1. "One of the rare men who succeed in becoming great, without ceasing to be good. -- Karl Marx

Abraham Lincoln

the 16th President of the United States

2. In a chilling escalation of state repression and anti-democratic assault, the Trump administration launches a sweeping crackdown on international students across the United States

 The primary targets are students and faculty who have voiced support for the Palestinian people, who have marched against the war machine, and who have dared to dissent. From California State University, Long Beach, to the University of California system, from Stanford to UCLA, to Montana State University, to the University of Michigan, and most notoriously at Columbia University— the crackdown has reached across the nation.

3. The Chicago Teachers Union is expected to announce the results of the vote by 28,000 educators on its failing tentative agreement with the Chicago Public Schools

 Many teachers said they would vote no on the deal and expressed their determination to fight Trump’s attack on public education. At the same time, they have little or no confidence that the CTU apparatus will lead any real fight. Union officials last week rejected any strike action even if workers vote down the deal.

4. Workers temporarily shut down Amazon’s JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York City, after one of them was killed when a box truck backed up on him at a loading dock

5. 75% of nurses at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Northern California agree to a labor contract that will not be able to keep pace with inflation

6. Israel launches airstrikes across Gaza on Palm Sunday, killing 21 people— including children— and striking part of the last fully functional hospital in Gaza City

7. US President Donald Trump directs the US military to take control of a large portion of the US-Mexico border to treat migrants crossing it as though they were attacking a US military base

8. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality at Texas A&M University holds a rally to oppose Trump’s
efforts to establish a dictatorship-- video of a speech by Tom Hall included

9. New Mexico Democratic governor Michelle Lujan Grisham authorizes the deployment of the National Guard to Albuquerque after declaring a state of emergency due to a "significant increase in crime” in the state’s largest city

10. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, heavily promoted by the corporate press, join Democrats in Los Angeles, California to continue their fraudulent "fighting oligarchy" tour 

No speaker sought to explain why none of the unions have organized a strike in response to the attacks of the Trump administration— from mass federal worker layoffs, to cuts in social programs, to the disappearance of immigrant workers and international students.

11. Barely 24 hours after announcing that an exemption would be made for electronic goods, such as iPhones and semi-conductors (as a result of pressure from Apple and other tech giants), Trump declares it to be only temporary

12. New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is continuing to support a fascistic and unsubstantiated smear campaign against Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle

13. Workers pay the price of the global trade war:  like the UAW in the United States, Canada's Unifor union whips up flag-waving nationalism and supports tariff measures 

14. Protesters rally on behalf of two students of The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, England who face years in jail for having spoken in support of Palestinian rights and self-determination

15. The return of German militarism: Germany announces a further arms package for Kiev

16. Central to a military agenda, the Labour government enacted emergency powers to take control of the British Steel company, owned by Chinese firm Jingye, compelling it to remain open

17. Sanitation workers on strike and facing pay cuts in Birmingham, England speak out against being isolated and manipulated by their union which is preparing a sellout contract

18. Sanitation workers on the picket line in Birmingham, England speak to reporters of the World Socialist Web Site

19. British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi’s debut film, The Teacher, is an urgent, moving film set in the Occupied Territories

20. The governing Labor Party and the opposition Liberal-National Coalition for the May 3 Australian election launch their official campaigns by addressing a deep and ongoing housing and cost-of-living crisis with hollow promises

21. This week in history:

• 25 years ago:

The New York Times publishes new revelations about the CIA’s role in the 1953 Iranian coup

• 50 years ago:

Khmer Rouge capture Phnom Penh

• 75 years ago:
  

Maoist forces begin conquest of Hainan Island 

• 100 years ago: 
  

Communist Party of Korea founded

22. Free Ukrainian socialist and anti-war activist, Bogdan Syrotiuk!

23. San Francisco, California city legal resources for immigrants needing help 

24. Please Join an International Online May Day Rally!

On Saturday, May 3, the International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site will hold an annual International Online May Day Rally, uniting workers from across the globe in the fight against fascism, dictatorship, and war.

The return of Donald Trump to office marks a turning point in the global crisis of capitalism. His administration has rapidly advanced a fascistic agenda, dismantling democratic rights, escalating attacks on immigrants, launching a trade war, and preparing for military conflicts throughout the world. A chilling crackdown on student activists for opposing the genocide in Gaza has seen hundreds targeted, including Mahmoud Khalil, Momodou Taal, and Rümeysa Öztürk, who have faced arrests, deportation threats, and visa revocations for their courageous protests.

Backed by billionaires like Elon Musk, Trump embodies the oligarchic rule driving staggering inequality and imperialist aggression. Trump’s policies reflect the global shift of capitalist governments toward authoritarianism in the service of oligarchy— from Germany’s AfD to Italy’s Meloni and Argentina’s Milei. The ruling class worldwide is responding to the economic crisis and social opposition with militarism and repression.

These developments underscore the urgent need for a unified international movement of the working class, which is increasingly mobilizing against war, inequality, and repression. This year’s May Day rally will present a socialist program to unify workers internationally in the struggle against capitalism. It will outline a revolutionary perspective to end imperialist violence and build a society based on equality and human need.