Support Ontario midwives in their fight for pay equity

After a seven year legal fight against the Ontario government, the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM), won a landmark victory after the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled Monday that for the last ten years they have been subject to gender based wage discrimination. The tribunal has ordered that the government close the pay gap that saw the wage ceiling for midwives capped at around 65% of what a community health physician could make. They also ordered that the government provide compensation and back pay to midwives for the discrimination.

Instead of doing so, however, the Ford government is "reviewing the decision" and a spokesperson told the CBC "Ontario has applied for judicial review of the Tribunal's decision on liability and will be applying for judicial review of the Tribunal's decision on remedy".


Midwives and the AOM are calling on the government to do the right thing and stop fighting them in court. AOM president Elizabeth Brandeis noted "Closing the gender pay gap for midwives is a better option compared to spending tax dollars and resources continuing to battle midwives in court".

As part of their campaign to pressure the government, on Friday, February 28 midwives will be holding rallies at the offices of Conservative MPPs and hand-delivering them letters "urging government to close the gender pay gap for midwives by implementing the tribunal's orders."

You can show support by joining with them in your community and by sending an email in support.

It reads:

I am deeply concerned the Ontario government is choosing to spend my tax dollars on protracted legal battles fighting midwives in court. The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has issued a landmark ruling ordering government to close the gender pay gap for midwives. I don’t think it is right to discount the work of midwives because it is work associated with women.
As an Ontario voter I am asking you to be a public voice for implementing the tribunal orders instead of continuing to battle midwives in court.  

You can change the wording if you wish. Fill out and send the email now at: https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/email-ford

Teachers change kids' lives: An Open Letter to Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, and Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education

To Premier Ford and Minister Lecce,

My name is Aidan Monis. I'm a 27 year-old secondary school teacher in Toronto District School Board. I'm currently teaching at an Adult Day School in Scarborough. I'm writing to you today to add my voice, such as it is, to the current often-confusing fray around your government's plans for Ontario's education system. I will leave the cost-benefit analysis, hard numbers, and political manueovering to other, more qualified individuals. Instead, if you've got the time, I'd like to tell you a story.

I knew a boy once (who I'll call Robert) who was having an extraordinarily hard time in school. He often felt left out, ignored, uncared for, disaffected. Now, as anyone who has read "Catcher In The Rye" can tell you, this is not exactly unique to Robert. Having been a teenager not so long ago, I can certainly attest to the many growing pains of adolescence. Once he hit Grade 11, Robert started to perform more and more poorly in school. As his grades dropped, his parents and teachers began to take more of an interest in Robert. You know the drill - a teenager making comments about how "nothing I do at school even matters," parents wondering where they went wrong, the whole nine yards. As the year went on, Robert withdrew further and further into himself. It's sad to say, but thoughts of self-harm even began to enter his mind, which had never been there before. This is an all-too-common mindset for many of our beloved young people, as you surely know.

Enter Mr. F., a young, unconventional music teacher. Robert had heard about Mr. F.'s "weird" music classes in grade 9 and 10, and while he was confused at some of the stories he'd heard, he basically felt "eh, why not?" He was already turned off of school, so yet another pointless class didn't seem like such a big deal. Thankfully, Robert had never been more wrong in his life. Every day in Mr. F.'s music class felt like paradise! Here was a man who played with great Canadian musicians, who loved a lot of the same music that his students did, who helped those same students find and explore their own passions! Robert, who to this point had struggled with intense self-loathing and fear, began to express himself. It was a sight to behold! This quiet kid, who nobody paid much attention to, who had never really asserted himself at all, had something to say musically! And he began to help others do the same.

Now, it wasn't anything that Mr. F. did for Robert, specifically, that really made the difference here. Rather, it was Mr. F.'s mode of *being* in the classroom. I've talked to many students of this teacher, and have heard DOZENS of stories similar to Robert's. Mr. F. is so kind, so open-minded, so compassionate, such a good listener! He's such a positive role model (especially for disaffected young men like Robert)! And above all, he helps his students believe in themselves.

As most readers have likely figured out by now, that boy, Robert? He's me.

It would be impossible to overstate the influence of Mr. F. on my personal, musical and professional growth. I must admit that I don't know if I'd even be alive today if I hadn't met him. Like any great teacher, Mr. F. demures endlessly when I lavish praise on him like this. At the very least, I would never have found my life's true calling, which is working with the passionate, intelligent, (sometimes slightly frustrating!) young people who walk through the halls of our high schools every day. The ones from whom I learn so much more than I could ever teach. The ones who, when their parents send them to my classroom, become, for just a little while, "my kids."

The specifics of the many teachers like Mr. F. change - different ages, subjects, backgrounds, politics, and life experiences. What does NOT change, however, is an uncompromising belief in the absolute best in our students. I have no illusions that every single student in Mr. F.'s music class responded to him the way that I did. But my hope, and my sincere belief, is that all students find at least one or two teachers to truly bond and grow with. Maybe it's the biology teacher, or drama, or business, or auto shop. Maybe it's all of them! But please remember, Minister Lecce and Premier Ford, that every teacher in this province is somebody's Mr. F.

Yours sincerely,

Aidan Robert Monis, OCT

Aidan is a 27 year-old music teacher and musician from Toronto. He likes jazz, beer and social justice.

"Vaughan Working Families" the latest right wing farce in Ontario

In a turn of events that is pretty staggering even by the truth adverse standards of the right and the Doug Ford government, an epic fiasco is unfolding in Ontario around a, possibly fictional, "community" group Vaughan Working Families.

In case you have not heard of them, Vaughan Working Families paid significant sums of money to place full page ads in some of Toronto's largest newspapers, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and the National Post this past weekend. The ads claimed to be from a group of parents angry at Ontario's teachers for their escalating job actions against the Ford government and its cuts to education. In them the group demanded that teachers stop "using students as pawns" and one version had an alleged local mother holding up a "report card" giving the teachers and their unions a "failing grade".

This would be some much needed support given that the Ford government is rather badly losing the battle in the court of public opinion. But, as the left-leaning website PressProgress discovered, on further investigation the ads and the group with apparently deep pockets that bought them don't appear to be entirely kosher.

