Even GOP Voters Are Applauding AOC and Sanders for Taking on Lenders

Thursday, May 16, 2019 Readers like you make it possible for Truthout to publish bold, honest journalism. Help us continue this vital work: Make a tax-deductible donation today. [Donate Now →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Even GOP Voters Are Applauding AOC and Sanders for Taking on Lenders]( Sasha Abramsky, Truthout According to a new poll, 7 out of 10 GOP voters approved of the proposals in the Loan Shark Prevention Act introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. This Republican support for the goals of the bill, which include capping interest rates at 15 percent for credit cards and payday lenders, suggests that support for efforts to rein in loan sharks crosses party lines. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [U.S. Illegally Evicts Protectors From Venezuelan Embassy]( Marjorie Cohn, Truthout The U.S. government raid on the Venezuelan Embassy and eviction of the Embassy Protection Collective is illegal. The collective had proposed a lawful resolution to the standoff. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is moving toward the use of military action in Venezuela. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Don't Give John Bolton His War With Iran]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout We the people can, and must, take to the streets if Trump unleashes another war in the Middle East. Enough people have already died at the hands of Republican presidents during this young century, and the very last thing the global climate needs is the filth of war released into an already damaged atmosphere. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Israel Defense Forces Shoot 16 Palestinians at Nakba Day Protests]( Eoin Higgins, Common Dreams Israeli forces opened fire Wednesday on Palestinians protesting the 71st anniversary of the Nakba, the remembrance of the 1948 forced removal of Palestinians from the newly created state of Israel. In total, 65 people were wounded in the attack, which occurred as the U.N. reported that the U.S. cutting aid to Palestine will result in 1 million people facing severe hunger in the next month. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Enters Race for 2020 Democratic Nomination]( Matthew Rozsa, Salon New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has thrown his hat into the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. The mayor foreshadowed his would-be presidential campaign earlier this week with a policy specifically aimed at President Trump. In an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions coming from New York City buildings, de Blasio announced a new policy, which would impose financial penalties on landlords who fail to get their buildings up to new emissions codes. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [How Assad's Torture Machine Crushed Dissent in Syria]( Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh, Democracy Now! A shocking exposé by The New York Times looks at how Bashar al-Assad's government has jailed and tortured tens of thousands of Syrians since 2011. A U.N. panel has said the conditions in the prison are tantamount to extermination. [Watch the Video and Read the Transcript →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [What Have Top Trump Donors Been Up to Since 2016?]( Camille Erickson, Center for Responsive Politics Trump's megadonors have received special treatment in turn for their hefty donations to his campaign and inauguration in 2016. That preferential treatment has extended into an entangled web of policy proposals, cabinet appointments and budget priorities that have often aligned with the interests of Trump's most coveted donors. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [A Business Model From Hell and the War in Yemen]( Mashal Hashem and James Allen, TomDispatch For many of Washington's actors, the tragedies in Yemen, while devastating, are part of a remarkably lucrative business model. Obviously, this is the case for the American defense companies that have been supplying weapons and equipment of all sorts to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in their ongoing war. But it's no less so for the little-publicized lobbying groups that represent them. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Just 13 Percent of Child Care Assistance Goes to Parents in School]( Lillian Mongeau, The Hechinger Report Student parents in Vermont and Tennessee are just as likely to receive child care assistance as their peers who are working low-wage jobs and need help covering the cost of care. That's not true in most states, according to a new report by the Urban Institute, a public policy research institute. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Climate Change Is the Real Job Killer]( Janine Jackson, FAIR Old fissures can no longer be counted on to confuse people about their shared interest in fighting climate change and advancing workers' rights. Though that doesn't mean there isn't room for confusion when mainstream news media, as in coverage of the Green New Deal, shortchange the role of workers in alternative visions of the future. [Read the Interview and Listen to the Audio →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In Case You Missed It --------------------------------------------------------------- [Why Is Everyone Running for President? It's a Billion-Dollar Industry.]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout Running for president is now a fantastic way to rake in the bucks, whether or not you've got that name recognition thing going for you. Raise your profile, maybe land a cabinet post, bank some cash for upcoming political endeavors, help the consultants who got you where you are take in a slice of the pie, and perhaps even do the right thing by accident. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [U.S. Metal Sanctions Target Iran's Working Class, Contrary to Trump Claims]( Michael Hughes, Truthout After causing the death of some 40,000 Venezuelans with its draconian sanctions, the Trump administration is seeking to inflict the same cruelty on the citizens of Iran, even as it urges the government to "respect the rights of its people." According to human rights lawyers and experts, the White House is deliberately targeting workers in Iran's metal industries with illegal and inhumane sanctions to foment an uprising. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Like what you're reading? 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