US Politics
EU responds to US midterm elections with calls for military build-up
By Alex Lantier, 8 November 2018
European ruling circles have concluded that US-European conflicts reflect a deeper crisis than they first believed.
Significant vote for SEP candidate Niles Niemuth in Michigan’s 12th district
By our reporters, 8 November 2018
Approximately 2,200 workers and young people cast a class-conscious vote for Niles’ campaign and expressed their support for socialism.
Citing war in Syria, ISO withdraws endorsement of Green Party gubernatorial candidate in New York
By Sandy English, 8 November 2018
The International Socialist Organization withdrew its endorsement of the Green Party candidate on the grounds that his campaign was associated with opposition to the US intervention in Syria.
US midterm vote: Democrats win control of House of Representatives
By Patrick Martin, 7 November 2018
The Republican Party retained control of the US Senate, gaining several seats, while the Democrats swept a series of governorships in the Midwest.
Billionaires, corporate money swing toward Democrats
By our reporter, 7 November 2018
The 2018 campaign is the most expensive congressional election ever, with more than $5.2 billion raised and spent.
Final campaign meeting for Niles Niemuth reviews experiences from campaigning
By our reporters, 7 November 2018
After six months of campaigning, the meeting reviewed the experiences of members and supporters of the Socialist Equality Party.
Trump steps up anti-immigrant campaign on eve of US election
By Patrick Martin, 6 November 2018
The move to shut down DACA is the latest effort to attack the democratic rights of immigrants.
White House report on socialism
The specter of Marx haunts the American ruling class
By Barry Grey, 6 November 2018
The very fact that the US government acknowledges a growth of support for socialism testifies to vast changes in the political consciousness of the working class and the terror this strikes within the ruling elite.
The way forward for young people: Not Democratic Party politics, but the fight for socialism!
By Genevieve Leigh, 6 November 2018
The fear mongering tactics of the Democratic Party and its allies are combined with a complete absence of any discussion of the actual conditions and concerns of the vast majority of young people.
Vote Niles Niemuth, Socialist Equality Party, for US House of Representatives in Michigan’s 12th district!
6 November 2018
The WSWS urges all its readers who reside in the 12th Congressional District of Michigan to cast a class-conscious vote for the only socialist candidate in the 2018 elections.
Former CIA Director Brennan endorses Democrat Beto O’Rourke
By Patrick Martin, 5 November 2018
While O’Rourke has been hailed as the new “progressive” standard bearer, the support of a notorious war criminal exposes his real politics.
Inviting Trump to Paris, Macron evokes the specter of fascism and the 1930s
By Alex Lantier, 5 November 2018
Macron is inviting America’s far-right president while hypocritically criticizing European neo-fascism as a danger to the pursuit of European imperialist interests.
On the eve of the US midterm elections: The political issues facing the working class
By Joseph Kishore, 5 November 2018
Regardless of the outcome, the elections will set the stage for a further shift of US politics to the right.
Democratic Party mailer removes SEP candidate Niles Niemuth from sample ballot
By our reporter, 5 November 2018
A voter guide delivered to thousands of residents in Dearborn, Downriver and western Wayne County omitted the SEP candidate in Michigan’s 12th district from a sample ballot.
Illinois governor’s race the most expensive in US history
By Alexander Fangmann, 5 November 2018
Two billionaire candidates are saturating the media to distract from their shared post-election plans to accelerate attacks on the working class.
Washington imposes new sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba
By Bill Van Auken, 3 November 2018
Bolton’s speech on the Trump administration’s policy toward Latin America amounted to a demand for regime change in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
US expands illegal, unilateral sanctions against Iran
By Mike Head, 3 November 2018
The measures Washington outlined yesterday are tantamount to a declaration of war.
Trump manoeuvres in lead-up to talks with Chinese President Xi
By Nick Beams, 3 November 2018
The aim is either to extract major concessions from China or, failing that, create the best conditions for pressing ahead with trade war measures.