First:

The ads are paid for by a mystery group calling itself “Vaughan Working Families,” although the group lists no contact information, has no website and there appears to be no evidence the shadowy parents’ group exists apart from its expensive ads.

and it turns out the "mother" not only is not a parent in Ontario, she does not even live in Canada:

Leszek Glasner, a professional photographer who lives in Poland, said the woman presented as the face of “Vaughan Working Families” is his wife.
“Actually she is my wife and she is a semi-professional model,” the photographer told PressProgress. “She is from Poland too.”
Glasner confirmed the photo used in the anti-teacher attack ad is a digitally altered copy of one he sells on Shutterstock, an online stock photo service, and made clear neither he nor his wife have any opinions on Ontario provincial politics.
“We both have nothing to do with the teacher strike in Canada,” Glasner said.

Social media had a field day with what certainly seems to be a less than totally legitimate intervention in the debate.

In the aftermath of this total farce a complaint has been filed with Ad Standards Canada by Norm Di Pasquale, a Toronto Catholic District School Board trustee and NDP MPP Taras Natyshak has called for an investigation by Elections Ontario. 

Meanwhile, the bombastic and reality challenged Premier Doug Ford has come under scrutiny for claiming “I have had numerous, numerous texts from teachers saying ‘I don’t want to be doing this,’”, implying the union is forcing the job action on them. Not only is there zero evidence for this generally -- in fact the unions were given very strong strike mandates by their members  -- he is refusing to back it up by producing any of the alleged texts:

When CTV News Toronto asked the premier’s office for a sample of the supportive text messages on Monday, a spokesperson stated that the office is “not going to be making these text messages public.”
“We are not going to share any text messages that he’s seen or received,” Ford’s Press Secretary Ivana Yelich said.
While the premier’s office concedes that Ford raised the text messages, making them a relevant part of the conversation, it said it will not share them with the media.
When asked for a reason, the premier’s office said it didn’t need to provide one. 

Is the group anything more that an invention by some wealthy backers of the Ford government? Does Ford have any actual texts from teachers? It does not seem likely in either case, especially given the government's track record to date.

Of course Ford has not revealed plans for the TTC "Ontario Line". It will never be built.

News came today that the Doug Ford government in Ontario "is refusing to say whether it has finalized initial plans for its most important transit project, three weeks after a self-imposed deadline for completing the work has passed."

The project -- called the Ontario Line -- is supposed to be a subway that will run from Ontario Place to the Science Centre in Toronto with stops throughout the downtown. It is being billed as a grander, more comprehensive version of the relief line the city had been working towards for years. The Ford government has also claimed that its bolder plan -- presumably through the use of magical pixie dust -- can also be built faster than previous plans. As soon as by 2027.

If this promise of massive subway lines to be built in record time sounds familiar, there is a good reason for that.

Back in 2010 when Doug's brother Rob took the helm as mayor of Toronto for what was to be an epic shitshow of an administration, he did so after a campaign during which he promised to rip up the properly funded and well researched Transit City plan for multiple LRT routes and instead build two majestic subway lines that would be completed by 2015 in time for the Pan Am games.

Transit City was cancelled and its vision destroyed. Multiple desperately needed routes that would exist today or be close to completion were simply discarded. As for the subway lines Rob promised, they never happened. Not one stop was built, not one tunnel dug.

Now we see this echoed as brother Doug tries the same as Premier.

As I argued in the piece Chaos Theory: For Doug Ford disruption will be the plan never "underestimate the damage that can be done by simply cancelling or disrupting plans and then miring governance in self-created perpetual chaos."

By overriding plans that had been carefully developed through extensive planning, consultations and working with all the involved levels of government and offering instead dots drawn on a map at a press conference Doug did exactly what his brother did.

Replaced a serious transit program with a bunch of total bullshit.

It is a mildly clever way to fool people just enough that they fail to see the sleight of hand. After all a "better" option is being offered in a faster time frame so it almost makes sense that the original one gets shelved.

Of course -- with many detours, delays and fake routes still to come -- in the end likely nothing gets built which will be blamed by Doug Ford and his stooges on the federal government, Toronto City Council, aliens or whatever.

It doesn't really matter who they say was at fault, nothing getting built was almost certainly the plan all along.

Update: As predicted above, now that plans for the "Ontario Line" have been leaked they are not what Ford showed at the press conference with dots. And it almost certainly cannot be built by 2027.

For more details see: Ontario Line would overlap with less than three kilometres of relief line: report

 As NDP Transit critic Jessica Bell says "the Ford governments “back-of-the-napkin scheme” could see the line delayed “by years, or even decades.”

“I’m calling for Doug Ford’s secret subway plans to be released publicly, immediately. Not just the lines he drew on a piece of paper for a media event — actual planning documents,” she said. “As much as Doug Ford might like to be, he isn’t the Mayor of Toronto. He owes the City of Toronto and the people of Toronto the answers to dozens of questions they submitted months ago.”"

Further readings: Critics slam reports of Doug Ford's changes to Toronto relief line plan

Imperialist Coup Fails in Venezuela, Israeli Attacks, Climate Change & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 28 - May 5

This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of April 28 - May 5.

This installment, in addition to general links, has sections related to the failed imperialist coup attempt in Venezuela, the stepping up of sanctions on Cuba, May Day, developments in Israel, the cutbacks in Ontario and climate change.

1) Venezuela’s Guaidó Falsely Claims Military Uprising in Progress: Mainstream Media Falls in Line

The Real News

Tuesday morning self-declared president and opposition leader Juan Guaidó called on the military and the population to oppose the Maduro government. Only a few thousand civilians and very few soldiers heeded the call. Mike Fox reports from Caracas

2) Once Again, Mainstream Media Get It Wrong on Venezuela

Michael Fox, The Nation


Foreign outlets, dutifully supporting Trump administration calls for regime change, reported that a widespread uprising was underway, even though Juan Guaidó’s coup attempt had little support.

