Headlines at the World Socialist Web Site today:
World Socialist Web Site: What do you think about the way these cases have been reported in the corporate media?
Professor Caitilyn Allen: It is unfortunate when the media exaggerates the potential threat posed by a common crop pest like Fusarium graminearum. I understand the drive to write clickbait, but it’s irresponsible and unethical to say these scientists were planning to commit agroterrorism. Importantly, reporting from CNN and the Detroit News included extensive comments from expert plant pathologists explaining that this fungus was not a plausible agroterrorism weapon.
World Socialist Web Site: Our student group, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), is the only organization at the University of Michigan that has spoken in defense of Jian and Han. What do you think of our call to defend Jian and Han?
Professor Caitilyn Allen: Personally, I’m glad that someone is speaking up for these researchers. They certainly should have obtained a permit to move the fungal strains, but importing without a permit has been punished with a fine, not a 20-year jail sentence. They must be terrified. I hope they have good lawyers.
The United States did not participate in the dialogue over the report and Israel does not recognize the legitimacy of the Commission of Inquiry. Taken together, these actions prevented the resolution from being officially adopted by the Human Rights Commission.
The report, however, is devastating, and deserves to be circulated and read widely. While it does not contain material that is “new,” the various incidents have been previously reported in the world media, it fulfills two essential functions: First, it scrupulously assembles evidence that enables the world’s population to understand the full scope and intent of Israeli government’s actions in Gaza.
Second, by focusing on the deliberate destruction of Palestinian educational and cultural institutions in not only Gaza but also the West Bank, it highlights the course of a “sociocide” – “the deliberate and systematic murder of an entire society” – over and above the relentless starvation, maiming, torture and killing of men, women and children. This “sociocide” includes the extensive destruction of education in Gaza and the West Bank and the wanton decimation of cultural sites in Palestine.
Here are links to the UN's report:
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For the ruling elite, the strike is deeply alarming. Trash pickups have halted. Waste piles up on city streets, threatening public health. But this is not what most frightens the corporations and their political servants. The event is a sign of the growing social resistance of the working class. Its logic leads in the direction of a broad confrontation between the workers on one hand, and the corporate oligarchy, its political servants in the two parties and the pro-corporate trade union functionaries on the other.
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For decades, the unions have responded to declining membership and militancy by transforming themselves into financial entities. Through their control of pension funds, health and welfare trusts, strike funds and legal accounts, they manage enormous pools of capital—invested on Wall Street and entangling them directly with the financial oligarchy.
The Teamsters are among the most deeply enmeshed in this process. Their Central States Pension Fund alone controlled over $41.7 billion by the end of 2023. In total, union-affiliated pension and benefit funds nationally manage trillions of dollars. While these funds do pay out benefits, they also function as a source of income for the union executives, who sit on boards with corporate and financial managers.
This has helped to fuse the union apparatus ever more tightly to finance capital. The role of the bureaucracy is not to organize opposition to exploitation but to manage it, to suppress resistance and guarantee uninterrupted profits.
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The potential exists for a general strike. But such a struggle demands new leadership, a new program and a complete fight against the pro-corporate union bureaucracy and the two parties of big business.
4. What’s behind the Trump-Powell clash
Despite appointing him in 2017, Trump has been attacking Powell for years—during his first term, his period out of office, and most vociferously in the half-year of his second term.
He has labelled him, among other things, as a “numbskull” a “moron,” and “stupid” and has threatened to remove him before his term expires in May 2026. Each time he has pulled back from the sacking threat but keeps returning to it like a dog with a bone.
5. The return of the Epstein scandal and the criminality of the US ruling class
When Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in Manhattan in August 2019, supposedly having hung himself while prison guards failed to check on him for hours, it was not just Donald Trump who could breathe a sigh of relief. There were hundreds of powerful figures in the US ruling class who felt the same way. There was a universal desire to cover up both Epstein’s sordid enterprise and the circumstances of his death.
This sentiment found expression in the pages of the New York Times. The leading US newspaper assiduously promoted uncorroborated and generally baseless charges of sexual abuse in the #MeToo campaign, which became a means of witch-hunting actors, musicians and other cultural figures. But in the case of Epstein, the Times now denounced “conspiracy theories” about his murder and showed no interest in tracing his clientele in the ruling class.
