Chicago

Thousands of people rallied outside the Democratic National Convention in the United States, raising opposition to the Israel-US genocide in Gaza, reports Kamala Emanuel.

Our response to COVID-19 has to emphasise that nobody is expendable, and the needs and lives of vulnerable people, the poor and oppressed are more important than corporate profits, writes Isaac Silver.

Green Left’s Alex Bainbridge speaks to Isaac Silver, a Democratic Socialists of America member in Chicago involved in Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

New red-green electoral alliances, a turn to ecosocialism and a deepening of the US International Socialist Organization's rethink on feminism were key features of its well-attended Socialism 2014 conference in Chicago. The gap between rich and poor in the US is large and growing. It has sparked a popular campaign for a minimum wage of US$15 an hour for low-paid workers, and in defence of jobs of teachers and other social service providers.

The Socialism 2013 conference took place in Chicago from over 27-30, organised by the International Socialist Organization (ISO). The conference has been going for more than two decades, bringing together activists to exchange and debate ideas. A highlight was the session with investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has been publishing the leaks of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. The feature talk was the first detailed speech Greenwald had given on his Earth-shaking work with Snowden ― who remains on the run from US authorities.

The Chicago Black community has accused the police of unjustifiably killing two unarmed Black men during the first week in August in separate incidents and abusing those who have come into the street to protest those killings.

In the final countdown to the November 7 mid-term congressional elections, Democrats.com has already begun celebrating. Calling for candlelight vigils outside polling stations across the nation on election night, the website says its blue-clad supporters will bear moral witness against voting fraud during the historic moment when the Democrats are expected to retake Congress (well, at least the House of Representatives), with the “Republican Revolution” finally unraveling after 12 long years.