3) Thousands take to the streets in Venezuela's capital in opposition to Guaido's coup attempt

Steve Sweeney, The Morning Star

Pro-government supporters march through Caracas today against Guaido's US-backed coup



4) US threatens Venezuela with possible invasion after Guaido's failed coup

Steve Sweeney, The Morning Star

Chavista workers' day march to Miraflores Palace in Caracas today

5) US Publicly Admits Support for Coup Attempt in Venezuela

Telesur

One of the first to ratify support for the coup was U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, tweeting 30 messages expressing his desire to see President Maduro deposed.

Only Chrystia Freeland could possibly go on about respecting "peaceful" protests when the day literally started with imperialist stooge Guaido arriving at a military base surrounded by heavily armed men calling for a coup against the country's legitimate government.

What a farce.

"We strongly condemn the attempted coup d’état under way in Venezuela. Cuba offers firm support and loyalty to Nicolás Maduro, the constitutional president of our sister nation and to his chavista and Bolivarian government. Let there be an end to the assaults on peace in Latin America." - Bruno Rodríguez, Foreign Minister of Cuba

6) Trump threatens Cuban embargo over Venezuela aid

Rafael Bernal, The Hill

President Trump tweeted Tuesday he would impose "a full and complete embargo" on Cuba if the island doesn't withdraw its security aid from Venezuela.

7) Change of tack? EU quieter on latest failed Venezuela coup attempt as Guaido’s influence wanes

RT News

When the US announced support for Venezuela’s self-declared ‘interim president’ Juan Guaido in January, European leaders heartily backed the move — but three months later, after a second failed coup attempt, they are suddenly shy.

8) Blackwater Founder Lobbying for Mercenaries in Venezuela to Oust Maduro: Report

Telesur

Founder of the private security firm Blackwater wants to send hired mercenaries to Venezuela and topple the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro.

9) Caracas Court Orders Arrest of Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez

Telesur 

The Fifth Court of the Criminal Judicial District of ​​Caracas has ordered the arrest of Venezuelan opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez for violating his 13-year house arrest sentence while he tried to lead a coup of the Venezuelan government under Nicolas Maduro April 30.

10) Ambush on Venezuelan Military Commission Leaves 3 Dead

Telesur

An attack on military commission left three troops dead in Venezuela. An unrecognized group of heavily armed people ambushed a mixed military commission early this Saturday morning.

Related: Venezuela resists another imperialist coup attempt -- An overview of the day's dramatic events

11) Joe Biden and Democratic Establishment Support Trump’s Coup Attempt in Venezuela

Telesur

The thin line between the Democratic establishment and the Republicans was once again crossed today, as many highly influential Demoracts showed their public support for the illegal Trump-backed coup attempt in Venezuela, following close to their political rivals remarks.

12) AOC Says She Follows Democratic Leadership on Issue of US Intervention in Venezuela

Telesur

U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, said Wednesday she would follow the Democratic Party’s leadership in regards to Venezuela, declining to answer a question on whether she sees President Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate President of the Bolivarian Republic.

13) Ilhan Omar Speaks Out Against U.S. Sanctions & Bipartisan Support for Regime Change in Venezuela

Democracy Now

Amid an ongoing coup attempt in Venezuela, we speak with Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who questioned U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams on Capitol Hill in February about his record. Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was linked to the 2002 coup attempt in Venezuela that tried to topple Hugo Chávez. In the 1980s, Abrams defended Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt as he oversaw a campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people. Ríos Montt was later convicted of genocide. Rep. Ilhan Omar says that there is a direct correlation between this type of detrimental U.S. foreign policy in Latin America and “the kind of mass migration that we’re noticing right now from Central America and South America to the U.S.”

14) Venezuelan economist: ‘Hyperinflation is a powerful imperialist weapon’


Federico Fuentes & Pascualina Curcio, Green Left Weekly

Much is made in the media of Venezuela’s deep economic crisis. But why does Venezuela have the world’s highest inflation rate and what impacts have the sanctions really had on the country? Green Left Weekly’s Federico Fuentes spoke to Venezuelan economist Pascualina Curcio, from the Simón Bolívar University, to find out more.

15) US sanctions have killed more than 40,000 people in Venezuela

Susan Price, Green Left Weekly

US sanctions imposed on Venezuela in 2017 contributed to the deaths of more than 40,000 people last year, according to a new report — and this figure is set to rise due to the latest round of sanctions.

16) The New Zealand women challenging the neoliberal narrative of ‘empowerment’ in prostitution

The Morning Star 

JO BARTOSCH talks to two activists who are facing a major battle in taking on the sex industry – against the grain of both their government and mainstream opposition movements.

17) San Diego Synagogue Shooter Inspired by New Zealand Shooter

Telesur

The suspect was identified as John Earnest, 19,  the apparent author of a "manifesto" who claimed to have set a nearby mosque on fire last month.

18) Bathroom breaks banned for factory workers, reveals damning fashion industry report

SBS Dateline 

In a detailed report released today titled “‘Paying for a Bus Ticket and Expecting to Fly’: How Apparel Brand Purchasing Practices Drive Labor Abuses,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) has identified abusive cost-saving measures by major garment and footwear factories that harm disadvantaged factory workers.


19) The Values of April: 45 years since Portugal overthrew fascism

Diana Ferreira, People's World 

April 25, 2019, marks the 45th anniversary since the April Revolution in Portugal—a mass democratic uprising which overthrew the fascist dictatorship that had ruled the country for nearly five decades. What started as a coup by anti-fascist army officers quickly morphed into a revolt of the whole Portuguese people. As she walked the streets of Lisbon that day, restaurant worker Celeste Caeiro started placing red carnations into the barrels of soldiers’ rifles and tanks, giving the 25th of April its other name—the Carnation Revolution. Below is an excerpted speech delivered today in the Assembly of the Republic, the country’s parliament, by Portuguese Communist Party member Diana Ferreira.

20) The bottom 75% of Canadian income earners can't afford an apartment

Jessy Baines, Yahoo Finance

If you’re hoping to buy a home in one of Canada’s biggest cities, you’re probably out of luck unless you’re making really big bucks.

21) Over 100 households still homeless after Grenfell fire, local MP warns

Phil Miller, The Morning Star

Labour's Emma Dent Coad tells the Star of the trauma inflicted on the community.

22) Senate committee says Lynn Beyak should be suspended over racist letters

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

Committee drops the boom after Beyak refused to remove letters describing Indigenous Canadians in racist terms.