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Particular attention should be given to the reports that Epstein had connections to the intelligence agencies of the United States or Israel, or both, and that information he gathered from his sex-trafficking operation was used for the purposes of blackmail in the interest of these agencies.
6. Israel’s attack on Syria heightens tensions between Tel Aviv and Ankara
It is alleged that the clashes in Sweida began on July 13 with the kidnapping of a Druze merchant by Bedouins on the Damascus-Sweida highway. The city of Sweida, which is predominantly Druze, is controlled by Druze militias who refused to join the armed forces of the Al-Qaeda-rooted Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government, established after the overthrow of former Russian and Iranian-backed President Bashar al-Assad.
The new Damascus regime entered the city on Tuesday, after clashes broke out between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes. The Druze saw this as a violation of the agreement reached with the regime in May, and fighting broke out between HTS forces and Druze militias.
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The overthrow of the Assad regime in December greatly undermined Iran’s influence in the country. The US and its allies had been trying to overthrow the regime since 2011 by using Islamist jihadists and Kurdish militias as proxies. In June, when Israel used Syrian airspace to attack Iran, the Damascus regime remained silent in the face of US-Israeli aggression against Tehran.
Regime change in Damascus also intensified the rivalry between two of the US’s allies: Turkey and Israel. While Ankara continues to occupy northern Syria militarily in order to combat Kurdish forces, Tel Aviv views Ankara’s strong political and ideological ties with the HTS regime as a threat to its own influence.
7. Muslim youth detained for nine months in Sri Lanka under draconian anti-terror law
Suhail, 21, an aviation student from Mawanella—100 kilometres from Colombo—was initially arrested on October 23 last year in Dehiwala. Police claimed he had pasted an anti-Israeli sticker on a wall near the Israeli consulate and arrested him for not carrying his national identity card.
Although Suhail was released after his father produced the ID card, he was re-arrested shortly afterward at his home in Mawanella under the PTA. Police alleged that he had posted an Instagram photo showing the Israeli flag being trampled.
Eyewitness accounts from firefighters paint a harrowing picture. They described “seeing faces in windows and having to decide who they needed to rescue” amid heavy black smoke, flames blowing out the front door, and residents trapped in their rooms. Chief Bacon himself, overcome with emotion, stated there was “no doubt in my mind” that the “fire was destined to kill 50-plus people” and lauded his firefighters’ heroic efforts in saving “countless lives.” This stark assessment underscores the extreme danger faced by the 70 residents of the assisted living facility, many of whom were non-ambulatory, disabled or suffering from chronic health conditions.
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The preventable tragedy at Gabriel House demonstrates the potential suffering posed to vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly, by the savage cuts to social programs relied upon by millions. At the same time, Trump’s bill allocates $170 billion for immigration and border enforcement, targeting millions of undocumented immigrants—as well as permanent residents and citizens—with its ICE Gestapo roundups and detention. The 2017-era tax breaks for the super-rich are also preserved.
A social system that relegates its senior citizens, after a life of work and caring for their families, to wretched conditions such as those at Gabriel House has outlived its usefulness and deserves to perish.
9. Mother of Tyson worker who died in meatpacking plant reveals new information about her son’s death
In a new interview with the World Socialist Web Site, Casen’s mother Allison reveals new information she has uncovered about her son’s tragic, completely unnecessary and preventable death. In the face of a total coverup by Tyson, complete silence from the United Food and Commercial Workers union, and a wall of state obstruction, Allison has received critical information and support from one crucial source: Casen’s coworkers.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) calls on workers and residents to unite against the Victorian Labor government’s plan to demolish 44 Melbourne public housing towers. We are holding a public meeting, in Melbourne and online, to discuss how to take forward this struggle.
Philadelphia’s municipal workers are voicing anger at the unions, AFSCME District Councils 33 and 47, charging that union officials continue to isolate rank-and-file struggles and push through deals that fall short of members’ needs.
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The Philadelphia Workers Rank-and-File Committee called on workers to reject the contracts being offered and demand the restart of their strike. But it is essential that workers join and build the influence of the committee and begin to take control of their struggle against the attacks on their pay and democratic rights. They must make connections with workers in other regions and nationally.
