(2021-12-08). How the Build Back Better Bill Would Save Workers' Lives. independentmediainstitute.org When Ron Brady drives through highway construction zones, he makes a point of looking for safety violations that threaten workers' lives. He's seen more and more of them the past few years as employers, emboldened by the weakened state of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), grew increasingly comfortable flouting the rules. Funding …
(2021-12-08). Omicron R-rate could be three times higher than current infection rate. thecanary.co The R-rate for the Omicron coronavirus (Covid-19) variant could be as high as 3.47, preliminary research suggests. The 'R-rate' High R: | Professor Alastair Grant, from the University of East Anglia, has predicted the reproduction rate of the new variant based on figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). He said the high figure for Omicron is due to "a mixture of it being good at transmitting itself and being a partial vaccine escape". A…
(2021-12-08). What is behind the Initial Frenzy over the Dangers of the Omicron Strain? journal-neo.org 
In recent days, the media and political establishment in many countries have been discussing the emergence of Omicron coronavirus variant and the strengthening of the fight against its spread. According to the World Health Organization, the new strain of coronavirus has many mutations, some of which are designated as a Variant of Concern (VOC). In …
(2021-12-08). Support grows for UK safe schools campaigner Lisa Diaz amid widespread child infections. wsws.org Workers are responding to Lisa's fight in recognition of the crisis underway in schools, as the Delta variant continues to run like wildfire through the young population and the Omicron variant threatens an even worse surge.
(2021-12-08). As World Confronts Omicron Variant, Top Pfizer & Moderna Investors Make $10 Billion in a Week. zcomm.org "The priority is making enormous amounts of money for some of the richest people in the world."
(2021-12-08). In OtherWords: December 8, 2021. otherwords.org If you're feeling low this holiday season, you're hardly alone. Record numbers of Americans are seeking treatment for mental health care. | But as Katie Prout writes this week in OtherWords, record numbers are also struggling to get it — especially if you're on Medicaid. Psychiatrists were in short supply even before the pandemic, and the number of practices who take Medicaid is declining. A year in a half into a pandemic that's seen massive deaths, unemployment, and mental illness, she asks: should we really still be tying health care to people's employers? | Also this week, Farrah Hassen calls for a bipar…
(2021-12-08). Mental Health Care Is Hard to Come By — Especially If You're Low-Income. otherwords.org During the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020, my boyfriend asked, not unkindly, if I've ever been diagnosed with anything besides generalized anxiety disorder. | I was relieved that somebody had finally asked about my mental health. | All spring and summer 2020, I kicked the ball of my fritzing brain down the field to some imaginary goal of "things" getting better in the world, or at least more stable. Plainly, that didn't happen. | And so, like many others, I went back to therapy. Or tried to. | I'm on Medicaid, and while the insurance I receive through the program is accepted by many dentists and primary…
(2021-12-08). Unapologetic support for abortion rights must be a pillar of the Left. mronline.org 
This week the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization—the case that will determine the fate of Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, and more broadly, the fate of Roe v. Wade.
(2021-12-08). Opposition remains high to sellout contract as voting begins for 52,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers. wsws.org Workers are voting through Wednesday night on a contract which contains wage increases below inflation, no solution to understaffing and which commits the union to helping management further cut costs.
(2021-12-08). Kamala vs. Mitt: Two Different Viewpoints of Family Planning Prefigure Different Futures for Planetary Health. independentmediainstitute.org Click here for a photo that you may use to accompany the article (captions and credits can be found in each image's description field). U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris does not have any biological children and grew up middle-class. Meanwhile, Utah Senator Mitt Romney, a Mormon with five kids, was born into wealth and has …
(2021-12-08). Frontline healthcare worker 'incandescent' at lockdown-breaking No 10 party. thecanary.co Video has emerged of Boris Johnson's senior aides joking about a Downing Street Christmas party just days after the unlawful gathering. An NHS England staffer has said she's "incandescent" with anger at the revelations. | Footage obtained by ITV News showed the prime minister's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton and adviser Ed Oldfield, along with other aides, joking about a "fictional" party in December 2020. | All fun and games: | In the video, Stratton is seen answering questions at a mock press conference. The video is from 22 December 2020, and Stratton is questioned about a party the previous…
(2021-12-08). Detroit teachers organize sickouts to demand school safety and Covid protections. wsws.org Teachers and support staff at The School at Marygrove have been conducting a sickout since Monday to demand improved health and safety after the recent school shooting in Oxford, Michigan and the explosion of Covid cases in the state.
