Washington, DC – On May 14 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a constitutional state of emergency in that country. CNN reports indicate that there have been marches in support of the government’s push for a “state of constitutional exception and economic emergency” to last until July.

Washington, D.C. – Two of the largest and most influential labor unions in the U.S. have announced plans to substantially consolidate their work. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are actively considering a joint resolution that would build strategic collaboration between the two unions, up to and including a potential merger.

Washington, DC – In a May 7 report, the authoritative Middle East news outlet Al Manar is reporting that Yemen’s Revolutionary Committee, which plays an important role in leading the country’s national democratic forces, has released a statement denouncing the deployment of U.S. troops in Yemen.

Washington DC – Verizon workers with Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 2336 were joined by IBEW union members to rally in downtown Washington, DC today, April 21. Around 100 workers picketed outside a Verizon store near the Metro Center train stop.

Washington DC – Thousands marched on the U.S. Supreme Court this morning, April 18, to support of DAPA, Deferred Action for the Parents of Americans. The executive order grants deferred action to millions undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. since 2010 and whose children are documented.

Washington D.C. – On the second anniversary of the neo-Nazi-led turmoil that led to the downfall of Ukraine’s elected government, the U.S. State Department hailed those 2014 events as a “revolution of dignity.”Deputy Department spokesperson Mark C. Toner issued a statement Feb. 20 calling the reactionary takeover a “European choice.”

Washington D.C. – Speaking in Beijing, Oct. 27, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang sharply condemned the U.S. government for sailing a guided missile destroyer, the USS Lassen into China’s territorial waters.

Washington, DC – Hundreds of thousands of African Americans converged on and filled the National Mall for the Justice for Else gathering, Oct. 10, a mass protest organized by Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, along with other groups, to demand justice for African Americans.

Washington, DC – In the Philippines, there is a mounting crisis of human rights abuses against indigenous people, labor and community activists at the hands of the armed forces. Victims demand justice and there are even calls for President Benigno Aquino to resign. But mainly the demand is for an end to impunity for the killers and torturers, because over and over they go unpunished.

Washington, DC – The International Peoples’ Tribunal on Crimes Against the Filipino People (IPT) opened here July 16. 250 legal experts, witnesses of human rights violations, and social activists from the U.S., the Philippines and elsewhere came together. The mood in the hall was defiant, yet somber, as one after another survivor appeared before jurors to present the murders and torture committed against loved ones.

Scud missile launched against Saudi airbase

Washington, D.C. – In the context of a Saudi massive bombing campaign, the Army of Yemen, with the backing of Popular Committees, struck back by launching a scud missile at the Prince Khaled airbase, located in the southwestern Saudi city of Khamees Mushait. The government of Saudi Arabia says that the missile was shot down with its U.S.-supplied Patriot missile system.

Washington DC – 26 years after the People’s Republic of China turned back an attempt to overthrow socialism, the U.S. State Department issued a statement, June 3, complaining about the “Chinese government’s violent suppression of peaceful protests in and around Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.”

Washington, DC – The authoritative Lebanese news outlet Al-Manar is reporting that the Yemeni resistance scored a victory over the U.S.-backed Saudi military on June 1. The report states, “Dozens of Saudi soldiers were killed and scores were captured in an attack carried out by the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees on a Saudi camp in Asir region.”

Washington DC – Iran’s FARS News Agency (FNA) is reporting that Yemeni Army and popular forces are moving to the border with Saudi Arabia.

Washington D.C. – On March 21, outside the White House in Lafayette Park, hundreds gathered to protest U.S. wars. With signs reading “No to endless wars for empire,” and “No to war with Iran,” protesters spoke out against U.S. bombing campaigns in the Middle East and regions.

Washington, DC – At a Feb. 3 press conference in Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hong Lei, stated that China is against any meeting between President Obama and the Tibetan separatist leader, the Dalai Lama.

_Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) still needed _

Washington DC – Statistics released by the federal government on Jan. 27 indicate that high unemployment rates persist in a good number of states. California, home to almost 40 million people and the most populous state in the U.S., has an unemployment rate of 7%. In December, Mississippi had the highest unemployment rate of all states, coming in at 7.2%. Topping the list is Washington D.C., with an unemployment rate of 7.3%. Rhode Island and Nevada are also plagued by high unemployment.

Washington, D.C. – Statistics compiled by the federal government indicate that there is still a large number of long-term unemployed workers, despite the modest economic expansion. According to a Jan. 9 statement from the Bureau of Labor Statics, “In December, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or longer) was essentially unchanged at 2.8 million and accounted for 31.9% of the unemployed.”

Washington DC – In a speech before the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute here, Sept. 18, the Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner denounced jobless workers and said that they needed to be brought into “the mainstream of American society.”

Washington, DC – The FARS News Agency reports that Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force brought own an Israeli drone near the Natanz nuclear facility, Aug 24.