12. German government welcomes Trump’s escalation of war against Russia
With his announcement to supply Ukraine with weapons worth up to $10 billion, President Donald Trump has effectively reversed his administration’s official policy on the NATO war against Russia. The new deliveries include, among other things, Patriot air defense systems and long-range missiles capable of reaching major Russian cities.
Hardly any other government reacted to this massive escalation with such enthusiasm as the German one. Immediately after Trump’s announcement, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) declared on X: “President Trump has taken an important initiative today: The USA will provide Ukraine with weapons on a large scale if its European partners finance this. ... I have assured him: Germany will contribute decisively.”
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The official narrative that this represents a defensive measure against “bombing terror” is pure propaganda. Russia’s reactionary invasion of Ukraine does not change the fact that the imperialist powers have been systematically provoking this war for years. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO has been expanding eastwards to encircle Russia militarily. Germany, which traditionally plays a leading role in the EU’s militarization plans, is now placing itself at the forefront of the escalation.
Peace is the very least concern of German imperialism. As in the world wars of the 20th century, the ruling elites are pursuing economic and geopolitical interests, specifically, the control of resource-rich Ukraine and the subjugation of Russia itself. In his last government policy statement, Merz described the Russian government as a “criminal regime” that threatened Europe. He declared: “The means of diplomacy have been exhausted.”
The social contract agreement is not only highly antisocial, but also marks the start of a plan to dismantle social achievements fought for by previous generations of workers, often in long and bitter disputes. The money saved is to be tossed into the mouths of shareholders. The total cuts amount to approximately €120 billion.
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When IG Metall [union] officials repeat the dictates of the corporate bosses and claim that, given the economic situation, growing international competition, the US tariff war, etc., the demanded job cuts, wage reductions and social cuts are unavoidable, they are simply admitting that the vital interests of the working class are no longer compatible with capitalism and its profit system.
In other words: The principled defense of all jobs, wages and social standards must be combined with a struggle for the expropriation of the corporation and the establishment of workers’ control over production.
The World Socialist Web Site editorial board and the Socialist Equality Party support the establishment of action committees and fight to organize their national and international networking and cooperation.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission was hailed by those who led it, along with the Victorian Labor government and the establishment media, as a step towards a “reckoning” with the oppression of Aboriginal people and a model to be emulated in other states and territories.
In reality, Yoorrook will do nothing to alleviate the plight of the vast majority of Indigenous people in Victoria, or anywhere else, who constitute one of the most oppressed sections of the working class.
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For the Aboriginal elite, it was an opportunity to press the case for greater state funding, business opportunities and a lucrative Treaty with Victorian authorities. For Labor, it was an opportunity to shed crocodile tears over the past crimes against Indigenous people, and to posture as progressive as it is implementing a right-wing, pro-business program that is worsening social conditions for all working people, including those of Indigenous descent.
15. US Senate votes to end funding of public broadcasting
By a vote of 51-48, the most august legislative political body in the US cast its support for the elimination of public broadcasting, first established in 1967 under Lyndon Johnson. The majority of senators, in effect, announced their determination to do whatever lay in their power to encourage ignorance and backwardness and suppress political criticism, even of the most limited variety.
The Senate vote corresponded to a White House demand to take back $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The administration submitted a rescissions bill, a measure that cancels previously approved funding. In this manner, Congress reverses its own spending decisions. The House is expected to approve the action, sending it to Trump for his signature.
The amounts involved are minuscule by American government budgetary standards. The CPB had been allocated $1.1 billion by Congress for the next two years, to be disbursed among some 1,500 local stations nationwide.
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At work here are both an immediate political goal, the suppression of news sources that do not parrot the fascistic line of the Trump government, and the larger principle of opposition to the existence of radio and television programming outside the control of giant profit-making conglomerates. With Trump, there must always be the hope too that somehow the growth of private broadcasting at the expense of PBS and NPR will produce filthy lucre for him and his family.
16. Britain and Germany sign “friendship” treaty centred on militarism and war
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in London Thursday to sign a “friendship and bilateral cooperation treaty”. Behind the anodyne words—with Starmer declaring his surprise that this was the first major bilateral treaty agreed between the two countries since the Second World War—the 23-page “Kensington Treaty” is centered on the militarist agendas of British and German imperialism.