(2021-12-08). United States COVID-19 vaccine delivery to Mozambique. moderndiplomacy.eu In an effective effort to make tremendous and recognizable contributions to help fight the spread of coronavirus, the United States Embassy in Mozambique has announced the arrival of more than two million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coordinated through COVAX in Maputo, Mozambique. This is the United States' fourth and largest bi-lateral COVID-19 vaccine …
(2021-12-08). This Holiday Season, Be Our Santa! Support Global Research. globalresearch.ca We are into the second year of this whole COVID-19 pandemic and instead of normalcy, "democratic governments" are sleep-walking into tyranny. People are stripped of their rights and freedoms. Those who resist the globalist agenda of mass vaccination suffer from …
(2021-12-08). Video: Covid-19: Economic and Social Chaos. globalresearch.ca V the Virus" is said to be responsible for the wave of bankruptcies and unemployment. That's a lie. There is no causal relationship between the (microscopic) SARS-2 virus and economic variables. | It's the powerful financiers and billionaires who are behind …
(2021-12-08). COVID-19 spreads through New Zealand schools and childcare centres. wsws.org More than 145 schools and early childcare centres in New Zealand have reported COVID-19 cases since August, and a new survey shows half of preschool teachers do not feel safe at work.
(2021-12-08). The COVID-19 pandemic, the return of the class struggle and the tasks of the Socialist Equality Party in Germany. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party, the German section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, held its party congress November 19—22. We publish here the resolution unanimously adopted by the delegates.
(2021-12-08). As Massachusetts COVID-19 cases rise sharply, public school infections at record high. wsws.org The case of one Boston public school, where 46 cases of COVID-19 were found across multiple grade levels, exposes the dangerous, anti-science approach taken by state officials to rising COVID-19 infection rates among students and staff.
(2021-12-08). "Collective Narcissism" and the "Dark Triad": Those Who Protest against the "Official" Covid-19 Narrative are Categorized as "Psychopaths". Is It A Witch Hunt? globalresearch.ca Note: | First published on August 26, 2020. Author's …
(2021-12-08). Organizers against police crimes meet: "We have nothing to lose but our chains" fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Two years after the refounding of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) in November 2019, over 125 NAARPR members and affiliates from around the country convened for the second NAARPR conference in Chicago starting on Saturday, December 4. They shared updates about their work fighting against police crimes and for community control of the police, among other areas of struggle, then voted on resolutions and new leadership for the next two years. | Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the conference was attended only by delegates from NAARPR chapters and affiliated org…
(2021-12-07). Headlines for December 7, 2021. democracynow.org Justice Department Sues Texas Over Political Maps That Diminish Power of Voters of Color, New York City Announces First-in-Nation Vaccine Mandate For Private Employers, Biden Meets Putin as Russian Troops Mass on Ukraine Border, Russia and India Agree to Deepen Military Ties, Haitian Kidnappers Release 3 More Missionaries, 12 Remain Hostages, Civil Rights Office's Warnings Over Haiti Deportations Went Ignored by DHS and ICE , Biden Administration Reinstates and Expands Trump-Era "Remain in Mexico" Policy, Trump-era Oil & Gas Drilling Boom Continues Under Biden, Despite Campaign Pledge , Top Mike Pence Aide Will C…
(2021-12-07). New Study Finds The US Military Is Spreading Disease Around The World. popularresistance.org A new study out of York University in Toronto, Canada finds that the US military plays a large role in the spread of diseases globally, including past and present pandemics. Clearing the FOG speaks with one of the lead authors, K J Noh, an expert analyst on the geopolitics of the Asian-Pacific region and health, about the study. Important factors in the spread of disease are Status Agreements that the US military makes with local and national governments that exempt members of the military from being required to follow public health measures and a culture of impunity within the military that leads to members defy…
(2021-12-07). US Empire Seizes UK's National Health Service. popularresistance.org One of the recent roles of the Parliamentary Healthcare Committee has been to reassure the British public that any claims regarding the 'Americanization' of the National Health Service (NHS) were wildly overstated, "creating a climate that risks blocking the joining up of services in the interests of patients." | In fact, the penetration of the healthcare system by the giant U.S. insurer UnitedHealth reveals the opposite to be true, with the full extent of its influence capable of surprising even seasoned NHS watchers. | The Health and Care Bill making its way through official channels simply reinforces this, wit…
(2021-12-07). Vaccine imperialism: a global threat. mronline.org 
Leaving a vast section of the world's population unvaccinated can only create the basis for the virus to spread and mutate, argues John Clarke…
(2021-12-07). Labor Party enforcing Australian ruling elite's criminal response to Omicron variant. wsws.org Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared: "We will not be pursuing an Omicron zero here… It might already be here."
