patient is being treated in Thailand.
(2020-01-13). Will Boeing Survive as a Civilian Aircraft Maker in 2020? counterpunch.org The dismissal of Dennis Muilenburg as CEO of Boeing might have looked like an early Christmas present to the employees and shareholders of Boeing, but the company's disease has gone way past the point where any single corporate surgeon can save the patient. For those who bothered to look (and this evidently did not include More
(2020-01-10). Pregnant Workers Are Still Fighting for the Right to Work. aclu.org In 2015, | Michelle Durham, an ACLU client, was faced with an impossible choice: | continue working and risk the health of her pregnancy or give up her paycheck. | She was working | as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for Rural/Metro Corporation, a company | in Alabama that provides emergency medical care to people living in areas that | lack basic medical services. Shortly after joining Rural/Metro Corporation in | Alabama, Michelle learned she was pregnant with her first child and was advised | by her health professional not to lift more than 50 pounds. She was confident | the company would grant her a…
(2020-01-10). Headlines for January 10, 2020. democracynow.org House Approves Resolution Aimed at Limiting Trump's War Powers, NYT: Video Appears to Show Iranian Missile Hitting Jet Before Tehran Crash, Internal Emails Show Boeing Workers Mocked Regulators & 737 MAX Jet Designers, Trump Seeks to Exempt Large Projects from Some Environmental Review, Mexican Asylum Seeker Dies by Suicide After Being Denied Entry into U.S., Six Democratic Candidates Will Debate in Iowa Next Week, Ahead of Caucus, Transport Workers' Strike Becomes Longest in French History, Health and Human Services Declares Public Health Emergency for Puerto Rico, Grand Jury Indicts Hanukkah Attack Suspect on M…
(2020-01-08). $71 Million for More Cops; Not A Dime for Jobs and Healthcare. therealnews.com 
Operation Relentless Pursuit is a Department of Justice initiative to combat crime through a "surge in federal resources." We talked with Brandon Walker of the Ujima People's Progress Party about what's really needed to combat crime and empower neighborhoods in places like Baltimore, one of the seven cities targeted by the plan.
(2020-01-07). Spread of polio still an international public health concern. news.un.org The spread of polio internationally remains a global public health concern, experts meeting in Geneva have concluded.
(2020-01-07). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Syria, polio, DR Congo, Sudan updates, and, the art of stealing. news.un.org Tuesday's top stories include: A "daily nightmare" in Syria's Idlib; polio remains an international health emergency; Guterres extends condolences as Australia bushfires continue; measles in DR Congo; clashes in Darfur displace thousands; and a celebration of stolen art.
(2020-01-07). More international support needed to curb deadly measles outbreak in DR Congo. news.un.org Countries are being asked to step up assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which is facing the world's worst measles epidemic, with more than 6,000 deaths since the start of last year.
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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…