23) Sanders suggests Disney should use 'Avengers' profits to 'pay all of its workers a middle class wage'

Zack Budryk, The Hill

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday called on Disney to use profits from its "Avengers: Endgame" record-breaking opening weekend to pay all employees "a middle class wage."

24) About 13m US children are living below the poverty line, rights group reveals

Chris McGreal, The Guardian 

A leading children’s rights group has called for a doubling of the federal minimum wage and wider access to housing subsidies to end the “moral travesty” of millions of children living in poverty while the wealthiest Americans get tax cuts.

25) Angela Davis & Barbara Ransby: We Stand with Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Courageous, Bold Black Woman

Democracy Now

Two of the founders of Black Lives Matter, as well as professor Angela Davis and scores of other black women, are holding a rally today on Capitol Hill to defend Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and to urge Congress to censure President Trump for his attacks on her. Omar made history earlier this year when she and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan became the first Muslim women in Congress. She is also the first member of Congress to wear a hijab. Omar, who was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee, has been at the center of numerous right-wing attacks since taking office. Omar recently said death threats against her have spiked in number since President Trump tweeted a video juxtaposing her image with footage of the 9/11 attacks. We speak to the academic and activist Angela Davis, as well as Barbara Ransby, historian, author, activist adviser to the Movement for Black Lives and one of the planners behind Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar.

26) 'Hands off Ilhan': Black Women in Solidarity with Ilhan Omar

Telesur 

Dozens of women from the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of African-American advocates, gathered Tuesday in support of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar who has been a target of hate-speech and trolling by right-wing politicians and their supporters.

27) Labour leaders make the case to nationalize General Motors at Oshawa event

 Reka Szekely, Oshawa This Week

If GM won't commit to maintaining jobs in Oshawa, it's time to nationalize the company, said labour leaders at an Oshawa event April 25.

28) Women are disappearing and dying in Indian country. We must act

Debra Anne Haaland, The Guardian 

The epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women has long been overlooked. That’s why I’m fighting for them in Congress.

29) Far-right yellow vest extremists threaten Saskatchewan's economy

Andrew Stevens, Regina Leader-Post 

For the first time in generations, international migration has helped to fuel Saskatchewan’s population growth. “Suddenly,” wrote Saskatchewan-based columnist Tammy Robert in Maclean’s in 2017, “Saskatchewan was the place to be — not the place to be from.” Starting in 2007, for almost a decade, a prolonged resource-led boom drew domestic and international migrants, reshaping the demographics of the province’s urban centres and rural hinterlands.

30) Turkey’s communist mayor embraces humility, transparency

AFP

Turkey’s only communist party mayor is stressing openness and humility in an effort to remake the small city he oversees in Turkey’s southeast, Agence France-Presse reported on Thursday.

31) Turkey’s only Communist party mayor wins fans

Middle East Monitor 

On his election, Fatih Macoglu's first move as mayor of his Turkish city was to knock down the walls around his office as a symbol of his transparency.

32) May Day flashbacks: Memories of a Communist and working-class leader

Gus Hall, People's World 

This collection of May Day memories from former Communist Party USA General Secretary Gus Hall (1910-2000) is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared in the Daily World newspaper on April 30, 1977. Hall shares flashbacks to some May Days in his own life—in his neighborhood, with his family, in prison during the Cold War, and more.

33) French Yellow Vests Rally in May Day Protests Amid Teargas

Telesur

French police fired tear gas to push back masked demonstrators in central Paris Wednesday as thousands of people used an annual May Day rally to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's policies.

34) Cuba Celebrates Labor Day with 'Unity, Commitment and Victory'

Telesur 

Tens of thousands of people are march in Cuba to celebrate Labor Day under the leadership of President Miguel Diaz-Canel and the Communist Party First Secretary Raul Castro. "Unity, commitment and victory" is written across a huge banner in front of the Revolution Square in Havana.

35) Bolsonaro To Defund Philosophy, Sociology to Tackle 'Leftist Takeover' of Education

Telesur

Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro said his minister of education is considering defunding philosophy and sociology programs from universities.

36) Call for students to film ‘biased’ teachers brings Brazil’s culture wars to classroom

Anna Jean Kaiser, The Guardian 

Jair Bolsonaro has encouraged school students to film teachers during class if they suspect them of pushing leftist ideas, reigniting a battle in one of the most contested arenas of Brazil’s raging culture wars.


37) Canada is ‘complicit’ in Saudi mass execution, say relatives of victims

Middle East Monitor 

Relatives of 37 Saudis executed last week on alleged “terror” offences have accused the Canadian government of being complicit in the brutal killing in which some of the bodies were nailed to a post in a public location for several hours in a “crucifixion” position.

38) 'It's because we were union members': Boeing fires workers who organized

Michael Sainato, The Guardian 

Richard Mester worked for Boeing in South Carolina as a flight safety inspector for five years before being suddenly fired – along with two other employees – in November 2018 for allegedly failing to report a bird strike. However, the bad news also came shortly after the company was told Mester had been elected a union steward.

39) Amsterdam to ban petrol and diesel cars and motorbikes by 2030

Daniel Boffey, The Guardian 

Cars and motorbikes running on petrol or diesel will be banned from driving in Amsterdam from 2030.

40) Walruses Are Jumping Off Cliffs to Their Deaths—Yes, Because of Climate Change

Shaye Wolf, Common Dreams 

The new Netflix series “Our Planet” documents the devastation wrought by humans on animals and their habitats. It’s heartbreaking. In fact, some scenes are so wrenching that Netflix last week tweeted a list of time stamps for scenes that “animal lovers may want to skip.”

41) One million species risk extinction due to humans: draft UN report

Marlow Hodd, AFP

Up to one million species face extinction due to human influence, according to a draft UN report obtained by AFP that painstakingly catalogues how humanity has undermined the natural resources upon which its very survival depends.

42) Permafrost is thawing in the Arctic so fast that scientists are losing their equipment

The Canadian Press

Permafrost in some areas of the Canadian Arctic is thawing so fast that it's gulping up the equipment left there to study it.

