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Missing in Action: AFL-CIO Should Be in Ferguson

Carl Finamore Common Dreams
American labor is not dividing our membership by strongly addressing issues of racism. On the contrary, division already exists. Unity of the white working class with the majority of women and people of color in this country can only be achieved on the basis of supporting and defending common social and economic rights. Continuing to ignore harsh realities of racist discrimination will only continue our separation.

The Liberal Zionists

Jonathan Freedland The New York Review of Books
By writing as not only a liberal but a Zionist, Shavit makes clear that his critique is from within rather than without. He supplies the family history of everyone he speaks to, whether he agrees or disagrees, giving a background to their views that cannot help but humanize them.

How the Left Is Revitalizing Itself

Gara LaMarche The Nation
There’s more collaboration between progressive groups—and more coordination among donors—than ever before.

Ferguson Violence Exposes America's Political Decay

By Thomas Adams The Age (Sydney, Australia)
For more than a generation there has not existed in the United States a political force capable of demanding the kinds of changes that would curtail the daily oppressions faced by people like the residents of Ferguson and tens of millions of Americans like them. Opposition to these injustices takes the form of sign carrying, hashtags, morality plays, and the occasional thrown rock.

The Meaning of Ronald Reagan

by Christopher Phelps Jacobin
The lawsuit against Rick Perlstein is a distraction from a much-needed debate over Reagan’s rise.

World Leaders 'Failing to Help' over Ebola Outbreak in Africa

Lisa O'Carroll The Guardian
Brice de la Vigne, the operations director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said politicians in industrialised countries urgently needed to take action, or risk the outbreak spreading much further. "Globally, the response of the international community is almost zero," he told the Guardian. "Leaders in the west are talking about their own safety and doing things like closing airlines – and not helping anyone else."

Across Asia's Borders, Labor Activists Team Up to Press Wage Claims

Eveline Danubrata and Prak Chan Thul Reuters
For global companies that have shifted production to Southeast Asia's low-cost manufacturing hub, greater cross-boarder labor coordination could mean less room for wage bargaining, a squeeze on profits and maybe even higher price tags on anything from shoes and clothing to cars and electronics appliances. But even as wages rise, labor activists are confident they aren't at risk of pricing themselves out of the market.