(2021-12-07). Where Is Biden In The Global War On Omicron?>. dailyposter.com 
(2021-12-07). Medical authorities warn of disaster as Omicron variant found in India. wsws.org Indian national and state authorities are indicating they will take no new action to halt the spread of a more vaccine-resistant variant of the virus that has devastated the country.
(2021-12-07). Tougher COVID-19 Testing Rules Take Effect For US Entry. telesurenglish.net As the Omicron variant was found in more U.S. states, tighter rules for entry into the country for international travelers went into effect on Monday — all incoming travelers will need to show proof of a negative test taken within a day of their departure, regardless of vaccination status. | RELATED: | The time span for all international air travelers to take a pre-departure coronavirus test is shortened from three days to one…
(2021-12-07). Omicron cases in UK expected to exceed those in red list nations, scientist says. thecanary.co Cases of the Omicron variant in the UK are soon expected to be higher than in some African countries placed on the travel red list, a scientist has warned. | Omicron: | Professor Tim Spector said early data suggests cases of the coronavirus mutation are doubling every two days, putting it on course to overtake some of the 11 countries from where travellers to the UK are now required to quarantine to try to stymie community transmission. New rules came into force in the early hours of 7 December, requiring all travellers to take a pre-departure test before heading to England. They will not be able to tr…
(2021-12-07). Europe passes 75 million COVID cases, as Omicron variant found in at least 17 countries across the continent. wsws.org According to a Reuters analysis, in 2021 "Europe has reported highest daily average of 359,000 new cases in second half as compared with highest daily cases of about 241,000 a day in the first half of the year."
(2021-12-07). The Omicron COVID-19 variant and the reckless endangerment of children. wsws.org Despite the deepening wave of infections, hospitalizations and deaths among children, which Omicron threatens to intensify, the entire political establishment, corporate media and the teachers unions insist that schools must stay open.
(2021-12-07). As World Confronts Omicron Variant, Top 8 Pfizer & Moderna Investors Make $10 Billion in a Week. democracynow.org 
The eight top Pfizer and Moderna shareholders made over $10 billion last week when their stock holdings skyrocketed after the discovery of the new Omicron variant. This comes as global public health advocates warn the world will keep seeing more coronavirus variants unless wealthy nations and vaccine manufacturers do more to address vaccine inequity. "The companies that make the most are doing the least to share their technology," says Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now U.K., which is documenting Big Pharma's profits. "The priority is making enormous amounts of money for some of the richest people in th…
(2021-12-07). Delta spreads as New Zealand government ends Auckland lockdown. wsws.org The Ardern government has lifted Auckland's lockdown, despite the presence of 6,000 cases of COVID-19 and the threat posed by the more infectious Omicron variant internationally.
(2021-12-07). Striking Kaiser stationary engineers garner solidarity strike from nurses, mental health workers. liberationnews.org 
In breathtaking solidarity, 40,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers, representing SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, joined the picket of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Stationary Engineers Local 39 in a one-day sympathy strike on Thursday, Nov 18. On Friday, Nov 19, more than 20,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in the California Nurses Association and the National Union of Healthcare Workers across the state also joined in a one-day sympathy strike.