43) Vancouver climate strike organizer Rebecca Hamilton says students are coming together to fight for their lives

Charlie Smith, The Georgia Straight 

This afternoon, Vancouver witnessed its fourth walkout by secondary students who are exasperated by adults' indifference to the planet's future.

44) Spanish General Election 2019

Iván Orosa Paleo, Socialist Project Bullet 

On April 28, a general election, for the National Congress and the Senate, was held in Spain after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called new elections. Sánchez is the leader of the social-liberal, pro-European Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSO), in power since June 2018, when he led a successful motion of confidence against the government of Mariano Rajoy’s centre-right, conservative Partido Popular (PP).

45) Pentagon Accused of Killing 10x as Many Civilians Overseas as Acknowledged in New Report

Democracy Now

The Pentagon is facing accusations that it is drastically underestimating the number of civilians being killed in U.S. airstrikes overseas. On Thursday, the Pentagon released a report saying the U.S. had killed 120 civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia last year. However, the watchdog monitoring group Airwars says the total is at least 10 times higher. In Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon admitted to killing 42 people, but Airwars put the civilian death toll from attacks by the U.S.-led coalition at over 800.

46) Exxon Uses Rockefeller Holding to Sue Cuba Under Helms-Burton

Telesur

U.S. oil and gas company, Exxon Mobil Corp., has filed a federal suit against two Cuban companies after the waiver on Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act was officially lifted by U.S. President Donald Trump on May 2. 

47) ‘Contrary to intl law’: Mogherini slams US ‘full activation’ of Cuba embargo law, vows counter steps

RT News

Full implementation of US embargo law on Cuba is illegal under international law, the EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said as she promised retaliatory measures amidst yet another row between Brussels and Washington.

48) TDSB scrambles to deal with budget shortfall expected to be 'closer' to $54M

CBC News 

The Toronto District School Board will have to make some difficult decisions as it scrambles to deal with a budget shortfall that it predicts will be about $54 million for the 2019-2020 school year, says board chair Robin Pilkey.

49) Progressive Conservatives claw back $3.5 million in child-care funding in Hamilton

 Matthew Van Dongen , The Hamilton Spectator

The Progressive Conservative government is cutting $3.5 million out of the city budget that subsidizes tens of thousands of affordable child-care spaces across Hamilton.

50) Ontario government cancels $50M fund that helped child care centres not pass on costs to parents

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

 Ontario has ended a $50 million fund that helped child care centres cover increasing labour costs without passing them on to parents.

Related: 2,000 teaching casualties so far in Ford's war on education and kids

51) New House Bill Would Bar Israel From Using U.S. Military Aid to Detain Palestinian Children

Robert Mackey, The Intercept 

NEW LEGISLATION PROPOSED by Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, would ban Israel from using any of the billions of dollars in military assistance it receives from the United States every year to pay for the detention, interrogation, or torture of Palestinian children living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank.

52) Israel killed 102 Palestinian journalists since 1972

Palestinian Information Center 

The Palestinian Journalists Union in the West Bank on Tuesday said that the Israeli occupation forces have killed 102 Palestinian journalists since 1972.

53) It’s time to stop talking about the Occupation, we need to talk about the Israeli Military Dictatorship instead

Yossi Gurvitz, Mondoweiss

I am beginning to think one of the reasons the Israeli occupation has endured for so long is that we insist on speaking of it as an occupation. Let’s stop doing that.

54) Embracing racism, rabbis at pre-army yeshiva laud Hitler, urge enslaving Arabs

Tamar Pileggi, The Times of Israel 

Two rabbis at a pre-military religious academy in a West Bank settlement were recorded making derogatory and racist comments about Arabs, defending Adolf Hitler’s worldview, and openly promoting Jewish supremacy.

55) Soldiers Have to Shoot at Palestinians. It's Israel's Way to Keep Them in Check

Amira Hass, Haaretz 

Israel admits it: The military is in the West Bank to protect settlements. The notion that we want peace is old fake news.

56) International Community Condemns ‘Israeli Terrorism’ in Gaza as Death Toll Reaches 18

Telesur 

The ongoing Israeli airstrikes on besieged Gaza strip killed 18 people so far including a pregnant woman, a 15-month-old child, and a Hamas commander even though the Israeli military said it has hit hundreds of targets in Gaza "belonging to Palestinian militant groups."

See also: Reckless Ontario Cuts, Creeping Towards a Biden Disaster, the NDP and more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 21 - 28

2,000 teaching casualties so far in Ford's war on education and kids

An ETFO button against the Ontario cuts

Despite Doug Ford promising repeatedly during the election campaign last year -- and despite the surreal continuing claim that this promise is being kept by Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson -- that no one, teachers or otherwise, would lose their jobs due to government cuts it would seem that this pledge was far from the truth.

On May 1 the CBC spoke to Andrew Campbell, a Grade 5 teacher at Major Ballachey Public School in Brantford. Campbell has been tracking layoffs since the budget was announced and found that "almost 2,000 teachers job cuts have been announced and there are more to come. You can read his full report on the cuts at this link."

2,000 teaching jobs.

With the push to increase high school class sizes from an average of 22 to an average of  28 students and with the slashing of per pupil education spending some schools are clearly going to have to axe electives and other programs.  Regardless of Thompson's absurd musings that somehow increased class sizes are good for students and encourage "resilience" we all know this is a farce.

If bigger class sizes were better, why is it that one of the primary advertising points that private schools make to their wealthy customers sending their kids is that the class sizes will be smaller?

OurKids.net, which calls itself "the most trusted source when it comes to private schools in Canada", notes that part of the appeal of private schools is:

Small class sizes — While the average class size varies according to which private school you select, your child will most likely have smaller classes than he or she would at another type of school. As such, your son or daughter will receive more attention from his or her teachers. Moreover, your child will also have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and participate in class. Learning is interactive, not merely rote.

They state further that:

A trademark of private education, small class sizes have been drawing parents and struggling students to private schools for generations. The benefits of smaller classes have been proven in study after study, and most teachers will tell you intuitively that working with fewer children more personally improves the atmosphere and overall learning quality in the classroom.

So let's cut the crap.