Immigrant tent cities and right-wing terror: The new normal in America
By Eric London, 3 November 2018
Halting the growth of political violence and the moves toward dictatorship requires a break with the Democratic Party and the mobilization of the immense power of the American and international working class.
Christine Assange, mother of persecuted WikiLeaks publisher, endorses Niles Niemuth, SEP candidate for Congress
By our reporter, 3 November 2018
Christine Assange posted an endorsement of Niles Niemuth on Twitter, calling on her followers to vote for “an anti-corruption/ pro Assange candidate.”
Letters protest censorship of Niles Niemuth election campaign by WDIV
3 November 2018
The WSWS is publishing a selection of the letters which were sent in response to the open letter written by Niemuth, the Socialist Equality Party candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 12th District.
Abigail Spanberger: CIA Democrat for Virginia’s 7th District
By E.P. Milligan, 2 November 2018
Abigail Spanberger is one of the most prominent of the former military and intelligence operatives running as Democratic candidates for Congress in the 2018 midterm elections.
Trump calls for “massive cities of tents” and indefinite detention of immigrants
By Eric London, 2 November 2018
The right-wing demagogue described a hellish vision of concentration camps to imprison helpless men, women, and children, and urged the thousands of troops being rushed to America’s southern border to open fire on unarmed crowds.
New York Times tries to shame “disillusioned young voters” into supporting the Democrats
By Barry Grey, 2 November 2018
As masses of people grow increasingly disillusioned with capitalism and the two-party system, the Times is doing its best to shore up support for the Democratic Party.
An open letter to WDIV Local 4 News in Detroit
Stop the censorship of the Socialist Equality Party campaign!
By Niles Niemuth, 2 November 2018
The following open letter was sent to Kim Voet, the news director of WDIV Local 4 News and ClickonDetroit.com, protesting the exclusion of any information about the SEP election campaign from their coverage.
SEP candidate Niles Niemuth speaks with students and workers in Lincoln Park, Michigan
By our reporters, 1 November 2018
The Socialist Equality Party congressional candidate campaigned Wednesday in the Downriver suburb, a bedroom community for many workers in the area.
Thousands protest Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh synagogue following mass shooting
By Samuel Davidson, 31 October 2018
The popular rejection of Trump’s far-right policies highlights the cowardice and complicity of the Democratic Party, which offers no principled opposition to Trump’s fascistic attacks on immigrants and democratic rights more broadly.
A wolf in wolf’s clothing: West Virginia Democrat Richard Ojeda
By Naomi Spencer, 31 October 2018
A former career Army officer, Ojeda has been elevated to national prominence as a fighter for the working class. He is no such thing.
“It is like a pyramid scheme and we’re the worker ants at the bottom”
Amazon workers in Downriver Michigan speak to SEP candidate Niles Niemuth
By our reporters, 31 October 2018
Niles spoke with Amazon workers about working conditions as well as the Trump administration’s deployment of the military against immigrant workers.
After Pittsburgh massacre: New York Times covers up Trump’s role in instigating fascist violence
By Patrick Martin, 30 October 2018
The leading US newspaper’s editorial on the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre effectively absolves President Trump and his fascistic politics of any responsibility for the bloodbath.
Mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue
Anti-Semitic violence erupts in America
By Joseph Kishore, 29 October 2018
To understand the significance of the homicidal violence in Pittsburgh that has left 11 people dead, it is necessary to place the event in its international and historical context.
US armed forces deployed to Mexico border in preparation for expected closure
By Norisa Diaz, 29 October 2018
A violent clash is being prepared on the US-Mexico border as Washington readies emergency powers to close the border.
Thousands attend memorial for victims of mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue
By Samuel Davidson, 29 October 2018
An overflow crowd packed the hall and hundreds stood outside in the rain to pay respect to those struck down by a fascistic gunman.
