Category: Editorials

Oppose Gov’t Censorship of Iran War Coverage

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On March 14, 2025, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) head Brendan Carr took another shot at the fundamental right of freedom of the press. Using the language with which the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump has answered every criticism of its policies, Carr wrote on his social media account: “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up.” Carr’s threat is the latest volley in efforts by the Trump administration to undermine freedom of the press and free speech and censor the news. As Washington prosecutes its broadly unpopular war against Iran, these attempts to block access to facts and information are intensifying, providing more evidence of the march toward authoritarian rule that has characterized the course of this administration from day one.

End the Bombing of Iran; No Blood for Oil!

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U.S., Israel Hands Off Iran

The massive bombing of Iran unleashed by the U.S. and Israeli governments on February 28, 2026, has thrust the Middle East into a regional war. This is an imperialist war shaking the Mideast and threatening world peace. It has set back prospects for the Iranian people to eventually rid themselves of the oppressive regime in Tehran. It is a war for oil. Ranked third after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, Iran sits atop one of the largest oil reserves in the world. Taking control of these enormous assets would put the U.S. military in a better position to face a future war with China — Washington’s top competitor. All this is done at the expense of working- and middle-class people in Iran and across the region.

We Stand with Cuba — For All Time

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On January 29, 2026, U.S. president Donald Trump issued a new executive order declaring a “national emergency” due to the “unusual and extraordinary threat” that Cuba allegedly poses to the United States. The White House announced it will impose harsh punitive tariffs on any country that trades oil with Cuba. This is unvarnished economic warfare, a major escalation of Washington’s unrelenting efforts over more than six decades aimed at asphyxiating the Cuban people and overthrowing their socialist revolution.

We Stand with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar

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On January 27, 2026, a man attacked U.S. congresswoman Ihan Omar while she was addressing a town hall meeting in Minneapolis, a city she represents along with a number of its suburbs. The attacker, using a syringe, sprayed Omar with a pungent liquid before he was tackled and taken away by security. There is little doubt that behind this odious assault was the unceasing bigotry and vilification of Omar and the entire Somali American community in Minnesota by U.S. president Donald Trump and much of the Republican Party establishment.

U.S. Out of Venezuela! No Blood for Oil!

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The U.S. military assault on Venezuela today, and the kidnapping of the country’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, is naked imperialist aggression, and a blatant violation of international law and of Venezuela’s sovereignty. Working people in the United States and the world and anyone supporting democracy need to swiftly condemn this Yankee onslaught and turn to the streets to protest it.

U.S. Out of the Caribbean; No Blockade of Venezuelan Oil

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In a major escalation of its hostilities against the people of Venezuela and the government of Nicolás Maduro, U.S. president Donald Trump announced on December 16 “a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers” going in and out of that country. This is an act of war, aimed not only at Venezuela but Cuba, and a warning to all governments in Latin America and the Caribbean that dare stand up to the Yankee bully. Coming on the heels of killing at least 95 people in small boats off the Venezuelan and Colombian coasts on the pretext of fighting drug trafficking — nothing but murder at sea — and the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, the blockade of Venezuelan oil brings the region a step closer to war.

Murderous Attack at Bondi Beach in Australia: A Heinous Act of Jew Hatred

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The murderous attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, was a heinous act of Jew hatred. It should be condemned as resolutely as we condemn Israel’s ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. As resolutely as we condemn all forms of bigotry and the violence it engenders. The courage of Ahmed al-Ahmed, an Australian citizen born in Syria who charged the younger shooter and disarmed him, saved lives. He deserves our immense respect.

Gaza Ceasefire Won’t Bring Peace

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The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that went into effect in Gaza on October 10 is unlikely to bring lasting peace in Palestine, Israel, or the broader Middle East. It resolves nothing about the underlying issue of Palestinian self-determination. The only positive outcome is the pause to the slaughter in Gaza.

Trump’s Unmistakable March Toward One-Man Rule

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On August 25, the White House released another executive order by U.S. president Donald Trump, ostensibly “to address the crime emergency in the District of Columbia” (D.C.). Coming on the heels of Trump’s hostile takeover of the D.C. police, and his deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops and hundreds of federal agents in the U.S. capital, Trump’s August 25 executive order represents a major escalation in his unmistakable march toward dictatorial rule.

No to Federal Takeover of Washington! D.C. Statehood Now!

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On August 12, the White House took control of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and deployed 2,200 National Guard troops and hundreds of federal agents in the city. For working people and the vast majority in the United States the military takeover is among the most dangerous steps taken by the Trump administration so far. It is part of a rapidly developing pattern leading toward one-man rule.