Everyone knows that teacher layoffs and bigger class sizes hurt kids and their education outcomes and futures. Thompson knows this and Ford knows this. The reason they don't care is that the kids of their wealthy backers and friends are not going to be hurt, it is working and middle class kids as well as kids from racialized and marginalized communities who will be.

Update: Please note that we have updated the article to reflect the fact that the increase in class sizes is an average, which means that in some cases class sizes will actually be much higher, even into the 40 student per class range.

See also: "We won't allow our future to become a budget cut" - Photos from the student walkout strike in Toronto

Reckless Ontario Cuts, Creeping Towards a Biden Disaster, the NDP and more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 21 - 28

This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of April 21 - 28.



Among many others it has links to articles related to the Ontario cutbacks, the disastrous idea of a Biden nomination and opens with an excellent article and a podcast that take the blinders off about the NDP.

1) Want to Know What the NDP Believes In? Believe New Democrats

Stuart Parker 

We go to great lengths to perform a folk exegesis on the pronouncements of NDP officials so that we can understand them to be statements of practicality, unrelated to values and principles. We do that work. Nobody asks us to. We just do it for ourselves. The idea that the NDP wants to do something different than its actions in government and election platforms say has no evidentiary basis. This belief is derived not from evidence but from wishful thinking by social movement activists who do not want to face the work of creating new electoral political strategies and organizations.

2) Predictably: Welcome to Hellberta

Alberta Advantage Podcast 

Predictably, the Alberta NDP’s focus-grouped and poll-driven strategy to get re-elected failed, despite Jason Kenney’s campaign having multiple run-ins with xenophobia and white nationalism. Who could’ve foreseen after the 2016 Clinton-Trump contest that people would vote for magic nostalgic “make the economy better” beans, even if the leader in question is an asshole? Surely in Alberta, where Ralph Klein was Premier for 14 years, people at the ballot box ask themselves “hrmm I wonder who is more fit to be Premier?”

3) Public transit should be free, Victoria council says

Lindsay Kines,  Times Colonist

Victoria city council wants to see free public transit for everyone in the capital region.

4) If Victoria wants free transit, let city pay for it, premier says

Katie DeRosa  & Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist

Premier John Horgan pumped the brakes on the City of Victoria’s suggestion that the province fund free public transit in Greater Victoria, saying that if Victoria wants it, they can pay for it.

5) Worst timing ever: Ford budget cuts funds for flood protection

 Randy Robinson, Behind the Numbers

It seems like the wrong time to be cutting back on flood protection.

6) A Tory MPP wanted to triple Ontario's 50 Million Tree Program in 2015. Doug Ford just cancelled it

Fatima Syed, National Observer 

Not so long ago, a Progressive Conservative politician in Ontario was dreaming about trees.

7) Mississauga students learn electives being cut as Ontario moves to increase class sizes

Caroline Alphonso, The Globe and Mail

Senior students at a high school in Mississauga have learned that a number of courses in the arts, technology and social sciences are being scaled back or cut in the next academic year – providing a first glimpse into the impact of the Doug Ford government’s plans to increase class sizes.

8) 'An attack against libraries.' Officials react to loss of inter-library loan program

Denis Langlois, Owen Sound Sun-Times

Reactions from local library officials range from disappointment to anger over a massive government funding cut to the Southern Ontario Library Service that will result in an end to the inter-library loan program.

9) Rainforest Cafe workers strike against Ford’s race to the bottom

Leanne Pearce-Graham and Ryan Hayes, Rank and File

A pitched battle is currently taking place in Niagara Falls with implications for the future of decent work in Ontario. On Clifton Hill, the heart of Niagara’s tourist district, a courageous group of nearly 100 restaurant workers are on strike against one of the region’s largest employers: Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc.

10) CHEO issues list of fees for autism services: 'We are used to people handing us an OHIP card, not a bank card'

Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen

For the first time ever at CHEO, parents will be asked for a bank card so their children can receive autism treatment services.

11) A Massive "Strike Against Doug Ford" Is Being Held In Ontario Next Week

Jordyn Posluns, Narcity

Ontarians are fighting against the Premier's countless policy changes next week. A "General Strike Against Doug Ford" is being planned at Toronto City Hall on May 1st.  The strike's organizer describes on the event's Facebook page that the objective of the rally is "To make our voices heard, our numbers seen and our opinions respected by Mr. Doug Ford."

12) 4 Caricom Leaders Leave OAS Meeting to Boycott Guaido Rep

Telesur

Ambassadors from four Caribbean countries—St Vincent, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago—boycotted the spokesperson for the self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, before he addressed the Organization of American States (OAS) in New York. The Caribbean leaders got up and left the room just before Gustavo Tarre spoke to the OAS to protest Guaido's claims and in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

13) Venezuela Blackouts Part of Planned US Operation: Russia Defense Ministry

Telesur

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin said the recent series of blackouts in Venezuela was due to a planned operation led by the United States.

14) Cuban Workers' Congress Raises its Voice Amidst U.S. Blockade

Telesur

Besides renewing commitments to their country, Cuban workers expressed their solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

15) US Sanctions 'Have Taken Thousands of Venezuelan Lives' Says Arreaza to UN

Telesur

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza at a United Nations (U.N.) meeting denounced the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and asserted that they are not against officials, but against the general population.

16) US imposes sanctions on Venezuela's foreign minister

RT

Washington has slapped sanctions on Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and a judge based in Caracas. The sanctions come a day after a damning report implicated US sanctions in the deaths of 40,000 Venezuelans.

17) US Ends Sanction Waivers for Countries Importing Iranian oil

Telesur

The waiver allowed China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Italy and Greece to buy Iranian oil without the risk of sanctions by Washington.

18) Moroccans protest prison sentences of anti-poverty activists

Amira El-masaiti, Associated Press

Thousands of demonstrators marched in Morocco's capital Sunday to condemn lengthy prison sentences given to dozens of activists, including the leader of the Hirak Rif poverty-fighting movement.

19) Bolsonaro: the First 100 days

Jörg Nowak, Socialist Project Bullet 

Near the end of the first 100 days of the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro – the first radical-right Brazilian president since the moderated transition from military dictatorship in 1985 to a democratic regime – the first meaningful protests, apart from some popular mocking and chants directed against him during Carnaval in February, took place since he assumed office on January 1st of this year.