Eleven killed in deadliest attack on Jewish community in US history
By Samuel Davidson, 28 October 2018
The attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh occurs in the midst of an international escalation of fascist violence.
Arrest of bomb scare suspect heightens political warfare in Washington
By Barry Grey, 27 October 2018
The mail bombs are a symptom of a deepening social and political crisis in the United States, the center of world capitalism.
As federal judge orders Georgia to count tossed-out ballots
Voter suppression looms large in 2018 US elections
By Kranti Kumara, 27 October 2018
The issue of deliberate voter suppression has become a highly contentious issue with less than two weeks before Election Day.
Defend immigrant workers against Trump’s military crackdown
By Bill Van Auken, 27 October 2018
American workers must come to the defense of immigrants and refugees as the Trump administration threatens to close the border and turn armed troops against working class men, women and children.
Trump to deploy hundreds of troops to the border against Central American migrants
By Andrea Lobo, 26 October 2018
The domestic deployment of the military against immigrants is a warning to the entire working class.
Former Fed chair warns of new financial crisis
By Nick Beams, 26 October 2018
In remarks unprecedented for a former central banker, Janet Yellen told the Financial Times that the lessons of the financial crash of 2008 were being forgotten.
CIA director briefs Trump on Khashoggi torture tape
By Bill Van Auken, 26 October 2018
CIA Director Gina Haspel, dispatched to Turkey to investigate the murder of the Saudi journalist, has intimate familiarity with acts of torture and tapes recording them.
What the mail bomb uproar says about American politics
By Patrick Martin, 26 October 2018
The American media has dropped virtually all other topics to focus its attention on the mail bombs sent to eight leading Democrats or public critics of Trump.
Obama stumps for Democrats in Michigan: A legacy of social devastation
By Niles Niemuth, 26 October 2018
Obama is visiting Cass Tech High School in Detroit in an effort to convince workers once again that the Democratic Party, a right-wing, pro-capitalist and pro-war party, represents their interests.
Bombs mailed to prominent Democrats and Trump critics
By Patrick Martin, 25 October 2018
None of the devices exploded and no one was injured, even though two of the bombs reached the offices of CNN and a Florida congresswoman.
Oppose Trump’s attacks on immigrants! Defend the migrant caravan!
By Niles Niemuth, 25 October 2018
Workers in the US must unite with workers in Mexico and Central America to ensure the safe passage into the country of the several thousand workers making their way towards the US-Mexico border.
New York Times celebrates downfall of 201 “powerful men:” The ugly face of the #MeToo campaign
By David Walsh, 25 October 2018
The article inadvertently points toward an important truth: the #MeToo campaign is fundamentally an effort by a layer of upper-middle class women to advance their economic interests at the expense of their male rivals.
Republicans and Democrats prepare bipartisan agenda of social cuts and war
By Patrick Martin, 23 October 2018
Two weeks before the US congressional elections, the outlines of a reactionary deal between the Trump administration and the Democratic Party are coming into view.
Gavin Newsom: A California governor groomed by the financial aristocracy
By Dan Conway, 23 October 2018
The Los Angeles Times recently published a report documenting the role of eight wealthy San Francisco families in bankrolling the political career of Democrat Gavin Newsom.
Bernie Sanders tours Michigan to prop up the Democratic Party
By Matthew Brennan, 22 October 2018
The candidate brought his “revolution” to Ann Arbor Michigan to drum up support for establishment and right-wing political candidates.
New York’s Metropolitan Republican Club hosts leader of fascistic street gang
By Tom Carter, 22 October 2018
This event exposes the close ties between a faction of the Republican Party and the political gutter of open racists, bigots and the “alt-right.”
Socialist Alternative and Democratic Socialists of America hold election rally for Democrats in Chicago
By Kristina Betinis, 22 October 2018
The pseudo-lefts are collaborating to refurbish the image of the increasingly right-wing Democratic Party, which is running an unprecedented number of CIA agents in the midterms.