(2021-12-07). Report Back from Disruption of Heartland Alliance's Holiday Brunch. itsgoingdown.org 
Report back on recent mobilization and disruption of the Heartland Alliance, a non-profit which imprisons migrant children in so-called Chicago. For a deeper dive, go here. On Sunday, December 5 at 10 AM, demonstrators gathered outside the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Chicago to confront donors arriving at Heartland Health's annual holiday brunch. While Heartland…
(2021-12-07). Punishing the Unvaccinated: Europe's COVID-19 Health Experiment. dissidentvoice.org Forget any notions of juicy carrots; the stick approach of savage punishment is in vogue with the Greek government in pushing vaccination rates. It is far from the only one. Across a number of countries in Europe, governments wishing to drive up levels of COVID-19 vaccination have decided to abandon suasion and the generous supply …
(2021-12-07). Philadelphia rally defends abortion justice. workers.org 
On Dec. 1 as the U.S. Supreme Court was hearing arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — the most consequential abortion rights case since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 — women, other gender-oppressed people and allies rallied at Temple University in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Dec. 1. WW . . . |
(2021-12-07). Microplastics may cause bacteria to develop higher antibiotic resistance. nationofchange.org As bacteria become less likely to die from existing antibiotics, it is harder for scientists and doctors to treat infections and protect public health.
(2021-12-07). EU health agencies advise on how to achieve 'good levels' of antibodies. rt.com 
EU health authorities have recommended a "mix-and-match" approach to Covid-19 vaccination, saying that using different jabs during the initial and booster inoculation phases produces "good levels of antibodies." | In a joint
(2021-12-07). Staggering travel decline spoils World Aviation Day. rt.com 
Covid-19 has led to a dramatic drop in global air travel as the aviation industry marks its annual International Civil Aviation Day today, December 7. | "Collapse," "an unprecedented decline in history," and "stagnation" — these are the terms used by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to describe the current state of global air travel. | Read more | | In its report, the ICAO says that in 2020, when the spreading virus forced the shutdown of many borders, the total number of interna…
(2021-12-07). New York attorney general belatedly calls for stricter coronavirus protections at Amazon warehouse. wsws.org The long-overdue demand for the most minimal COVID safety oversight is an effort by the attorney general's office to boost the credibility of Democrat-aligned union organizing efforts at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, New York.
(2021-12-07). Education Must Come First in Cameroon: Yasmine Sherif calls for an end to attacks on schools. moderndiplomacy.eu The future of humanity hangs in the balance. Acute threats of conflict, COVID-19, climate change, poverty, displacement, hunger and other factors are pushing millions more people — with children the most vulnerable and hardest hit — to the edge in humanitarian crises around the world. We can save humanity from these vast interconnected crises, including …
(2021-12-07). Canadian educators declare support for Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org At a meeting Sunday, educators from Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia also voted for a resolution opposing the persecution of Lisa Diaz, a British mother who is being targeted by the UK government for refusing to send her daughter into COVID-infested schools.
(2021-12-07). Where Are the Damn PCR Tests Already? It's Been 21 Months! truthout.org 
When I look back on the prior two years — if I'm around to look back — I'm going to remember these last few days as the moment I met peak frustration and bade it come sit a spell. I'm used to blaming Donald Trump when I achieve this level of aggravation, but the Biden administration a year after Trump's departure has some serious explaining to do. | I've been a good soldier all throughout the long slog of COVID, got my shot times three, got my daughter vaxxed, wore my mask and social distanced, stayed…
(2021-12-07). Education watchdog says nearly all children have fallen behind with education during pandemic. thecanary.co Nearly all children in England have fallen behind in their education and suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills ( Chief inspector Amanda Spielman warned that many of the youngest children's progress and development "faltered" amid the pandemic, with some regressing in basic language…
(2021-12-07). Unorthodox Covid Views and Medical Regulation — Richard Smith. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
White v General Medical Council [2021] EWHC 3286 (Admin) (03 December 2021) A case in which the High Court reminds the regulator of requirements for imposing curbs on free speech. Dr Samuel White is a GP. Earlier this year he posted a seven minute video on Instagram explaining that he had resigned from his job …
(2021-12-07). In a criminal disregard for human life, New York transit agency seeks increased ridership. wsws.org Although at least 177 transit workers have died of COVID-19, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority is prioritizing an increase in ridership.
(2021-12-07). SEP electoral members speak on Workers' Inquest into COVID-19 and Australia's anti-democratic electoral laws. wsws.org "The Coalition, the ALP and the Greens want to consolidate their own power. It's being done from a position of weakness, not strength"
(2021-12-07). Trade unions in Turkey call for demonstrations demanding revision in minimum wage. peoplesdispatch.org The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey has said that the current national minimum wage is not sufficient for workers to meet their basic needs amid rising prices and an economic crisis intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic…