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Gulf Dreams for Justice: From Rescue to Solidarity

Paula Chakravartty and Nitasha Dhillon Dissent Magazine
Migrant workers in the Gulf states have few rights and work in poor conditions, yet they are organizing and protesting, and they need solidarity. True solidarity means forging a coalition of equals—recognizing that migrant workers in the Gulf are far from passive victims—and supporting their struggle for life and dignity.

A Working-Class Filmmaker Is Something to Be: An Interview with Michael Moore

Ed Rampell The Progressive
The droll conceit of "Where to Invade Next" is that the Joint Chiefs of Staff “summon” Michael to the Pentagon and deploy him to “invade” countries around the world. But instead of looting them of their natural resources, such as oil, Moore brings their best ideas—including free university education, expanded leisure time, worker representation on boards of directors, school reform, punishment of bankers for recklessly wrecking economies, prison reform, back to the US.

Media Bits and Bytes

portside
Rewriting Bernie's history; Black community loses WWRL; Skills gap; Kids depart social media; Flint fail; Copyright crisis

When Scalia Died, So Did ‘Friedrichs’—And an Even Grander Scheme To Destroy Unions

Moshe Z. Marvit Working In These Times
When the Supreme Court ties 4-4, no precedent is set. Anyone in labor worried about that outcome in Friedrichs can rest a bit easier remembering that no precedent is needed here. Abood created the precedent in 1977, and Friedrichs was a shameless ideological ploy to overturn that longstanding precedent.

American Cartel: How America's Two Major Parties Helped Destroy Democracy

Frank Castro The Hampton Institute
Remember the age-old question, what do all those with power want? More power. As such, two monopolies have dominated American politics for over 150 years-the Democratic Party, founded in 1828, and the Republican Party, founded in 1854. Together, they form a political cartel, or an association of political parties with the purpose of maintaining concentrated power and restricting or repressing competition.

Why Obama’s Military Aid to Israel is Breaking All Records

Ali Abunimah The Electronic Intifada
While the US hasn’t publicly confirmed specifics – which are still being negotiated – an Israeli cabinet minister told Defense News that the Obama package would see US military aid jump to more than $40 billion over the 10-year period beginning in 2018, from the $30 billion in the program that began in 2008.

The FDA Just Banned These Chemicals in Food. Are They the Tip of the Iceberg?

Elizabeth Grossman Civil Eats
The FDA announced that it will withdraw its approval for three chemicals used to make grease, stain, and water repelling food packaging and consider banning seven food additives used in both “artificial” and “natural” flavors. This raises much larger questions about one of the agencies with the most control over the safety of what we eat.

Markets in the Next System

Jesse A. Myerson The Next System Project
Almost from the very beginning of human history, there were markets.

A Hidden History of the Cuban Revolution: How the Working Class Shaped the Guerrillas’ Victory

Steve Cushion Monthly Review
“A veritable tour de force in archival and oral history documenting 1950s Cuban worker activism, and in the process, compelling us to revisit the nature and extent of the role of labour in the Cuban Revolution then, and now.” Professor Emerita Jean Stubbs, Queens University, UK, author, Tobacco on the Periphery: A Case Study in Cuban Labour History and Cuba: The Test of Time.