Israel’s recent missile strikes on Iran have killed over 200 Iranians in one week. Iran has rightfully defended itself, as any sovereign nation would, and has struck back with precision, raining missiles through Israel’s ‘Iron Colander’.

To: Communist Party of the Philippines, National Democratic Front of the Philippines

From: Freedom Road Socialist Organization

The memory and contributions of Ka Louie Jalandoni will live forever!

Dear Comrades,

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Ka Louie Jalandoni, an outstanding revolutionary who made great contributions to the struggle to end exploitation and oppression. We extend our condolences to his comrades, family and friends. Ka Louie was known throughout the world for his integrity, commitment and intelligence. He will be missed by many.

Chicanos, Mexicanos, Central Americans and supporters across Los Angeles are rising up against the agents of Trump’s attacks on immigrants. The people of LA have a right to rebel against ICE and deportations. We have been active on the streets of LA and nationally in the movement to beat back Trump’s agenda.

May 14 marks 77 years since Al-Nakba, or as it's known by Palestinians, the Catastrophe. Beginning on May 14, 1948, over 750,000 Palestinians were forced off their land by Israeli settlers in a matter of months, with the indispensable help of the British. No inch of land was ceded without massacres.

50 years ago, on April 30, the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon were broken by a tank—a tank driven by a fighter for a unified and independent Vietnam. The flag of the U.S.-backed puppet regime came down, and the flag of the National Liberation Front replaced it.

Saigon, the capital of French colonialism, and then American imperialism, was no more. Saigon became Ho Chi Minh City—named for the communist leader who stood at the forefront of Vietnam’s fight for national liberation.

On International Workers Day 2025, our mission is clear: Stand up for workers and immigrants’ rights. Since Trump’s inauguration, the people have not missed a beat. Battles have unfolded on many fronts. The people have marched to defend democratic rights, build the immigrant rights movement, fight discrimination, resist attacks on the working class, and to stand against the genocidal war in Palestine.

On the morning of April 23, the FBI and state and local police in Michigan raided the homes of pro-Palestinian activists in at least three cities: Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Canton. These activists, including at least four people in Ypsilanti and at least one graduate student, are reported to have attended or supported protests in support of Palestine and condemning the genocide in Gaza.

The April 5 demonstrations across the country saw hundreds of thousands taking to the streets. Countless others were inspired by the numbers of people willing to take a stand right now against the Trump administration. At these marches were everyday people from all walks of life; workers, students, activists and families were raising their voices to demand change. There will be more of these kinds of actions ahead. They are a test for us. Will we step up to unite all who can be united against Trump and the billionaire class he serves? If we sit this one out, we lose by forfeit.

The political climate in this country is sharpening, and we are headed into battles on many fronts. We in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization are going to rise to every challenge standing strong, united, and prepared. This past year, we achieved a monumental goal: we purchased a building. This accomplishment is a beacon of change and a testament to our determination—when we say we’re going to do something, we do it.

On Saturday, March 8, Department of Homeland Security and ICE agents seized and detained a prominent Palestinian student leader at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, despite his immigration status as a legal permanent resident. There are no grounds for the arrest, except that Khalil stood up for Palestine during the spring 2024 Columbia encampment for Gaza. Khalil is being illegally detained in the 2nd District in Louisiana.

Across the world, International Women’s Day has always been more than a celebration – it is a day of struggle. It was forged in the fight of New York City garment workers who took to the streets in 1908, to protest the super-exploitation they endured in sweatshops as they tried to support their families: dangerous working conditions, back-breaking hours, child labor and wage theft. They marched shoulder to shoulder with the suffragettes fighting for women’s right to vote. The revolutionary hero Clara Zetkin marked March 8th as a global day of action as a way to unite women worldwide in the fight for socialism and liberation.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Louisiana State University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

On Monday January 20th, LSU SDS led a march on the capitol with other organizations to unite in opposition to Trump’s backwards agenda. Days before, our reactionary governor Jeff Landry issued an executive order that encouraged all Louisiana residents to raise a “Make America Great Again” flag in celebration of Trump’s inauguration. He also participated in this by flying a MAGA flag in front of his mansion.

The Palestinian resistance has forced the Israeli apartheid regime to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. This ceasefire agreement is a significant achievement won by the bravery, sacrifice and unity of the Palestinian resistance, bolstered by the patriotic forces in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and, until recently, Syria.

For three days starting January 8, the Border Patrol conducted immigration sweeps terrorizing Kern County residents around Bakersfield, California. Like a pack of wolves, they hunted and detained hundreds. They snatched up 78 people, lining them up for deportation. Kern County is a top producer of agriculture for the region and many affected were farm workers or work in the industry.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization shares its condolences with the family, friends and comrades of Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez, chairman of the Young Lords Organization. He died on January 10, 2025, at the age of 75 in Chicago.

All those who knew him appreciated Jimenez’s determination and his ability to motivate others to action, all the while teaching about the need for revolution and socialism. A revolutionary to the end, he often quoted Mao Tse Tung on the united front strategy, “Unite the many to defeat the few!”

Just days into 2025, the Los Angeles area has been engulfed by record-breaking wildfires. Amidst widespread drought and hurricane-force winds, some areas which have never once needed to evacuate due to fires have been completely destroyed, with over a 100,000 people ordered to evacuate the area so far.

2024 was, yet again, the hottest year in history. Global average temperatures crossed an important threshold in 2024: 1.5° C (2.7° F) warmer than pre-industrial levels. This was the maximum temperature set as goal by the Paris Climate Accords, the threshold after which dangerous effects of climate change are expected to become commonplace.

As Venezuelans celebrate the inauguration of President Maduro on January 10, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization salutes the Bolivarian Revolution, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and especially President Maduro on another great victory! Overcoming U.S. sanctions, election interference and lies, the people of Venezuela have triumphed once again.

Trump is set to take office at his inauguration in Washington, D.C., on January 20th. From nonsense expansionist land-grabs, to challenging constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, already his outrageous statements come one after another. While some of this is undoubtedly blustering meant to embolden the most reactionary elements of his base, his incendiary rhetoric contains real, material threats. Trump and his thunderdome of billionaire bigots and fools will make every effort at their disposal to pursue their oppressive, reactionary agenda. A look at his appointments to the incoming administration is a preview of the mess that’s sure to come. The message is clear—big business will come first; the planet and the people will come last.

As 2024 draws to a close, we prepare to march into the new year. It promises both challenges and opportunities, and now is the time to take stock of the world around us and recommit to the work ahead.

The past year has been a flashpoint—a series of crises that have shone a piercing light on the stakes of our fight. In Palestine, the genocidal war in Gaza, and the unflinching resistance of the Palestinian people and their allies, provoked a global tidal wave of solidarity and outrage, making clear the urgency of the anti-imperialist struggle.