Pompeo meets with Mexican government as its police attack Honduran migrants
By Eric London, 20 October 2018
Hundreds of women and children were injured in the crackdown on a narrow bridge over the river separating Mexico and Guatemala.
Trump demands five percent budget cut from each Cabinet department
By Shelley Connor, 20 October 2018
In a move to counter the growing federal deficit, Trump has called upon each Cabinet secretary to cut spending.
As Trump administration prepares to withdraw from nuclear missile treaty
US charges new Russian conspiracy to interfere in midterm elections
By Will Morrow, 20 October 2018
The charges have been released without the slightest evidence, but have immediately been accepted as gospel and amplified by the American media.
Trump threatens to deploy military to close US-Mexico border
By Eric London, 19 October 2018
Trump, with the complicity of the Democrats, has invoked the phony “threat” of the immigrant caravan to whip up xenophobia before the midterm elections.
Trump scrambles to cover for Saudi regime as crisis over Khashoggi murder mounts
By Barry Grey, 19 October 2018
Pompeo’s meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed were aimed at signaling continued US support while making a pretense of seeking a full accounting of Khashoggi’s disappearance.
The Harvard case on racial preferences and the antidemocratic character of affirmative action
By Ed Hightower, 19 October 2018
Affirmative action policies seek to conceal the class division in society while permitting the political right to pose as defenders of equal protection.
Anti-Kissinger protest at New York University
By Isaac Finn, 19 October 2018
Protesters gathered outside of NYU’s business school to oppose the appearance of the notorious war criminal Henry Kissinger.
One year of the #MeToo movement
By David Walsh, 19 October 2018
The ostensible aim of this movement is to combat sexual harassment, i.e., to bring about social progress. However, the repressive means resorted to give the lie to the campaign’s “progressive” claims.
Genuine socialism vs. the Democratic Party politics of Bernie Sanders
By Niles Niemuth, 19 October 2018
Amid growing opposition to capitalism and interest in socialism, Sanders plays a critical role in directing oppositional sentiments back behind the Democratic Party.
CIA Democrat Max Rose faces off against Trump Republican in Staten Island
By Daniel de Vries, 18 October 2018
A debate Tuesday evening in Staten Island demonstrated the right-wing character of the Democratic Party’s opposition to Trump.
Record flood of cash to buy US midterm elections
By Patrick Martin, 18 October 2018
The sheer scale of the fundraising and spending demonstrates the profoundly anti-democratic character of the American political system.
Florida gubernatorial election: Suddenly “socialism” becomes the issue
By Matthew MacEgan and Jean Bellevie, 18 October 2018
Democrat Andrew Gillum is being falsely portrayed as a progressive, left-wing candidate by both his supporters and his Republican opponent.
Feigning moral outrage, the Times’ Thomas Friedman comes to the defense of the Saudi killer regime
By Barry Grey, 18 October 2018
Friedman poses the problem of how to respond to the murder of Khashoggi from the “practical” standpoint of imperialist Realpolitik.
Former first lady Michelle Obama declares George W. Bush “my partner in crime”
By Nick Barrickman, 16 October 2018
Bush is guilty of war crimes of the highest order, but they are crimes that the entire political establishment supports and is pledged to continue.
Facebook’s purge of left-wing media: A frontal assault on freedom of speech
By Andre Damon, 15 October 2018
The social media monopoly’s removal of left-wing news pages with millions of followers is the latest step in a conspiracy by the state and the technology giants to censor the internet.
Death toll from Hurricane Michael continues to climb
By Matthew Taylor, 15 October 2018
Hurricane Michael is now considered to be the third most powerful storm to impact the US.
Trump considers reinstating family separations at the border
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 15 October 2018
The proposal to force parents to choose between separation and deportation to war-torn Central America is a form of emotional torture.