20) TRUMP’S NEW ASYLUM POLICY IS LEAVING PEOPLE DESPERATE, SICK, AND STUCK IN MEXICO

Emily Green, Vice News 

Defendant #5 was sleeping in his father’s arms when his name was called.

21) The Greek Island That Became an Open-Air Prison for Refugees

Helen Benedict, The Nation 


A three-year-old EU-Turkey deal has made living on Samos a nightmare, especially for women.

22) Turkey's only communist mayor vows small steps to socialism

Reuters 

Turkey’s sole socialist mayor, who just stepped into office as mayor of the central district of the eastern province Tunceli, believes that despite capitalism’s firm roots in Turkey, he will have success in nudging it along “the path to socialism,” Reuters reported.



23) Oilsands CO2 emissions may be far higher than companies report, scientists say

Zach Dubinsky · CBC News

A number of major oilsands operations in northern Alberta seem to be emitting significantly more carbon pollution than companies have been reporting, newly published research from federal scientists suggests, which could have profound consequences for government climate-change strategies.

24) Why gender pay-gap truthers are on the rise

Zoe Williams, The Guardian 

The gender pay-gap truther”. It is such a distinctive phrase: that neologism of “truther” sitting peculiarly against the throwback of “pay gap”. Something about it tells you immediately that these truthers, like anti-vaxxers, like Russian trollbots, have been around longer than you realise. And you would be right: in polemical YouTube comment sections and Reddit threads, the gender pay gap is already a myth. End of. Simples.

25) Why Do Coops Hate Unions?

Marianne Garneau, Organizing Work 

Grocery coops not only inflict the same indignities on workers as corporate, for-profit stores – low pay, harassment, lack of benefits, etc. – but they are just as intolerant of unions. In fact, coops are arguably even worse than corporate groceries, because they cynically use the language of community and social mission to deepen their exploitation of workers, while using their supposedly democratic structures to evade accountability. They are a nightmare masquerading as a utopia.

26) Ilhan Omar Was Right on 'Black Hawk Down' Events in Somalia Despite Right-wing Media's Lies

Telesur 

In the latest attack on Ilhan Omar, the right-wing media dug out an old tweet criticizing death of Somalian civilians by U.S. troops but she was not wrong.

27) What a false accusation of antisemitism from Winnipeg’s mayor reminds us about political power

James Wilt, Canadian Dimension 

On Tuesday, Winnipeg mayor Brian Bowman delivered a press conference calling for Linda Sarsour, a prominent Palestinian rights activist and New York-based co-chair of the Women’s March, to be removed from an upcoming speaking event for the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg’s centennial anniversary event.

28) THE BLOODY HISTORY OF BORDER MILITIAS RUNS DEEP — AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IS PART OF IT

Ryan Devereaux, The Intercept 

LAST WEEK, American vigilantes captured hundreds of migrants — including women and small children — along a darkened stretch of the border in New Mexico. The group, calling itself the United Constitutional Patriots, or UCP, uploaded video of its score to Facebook. Illuminated by the fluorescent glow of flashlights, the shaky footage showed weary mothers, fathers, and toddlers kneeling in the dirt, heads bowed, as the armed men circled around them.

29) In an election with religious undertones, Kerala’s Communists campaign on tolerance

Diana Kruzman, The Groundtruth Project 

On a sweltering March evening in India’s far south, as rows of red flags fluttered limply around a sea of red chairs, hundreds of people stood to watch Mariam Alexander Baby make his entrance.

30) Rahul Gandhi may think Wayanad is a safe seat, but the local Communists disagree

 Annalisa Merelli, Quartz India 

Wayanad, a rural district in the southern Indian state of Kerala, is the kind of place that could have inspired the descriptions of the Garden of Eden.

31) Why Is My Teacher Hanging Out With Sebastian Gorka?

Ben Pike, Jewish Currents 

LAST MONTH, a delegation of my fellow students from TanenbaumCHAT, a Jewish high school in Toronto, attended the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington. They were accompanied by a teacher, Aviva Polonsky, and a vice principal. One of the many speakers who addressed them over the course of the weekend was Sebastian Gorka, former advisor to Donald Trump, who was taking part in a National Congregation of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) event separate from the AIPAC festivities. Polonsky, who is the president of the Federation of Teachers in Hebrew Schools in Toronto, took to her personal Twitter account to share a photo of her and Gorka, as well as one including a group of students. The tweet, since deleted, read: “Honoured to finally meet the great @SebGorka the former Deputy Assistant to @realDonaldTrump and expert on #counterterrorism. #students of @TanenbaumCHAT heard an inspirational talk &Thank you for taking the time to empower them to stand up to #Antisemitsim &#AntiIsraelrhetoric.”

32) Schools out in Poland as 600,000 join strikes

Andy Zebrowski, Socialist Worker 

An all-out education strike in Poland is deepening as workers develop new forms of organisation to run the action.

33) OPP officer videotaped throwing girl to the ground during arrest in Sioux Lookout

Willow Fiddler, APTN National News

The incident, including a struggle where the officer is seen throwing the teen to the ground, was recorded by Dr. Debby Wilson Danard and her daughter.

34) Teen in care ends up in coma after complaining to family services about pain for weeks

Marina von Stackelberg · CBC News

The family of a Manitoba teenager who ended up critically ill in hospital says her medical concerns were ignored and dismissed for weeks by the youth detention centre and the group home responsible for her care.

35) 'You did not act in time': Greta Thunberg's full speech to MPs

Greta Thunberg, The Guardian 

My name is Greta Thunberg. I am 16 years old. I come from Sweden. And I speak on behalf of future generations.

36) Greta Thunberg teaches us about autism as much as climate change

Ian Birrell, The Guardian 

The young environmental activist has shown that being different is a gift. But too many people with autism still face cruel treatment.

37) Thousands of penguin chicks wiped out

BBC News

Thousands of emperor penguin chicks drowned when the sea-ice on which they were being raised was destroyed in severe weather.