Oppose U.S.-Israeli War on Iran

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In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 22, the U.S. government joined Israel’s unprovoked aerial war on Iran, aimed — primarily — at destroying the country’s uranium enrichment facilities. This imperialist war has further destabilized the Middle East, set back any prospects for the Iranian people to eventually rid themselves of the oppressive regime in Tehran, and may contribute to new blows against the Palestinian people in Gaza and beyond.

Free Trade vs. Protectionism

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The recent sweeping tariffs the Trump administration imposed on goods imported from dozens of countries across the globe pose important questions: What’s in the best interests of working people, free trade or protectionism? Do tariffs really benefit U.S. workers, as most top labor union officials claim? This editorial tackles these questions.

Boeing Strikers Win What They Were Strong Enough to Take

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After 53 days on strike, members of International Association of Machinists voted on November 4 to approve Boeing’s third contract offer. The most important gain for workers was a significant wage increase — 38% over four years. Boeing also agreed to bonus payments and increased company contributions to employee 401K plans, but did not restore the defined benefit pension plan that the company ended in 2014.

Solidarity with Striking Dockworkers

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More than 45,000 dockworkers, members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), in 14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts of the United States — from Maine to Texas — went on strike October 1. It’s their first walkout since 1977. The entire working class should embrace their cause. The labor movement can help win the battle for public opinion and a fair contract. A victory in the strike will reverberate across the country and help everyone trying to improve wages, benefits, and job safety.

Historic Victory: Volkswagen Workers Vote for Union

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Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted by a 73% margin for representation by the United Auto Workers (UAW). It is a huge accomplishment for the workers involved, for all auto workers, and for the labor movement and working class across the United States. The results have historic significance. The UAW failed in two previous attempts to organize VW, in 2014 and 2019. Other efforts to organize auto plants in the South have also been unsuccessful. In Chattanooga, workers won for the first time in a foreign-owned U.S. auto plant. It was also the first Southern auto factory where workers approved a union through an election since the 1940s. Chattanooga workers opened the door to extending unionization of other auto plants in the South and beyond, as part of the nationwide organizing drive the UAW launched last fall.

Oppose Israel’s War on Palestinians

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The Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip — cutting off water, food, and electricity to its inhabitants, accompanied by widespread bombings that set the stage for a ground invasion — threatens Palestinians there with death and destruction that can become genocidal.

Working people around the world should do everything in our power to stay the hand of the Israeli government as it mobilizes its military to inflict further devastation on the Palestinian people in response to the repugnant attacks by Hamas. The atrocities by Hamas must be unequivocally condemned.

Solidarity with Striking Auto Workers!

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On September 15, the United Auto Workers union (UAW) began a coordinated strike against the three major U.S. automakers. The UAW targeted one plant each at General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, involving almost 13,000 workers. The union is acting to defend its members from the debilitating effects of the automakers’ decades-long campaign to slash the unionized workforce, drive down wages, and weaken the union by instituting a permanent two-tier wage and benefit system. This strike deserves the support of the entire labor movement and all working people.

Rail Contract Shows Unions Need New Leadership; Workers Need Our Own Party

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At the “urgent appeal” of President Biden, the U.S. Senate voted 80 – 15 on December 1 to impose a contract settlement previously rejected by four unions representing a majority of railroad workers and by thousands who voted “No” in eight other unions. The House of Representatives approved a similar measure, which Biden swiftly signed into law on December 2. A separate bill would have added seven days paid sick leave to the new national rail contract. It was no surprise that it failed. Biden firmly opposed any changes to the contract that his administration brokered in September on the eve of a national strike deadline. Rail workers are angry and frustrated by this outcome. Rank-and-file rail workers refused to accept Biden’s deal that top union leaders claimed was the best contract possible. The ranks of the unions spoke out, explained the intolerable conditions of work and life they face every day, and won support from millions of working people. Without rank-and-file resistance, no resolution on sick pay would have been considered. Without rank-and-file resistance, those brutal conditions would have remained unknown to other working people.

Organize, Mobilize to Defend Women’s Right to Choose Abortion!

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The U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey is an enormous setback to women’s rights. It is the biggest step to restrict democratic rights in at least half a century. It marks a sharp shift to the right in bourgeois politics, one that has accelerated in recent years. There is no reason to believe the assault on a woman’s right to choose abortion will end with the 6-3 ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. To the contrary, within hours of the decision abortion became virtually illegal in nine states. More will follow quickly. Where do we go from here? As World-Outlook wrote on May 10, “We should begin with an understanding that was more widespread when the fight for women’s liberation shook U.S. politics over 50 years ago. If women and those who support women’s rights do not fight in a consistent and uncompromising way, and independent of the capitalist parties, no one else will…. We must debate and answer the opponents of women’s rights. We need to take the fight into the trade unions and among the thousands of workers at Amazon, Starbucks, and elsewhere fighting to organize unions. Women’s equality on the job, as in all areas of social life, is impossible without the right to control one’s own body.”