New York judge dismisses a sexual assault charge against producer Harvey Weinstein
By David Walsh, 15 October 2018
Judge James Burke took the action after it came to light that a New York City police detective had failed to report an interview with a friend of one of the complainants, Lucia Evans, which casts doubt on her version of events.
SEP holds campaign rally at FCA Warren Stamping plant
Autoworkers welcome SEP candidate Niles Niemuth
By Tim Rivers, 15 October 2018
Autoworkers gave SEP congressional candidate Niles Niemuth a warm welcome at a plant gate rally Saturday afternoon in the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan.
Pages purged by Facebook were on blacklist promoted by Washington Post
By Andre Damon, 13 October 2018
PropOrNot, an organization that published a blacklist of oppositional media organizations in 2016, hailed Facebook’s actions as the precursor to shutting down the targeted organizations' web sites.
Daniel Ellsberg’s The Doomsday Machine: A prescient warning of the danger of nuclear war
By Kevin Martinez, 13 October 2018
The famous whistleblower of the “Pentagon Papers” provides a disturbing and timely memoir of his days preparing nuclear war policies for the Pentagon.
US places alleged “Chinese spy” on public trial
By Mike Head, 12 October 2018
The timing of the unprecedented extradition points to a new stage in the US drive to prevent China from becoming an economic or military threat to US global hegemony.
Hurricane Michael leaves trail of death and destruction in southeastern US
By Daniel de Vries, 12 October 2018
The death toll, which currently stands at six, will almost certainly rise as emergency personnel gain access to more communities laid to waste by the storm.
Billionaire Bloomberg rejoins Democratic Party
By Patrick Martin, 12 October 2018
The billionaire’s political career demonstrates the fundamental identity of the two corporate-controlled parties that comprise the US two-party system.
US ambassador to New Zealand continues public attacks on China
By Tom Peters, 12 October 2018
Scott Brown, the ambassador appointed by Trump, is escalating the anti-Chinese campaign in New Zealand to align the country more closely with US war preparations.
US government may put separated immigrant children up for adoption
By Eric London, 11 October 2018
In one case, AP reports, “It took 28 minutes for a judge in a rural courthouse” to transfer guardianship of a toddler, without even notifying her mother.
Pentagon report points to US preparations for total war
By Andre Damon, 11 October 2018
Amid an intensification of military tensions with Russia and China, the Pentagon has produced a document proposing to “retool” US society for “great power conflict.”
Major fall on Wall Street as interest rates rise
By Nick Beams, 11 October 2018
The main factor behind the fall appears to be the spike in yields on US Treasury bonds, which have risen sharply in recent days to above 3 percent.
Leaked Google document: Tech firms have shifted away from “free speech and towards censorship”
By Kevin Reed, 11 October 2018
On Tuesday, the far-right news outlet Breitbart News published a leaked internal document by technology giant Google that openly discusses political censorship.
The Kavanaugh confirmation and the US midterm elections
By Patrick Martin, 9 October 2018
The thoroughly right-wing campaign waged by the Democratic Party over the Kavanaugh nomination, focused solely on allegations of sexual assault, has set the tone for the US congressional elections.
Debbie Dingell: A candidate of wealth and privilege
By Tom Hall, 9 October 2018
Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell is both an auto heiress and the latest iteration of a political dynasty that has dominated the Detroit Downriver area for 85 years.
US Senate elevates right-wing judge Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court
By Patrick Martin, 8 October 2018
The confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh marks a further major step to the right by the highest US court.
Obama endorses DSA’s Ocasio-Cortez, along with CIA Democrats
By Nick Barrickman, 8 October 2018
The DSA is an instrument for boosting the right-wing, militarist Democratic Party by providing it with a “left” cover.
Socialist Alternative on New York primaries: Burrowing further into the Democratic Party
By Josh Varlin, 8 October 2018
Socialist Alternative’s political activity consists for the most part in promoting the Democratic Socialists of America and supposedly “progressive” Democrats.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh clears crucial hurdle to confirmation
By Eric London, 6 October 2018
Friday’s 51–49 cloture vote all but secures the confirmation of the arch-reactionary to what will be the most right-wing court in over a century.