38) U.S. Forces and Allies Killed More Afghan Civilians in Early 2019 Than the Taliban

Democracy Now

In Afghanistan, the United Nations says U.S., its NATO allies and Afghan security forces have killed more civilians so far this year than the Taliban. New U.N. figures show that, between January and March, anti-government fighters killed 227 civilians, while Afghan and international forces killed 305 civilians. The report also found U.S. and NATO airstrikes have killed 145 civilians so far in 2019—half of them women and children.

39) NYT Report: Navy SEALs Were Ordered to Remain Silent on War Crimes

Democracy Now

The New York Times is reporting that Navy SEALs who witnessed their platoon chief commit war crimes in Iraq were encouraged not to speak out, and told they could lose their jobs for reporting him at a private meeting with a superior officer last year. According to a confidential Navy criminal investigation obtained by the Times, the commandos said they saw Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher stab and kill an unarmed teenage captive, shoot to death a young girl and old man, and fire indiscriminately into crowds of civilians. But when the men on Gallagher’s team called a private meeting with their troop commander and demanded an investigation, they were told to stay quiet on the matter, and no action was taken. The group of seven SEALs eventually were able to force an investigation, and Chief Edward Gallagher was arrested in September on more than a dozen charges, including premeditated murder and attempted murder. If convicted, he could face life in prison. His trial begins May 28.


40) One year after the van attack, 'incels' are unrepentant

CBC News 

One year after the deadly van attack in Toronto, the misogynistic online community that inspired it remains unchanged. The alleged driver left posts on Facebook shortly before the attack using language from "incel" (involuntary celibate) forums, where men post anti-women vitriol and threats of sexual violence. Reporter Zack Beauchamp talks about the year he spent investigating incels. He says they continue to take no responsibility for the attack.

41) GOP judges launch bizarre attack on Black Lives Matter and the First Amendment

Ian Millhiser, Think Progress 


An opinion handed down Wednesday by three Republican judges could chill the First Amendment rights of protesters — and potentially allow police to shut down political movements by filing lawsuits harassing movement leaders.

42) Kansas Supreme Court Rules State Constitution Protects Right To Abortion

NPR

The Kansas Constitution protects a woman's right to an abortion, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

43) “A Shameful Week for the U.S.”: Trump Admin Guts U.N. Resolution to End Rape as Weapon of War

Democracy Now

The Trump administration is under fire after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to end rape as a weapon of war on Tuesday that excluded any mention of sexual and reproductive health. The resolution was gutted after the U.S. threatened to veto the measure altogether unless language referencing reproductive health was taken out due to the Trump administration’s belief that the language was code for abortion. The watered-down measure also weakened references to the International Criminal Court, making it harder for women and girls to seek justice. We speak with Jessica Neuwirth, director of the Human Rights Program at Roosevelt House at Hunter College and the director of the Sisterhood Is Global Institute. She sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo protesting the U.S. stance on the Security Council resolution. We also speak with Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen.

44) Rape and reproductive coercion are forms of violence against women. The UN should oppose both

Glosswitch, New Statesman 

What the Trump administration is doing is not about protecting unborn lives. It’s about power. It’s always about power.

45) REDress Forces Canada to Remember Murdered Indigenous Women

Telesur 

The color red signifies blood as a source of energy and power, but also a representation of violence and "the loss of that sacred lifeblood  through violence."

46) Exclusive: Some of the men executed in Saudi Arabia claimed their confessions were forced

Tamara Qiblawi and Ghazi Balkiz, CNN

Long before Saudi Arabia announced it had carried out one of the largest mass executions in its history earlier this week, some of the men condemned to death had made impassioned pleas to the courts in a bid to save their lives.

47) Bernie Sanders Calls Out Netanyahu's 'Racist Government'

Telesur 

U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government in a recent discussion with CNN.

48) Israeli forces shoots blindfolded, handcuffed 16-year-old Palestinian boy in West Bank village

Yumna Patel, Mondoweiss

The Israeli military is coming under criticism after its forces opened live fire on a bound and blindfolded Palestinian teenager as he ran away from a group of soldiers attempting to detain him.

49) For NYT, Israel Is Always Nearing ‘Apartheid,’ but Never Quite Gets There

Gregory Shupak, FAIR

For almost 20 years, the paper has suggested that Israel/Palestine risks devolving into an apartheid state if it continues to rule over Palestinians in the territories—Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem—who cannot choose their rulers. This population includes approximately 4.75 million occupied Palestinians—320,000 in East Jerusalem, 2.8 million in the rest of the West Bank and 1.8 million in besieged Gaza—to say nothing of the millions of Palestinian refugees who cannot return to their homes and participate in elections because the people who put on those elections won’t let them.

50) 'Enough with Threats, Ultimatums,' Cuba Tells US

Telesur 

Cuba has had enough of U.S. threats and ultimatums, said President Miguel Diaz-Canel, denouncing 60-years-worth of northern power’s attempts to destabilize Cuba.

51) Police: Man plowed his car into crowd because he thought they were Muslim

Kiley Kroh, Think Progress

Isaiah Joel Peoples, a 34-year-old army veteran, deliberately drove his car into a crowd of people in Sunnyvale, California, because he thought some of them were Muslim, police said Friday.

52) San Diego Area Synagogue Shooting Leaves One Dead, Suspect in Custody

Audrey McNamara, Pilar Melendez, Justin Miller & Pervaiz Shallwani, Daily Beast

Officials called the incident a “hate crime” based on “statements the shooter made when he entered.” The shooting took place six months to the day since Pittsburgh attack.

53) Anita Hill Won’t Support Joe Biden After Disappointing Call Earlier This Month

Matt Shuham, TPM

Anita Hill, who testified before the Joe Biden-led Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 that then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her, said Thursday that she was not satisfied with a recent conversation she had with Biden about his conduct.

54) Joe Biden Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen

Branko Marcetic, Jacobin

Joe Biden just announced his candidacy for president. Of all the terrible candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, he is the worst.

55) Joe Biden is the Hillary Clinton of 2020 – and it won't end well this time either

Arwa Mahdawi, The Guardian 

His is the vaguest and most centrist of battle cries: let’s go back to, you know, ‘all those good things’.

See also: Notre Dame Fire Exposes Deep Hypocrisy, Ontario Austerity Attacks, Revolution in Sudan and more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos April 14 - 21