San José, CA – U.S. stock markets fell again, June 25, as trade war worries continued to weigh on investors. The Dow Jones Industrial average fell 1.3% or more than 300 points, after regaining some ground from a 500 point sell-off earlier in the day. The NASDAQ index, which includes more stocks of high-tech companies, fell over 2%.

San José, CA – On June 19, stock markets around the world fell in reaction to U.S. President Trump’s promise to escalate the U.S. trade war with China. The Japanese Nikei index fell almost 2% along with other Asian markets. In Europe, Germany’s export-oriented economy meant its stocks were hit the hardest, with the German DAX index down more than 1%. The world sell-off ended in New York City, with the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 1%, bringing the average to below its starting point for the year.

San José, CA – On Friday, June 15, President Trump signed orders to place tariffs (taxes) on $34 billion of imports from China beginning July 6. The office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will be imposing tariffs on another $16 billion of imports from China in the near future for a total of $50 billion in imports facing 25% taxes. This represents another turnaround in trade from a few weeks ago, when Trump’s Commerce Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the trade war was “on hold” after initial negotiation with the Chinese government, which had offered to increase purchases of U.S. goods and further open the Chinese economy to foreign investments.

San José, CA – On Friday, June 1, new U.S. tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum imported from Canada, Mexico and the European Union (EU) went into effect. These countries supply about half of U.S. steel imports. All of the countries responded with counter-tariffs on U.S. exports that will start in a month or less. In addition, the other countries are going to be filing suit with the World Trade Organization (WTO), charging that the U.S. reason of “national security” is just a fig leaf to cover U.S. violation of WTO rules.

San José, CA – On March 22, the U.S. stock market staggered with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 700 points or almost 3%. That day, President Trump had fired an opening salvo of trade restrictions aimed at China by announcing steep tariffs on $60 billion of imports from China. He promised that this was just the first of many restrictions on Chinese goods in what could be a new trade war with China.

San José, CA – A partial government shutdown is possible Friday night, Jan. 19. This would be a first – where one party controls the House of Representatives, the Senate and the presidency, as the Republicans do today. The latest sign that the Republicans continue to squabble is that President Trump tweeted a criticism of the Republican temporary funding bill that passed in the House of Representatives.

FRSO condemns new Medicaid work requirements

San Jose, CA – On the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior’s birthday, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) condemned the Trump administration and the Republican governor of Kentucky for the new work requirements for Medicaid. Medicaid provides health insurance for more than 74 million low-income and disabled Americans.

San José, CA — On August 13, more than 500 people rallied outside the San José City Hall in solidarity with the fight against white supremacy in Charlottesville, Virginia. The candlelight rally honored Heather Heyer, who was killed by an American fascist from Ohio. San Jose activists spoke in solidarity with the 19 others injured when the fascist drove his car at high speed into people protesting the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.

Repeal of Affordable Care Act takes insurance from 32 million, double individual premiums

San José, CA – On July 19, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said that the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or ACA (also known as Obamacare), without a replacement would leave 32 million more Americans without health insurance. The Republican Senate leadership put forward this bill, officially known as the “Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act of 2017” after their “Repeal and Replace” bill could not muster 50 Republican votes.

San José, CA – On June 24, more than 75 people gathered at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) in San José’s Japantown for a program on the struggle for justice by Japanese Latin Americans.

San José, CA – On Monday, June 26, the Congressional Budget Office or CBO released its analysis of the Senate Republicans’ bill meant to repeal the Affordable Care Act (the ACA, often called Obamacare). The Senate Republicans’ bill, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act or BCRA, would mean 22 million more people would go without health insurance as compared to the current law with the ACA at the end of ten years. 15 million people would lose their Medicaid coverage (called Medical in California; each state has its own name), a million more than under the House Republican bill known as the Health Care Reform Act or HCRA. 7 million more people would have to go without their individual insurance policies purchased on state exchanges, also a million more than the House Republican HCRA.

San José, CA – On June 10, 1000 people joined a Unity Vigil called by Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), People Acting in Community Together (PACT), and Meet a Muslim. More than 130 religious, community, oppressed nationality and other organizations endorsed the vigil, which was organized on a week’s notice.

San José, CA – On May 24, Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s Secretary of the Treasury and former Wall Street investment banker for Goldman Sachs, urged Congress to raise the federal debt limit before they go on break July 28. The U.S. Treasury first bumped up against the maximum that the U.S. government can borrow back in March, and has been continuing to borrow by using accounting measures.

San José, CA – On Wednesday, May 24, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its report on the revised American Health Care Act (AHCA). This was the bill that would end the Affordable Care Act or ACA (also known as Obamacare) that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives had narrowly passed earlier in May, without knowing what its impact and cost would be.

San José, CA – On Tuesday, May 23, the Trump administration unveiled its proposal for the federal budget for the coming fiscal year that begins October 1. The proposed budget, if passed, would the biggest attack on poor and working people in more than 30 years.

San José, CA – On May 12, more than 200 Palestinian Americans and their supporters packed a Santa Clara County room for the 16th annual Palestine Cultural Day in San José, California. Samir Leymoun of the Palestine Heritage Committee welcomed people to the event with a tribute to Palestinian parents and the ongoing effort to keep the struggle of Palestine visible.

San José, CA – Since Donald Trump became president on Jan. 20, he has carried out two of his three campaign pledges to attack immigrants. He issued an executive order that called for a wall on the Mexican border, and his proposed budget includes a down payment of $2.6 billion to start the construction on the wall. Trump also issued another executive order calling for increased staffing for immigration enforcement and expanding deportations to include all the undocumented, with the final decision to be made by ICE agents. His proposed budget also calls for almost $2 billion to step up deportations and for hiring more ICE and Border Patrol agents. This executive order also threatened sanctions on local governments that did not cooperate with immigration authorities.

Traducción: Edward C. Tolentino