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Britain and Germany, who have armed Ukraine to the teeth for more than three years against Moscow “shall assist one another, including by military means, in case of an armed attack on the other”.
The statement issued July 15 by 22 trade union general secretaries opposing the charges against officers of the Stop the War Coalition is purely for the record.
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The statement by Britain’s trade union officialdom does not even include the words “Labour” or “Keir Starmer”, or mention opposition to the genocide of the Palestinians. It merely expresses “deep concern” over the charging of the demonstrators at the January 18 Stop the War protest and states that “we must defend” the rights of protest. This is in order to avoid any real confrontation with Starmer’s government of genocide defenders and warmongers mounting the clampdown on free speech.
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The union leaders’ declaration contains no call to arms to defend the core democratic rights now under state attack. No mobilization is proposed of the millions of workers these leaders officially represent.
18. Peruvian police clash with artisanal miners’ protests
Since July 11, riot police have been clearing roads blocked by Peruvian artisanal and informal miners, who are demanding the repeal of REINFO, the Comprehensive Registry of Mining Formalization, which is set to expire on December 31, 2025. They claim that it has imposed bureaucratic hurdles that prevent legal registration, forcing many to operate outside the law.
Violent confrontations have resulted in at least one death and many injuries. After a week of protests outside Congress, artisanal and informal miners were met with violence from police using tear gas to disperse them from Lima’s Abancay Avenue. The police then closed the avenue. The miners have since relocated to Parque Universitario, half a mile away, while continuing their protest with banners.
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Artisanal mining involves manual work with basic tools, often in impoverished areas. Informal labor circumvents some legal requirements without violating laws, whereas illegal labor operates outside the law.
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Criminalizing the artisanal miner protests is part of [Peruvian President Dina] Boluarte's broader repressive agenda that increasingly aligns her with extreme-right leaders, like Javier Milei in Argentina and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. While invoking criminal gangs and environmental concerns to justify the repression, the gold-mining operations run by criminal gangs enjoy protection from powerful officials and the police.
...“A cheater key is a skeleton key. It defeats the whole system. If anyone can unlock someone else’s lock, there’s no real protection. Key control is central. Each worker must have a unique key and keep it on them. You can’t just leave it on a lunch hook. That’s how people get killed. What I’m hearing is their key management was totally out of control.”
Steve added, “In California, a supervisor is liable for allowing this. They can’t claim someone ‘went rogue’—that’s the so-called Mercury defense. But it doesn’t hold. It sounds like Dundee had virtually no functioning lockout/tagout system. That’s a willful violation, and if enough cheater keys were in circulation, it edges toward criminal negligence. In California, the Bureau of Investigation would alert the district attorney if there were grounds for prosecution. I imagine Michigan has something similar.”
20. Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
Belgium:
Doctors strike against proposed reforms to health service
France:
Union calls off Limagrain strike against 2 percent pay offer, accepting “2 percent envelope”
Konecta call center workers strike again over wage disparity
Germany:
Lieferando delivery drivers strike in Hamburg
Italy:
Protests, strikes by home delivery drivers at retailer Esselunga
Spain:
Union ends metalworkers’ strike in Cádiz
Auxiliary workers at Navantia shipbuilders in Cartagena continue strike, hunger strike over conditions
Crane operators in Seville strike over wages, conditions
Packaging workers in Valencia, strike over redundancy deal
United Kingdom:
More stoppages by teachers at school trust over plans to extend working day
Education union employees walk out over restructure
Health care staff at Northumbria hospital trust strike over pay
Cleaners at London financial services company strike over redundancies threat
Forklift truck drivers at glass bottle factory to strike over union recognition
Wildcat strike by construction workers at nuclear power station over working conditions
Iran:
Struggles by workers continue
Lebanon:
Civil servants strike suspended for talks
Nigeria:
Union members begin indefinite strike in Ogun State
Doctors in Ondo State hold three-day strike to oppose neglect
South Africa:
Public sector workers in the City of uMhlathuze walk out over pay and conditions
21. Free Ukrainian socialist and anti-war activist, Bogdan Syrotiuk!
Bogdan Syrotiuk and Leon Trotsky