Bernie Sanders covers for Jeff Bezos as fraud of $15 pay raise at Amazon is exposed
By Tom Hall, 6 October 2018
Sanders immediately abandoned his criticism of Jeff Bezos after the company’s cynical publicity stunt, and embraced him as a great reformer.
Federal judge issues injunction against Trump administration refugee order
By Matthew Taylor, 6 October 2018
The four countries cited in the lawsuit represent nearly 300,000 of the 437,000 refugees who are currently receiving TPS in the United States.
Socialist Equality Party candidate for Congress Niles Niemuth speaks at televised forum
6 October 2018
The SEP’s candidate for Michigan’s 12th congressional district, along with his opponents from the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as the pseudo-left Working Class Party, answered questions on immigration, inequality, education and more.
NY Times exposé on Trump fortune: An empire built on tax evasion and fraud
“Behind every great fortune there is a great crime” – Honoré de Balzac
By Barry Grey, 6 October 2018
The picture of criminality and corruption that emerges from the Times report is one that characterizes not just the Trump clan, but the corporate-financial oligarchy as a whole.
US vice president issues bellicose diatribe against China
By Bill Van Auken, 5 October 2018
Pence’s speech came amid reports that the Pentagon is preparing massive and provocative military exercises as a show of force against China.
US, UK and NATO allies ramp up anti-Russia offensive over “cyber spying” and Skripals
By Robert Stevens, 5 October 2018
To frame the demand for the seven arrests, the US utilised all the material gathered by its NATO allies against Russia over the Skripal/novichok affair.
US Senate sets first vote on Kavanaugh nomination
By Patrick Martin, 5 October 2018
The Democratic Party is focusing solely on unproven allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, as the Republicans move forward to a vote on the right-wing nominee.
The US military’s vision for state censorship
By Andre Damon, 5 October 2018
The Atlantic Council, a key partner in social media companies’ drive to censor the internet, has published a summary of a US special forces conference outlining a plan for systematically gutting the freedom of expression.
The #MeToo campaign versus the presumption of innocence
By Eric London, 5 October 2018
The historical development of the presumption of innocence is a centuries-long battle for due process and enlightenment against irrationalism, lynch mob justice and arbitrary state repression.
FEMA and Trump send out mass “Presidential Alert”
By Patrick Martin, 5 October 2018
Wednesday’s nationwide test of the “Presidential Alert” system raises concerns about the growing threat to democratic rights.
Socialist Equality Party candidate Niles Niemuth speaks in Ann Arbor on the right to universal health care
By our reporter, 5 October 2018
Niles explained how the fight for universal health care is bound up with the fight against all other attacks on the working class and above all, with the fight for socialism.
The International Socialist Organization mobilizes behind Democrats’ right-wing diversion on Kavanaugh
By Barry Grey, 4 October 2018
The US pseudo-left has seized on allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh to intensify its promotion of #MeToo and the Democratic Party’s campaign in the November elections.
CIA Democrats call for aggression against Russia, run pro-war campaigns in 2018 congressional races
By Patrick Martin, 3 October 2018
Democratic challengers seeking Republican congressional seats, particularly those with a military-intelligence background, are pushing for ever greater military spending.
Ten years since the 2008 bank bailout
By Andre Damon, 3 October 2018
The creation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program on October 3, 2008, was the initial step in a massive redistribution of wealth and restructuring of class relations in the United States and internationally.
The Kavanaugh nomination, #MeToo and the politics of petty-bourgeois rage
By David Walsh, 3 October 2018
The New York Times published an opinion piece by journalist Rebecca Traister headlined “Fury Is a Political Weapon. And Women Need to Wield It.” The piece is one of a number along the same lines that have appeared in recent weeks and months.
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