Abortion Is a WOMAN’s Right to Choose

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The Supreme Court appears on the verge of overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the federal right of women to choose abortion. Many states are poised to join Texas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma in criminalizing virtually all abortions. Millions see that these dangerous attacks are aimed at a woman’s right to control her own body. Yet some leading organizations that defend the right to choose abortion now explicitly decline to defend women’s rights. “From Planned Parenthood to NARAL Pro-Choice America to the American Medical Association to city and state health departments and younger activists, the word ‘women’ has in a matter of a few years appeared far less in talk of abortion and pregnancy,” wrote Michael Powell in the New York Times. “Progressive groups and medical organizations have adopted inclusive language, which has led to terms like ‘pregnant people’ and ‘chestfeeding’.” This approach undermines and weakens the fight for the right to choose abortion and all women’s rights. It is a political choice that should be soundly rejected.

A Turning Point in the Fight for Women’s Right to Choose Abortion

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The leak of the draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade confirms what has been clear since September 2021 when the court refused to enjoin Texas law SB8. That measure largely made abortion illegal in the second largest state of the union. The court majority now plans to scrap the 1973 Roe decision and open the door to making most if not all abortions illegal in many other states. This is the most serious attack on women’s rights and all democratic rights in decades. The Republican Party has championed the assault. But the Democratic Party has been complicit in eroding women’s right to choose abortion virtually since the moment Roe became law.

Russian Troops Out Now! For Ukraine’s Independence! U.S./NATO Out of E. Europe!

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Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is an anathema to humanity. Russian troops, tanks, air force, and other military hardware should get out now. The Ukrainian people defending the country’s independence deserve international solidarity—already shown by protests condemning the invasion inside Russia, Georgia, and elsewhere. It is also necessary to clearly see Washington’s hypocritical claims that it tried to avert war through diplomacy. We should demand that U.S. and NATO military forces pull out of Eastern Europe and the broader region. The Pentagon has doubled the number of U.S. warships in the Mediterranean, redeployed an aircraft carrier there from the Pacific, and increased the number of U.S. troops in the region. It is opening up new NATO bases in Eastern Europe. The newest, a “highly sensitive U.S. military installation” according to the New York Times, located near the village of Redzikowo, in Poland, is only about 100 miles from Russian territory. These moves are aimed at expanding U.S. military domination in Europe and countering Russian economic interests. They pose a genuine threat to world peace while offering Putin a pretext for his brutal invasion.

Verdict in Daunte Wright Killing: A Rare Glimpse of Justice

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On December 23, a jury in Minneapolis convicted Kimberly Potter, the cop who killed Daunte Wright last spring, on first- and second-degree manslaughter. Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence and other opponents of cop brutality in Minnesota welcomed the verdict—a still too rare glimpse of justice. We join Wright’s family and supporters in celebrating the verdict that delivered some accountability. As Katie Bryant, Daunte’s mother, told supporters outside the courtroom, cops are now more likely to think twice before pulling their gun instead of their taser. “And we made this happen, you made this happen, Daunte Wright made this happen.”

Arbery Murder Verdict: A Measure of Justice

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On November 24, a jury in Brunswick Georgia rendered a degree of justice in the brutal murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man. The three defendants, Gregory McMichael, 65; his son Travis McMichael, 35; and their neighbor William Bryan, 52 were found guilty of murder and other charges. All now face the prospect of life in prison. Future vigilantes may think twice before attempting such a lynching again. The outcome of this case is one more step forward in the long battle for genuine equality for African Americans and for the extension of democratic rights to all.

Rittenhouse Verdict: A Travesty of Justice

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The November 19, 2021, acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse by a Wisconsin jury on all charges, including first-degree reckless and intentional homicide, is a travesty of justice. It sends a message to other rightists that vigilantism is acceptable so long as it is clothed in claims of “self-defense.” It echoes the verdict in the 2012 trial of George Zimmerman who was exonerated for his murder of Trayvon Martin that same year.

Defend a Woman’s Right to Choose Abortion!

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A national campaign of mass action to defend a woman’s right to choose abortion is now necessary. This has been true for some time. But the September 1 U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 decision that refused to block a Texas law prohibiting abortion after cardiac activity is detected—which can be as early as six weeks after the onset of pregnancy—underlined the urgency of the moment. Many women are not even aware they are pregnant at that time.

Derek Chauvin Verdict: One Down, Thousands to Go

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May 25, 2021—On the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s brutal death at the hands of Minneapolis police, all opponents of cop violence and racism can rejoice in seeing Floyd’s executioner locked-up behind bars. We can celebrate the prospect of a long sentence awaiting former police officer Derek Chauvin. His conviction by a Minneapolis jury on April 20 was a victory for the mass movement against police brutality and racism that Floyd’s homicide sparked across the United States and around the world.