Breaking news: about 5pm tonight, Monday evening, Feb 25th 2013, union lobbyists learned that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was working in secret to pass a measure that would end collective bargaining over health care for Illinois public employees. It's not clear at the time of writing whether this would include educators.

Joined by 13 community members, including union and community leaders, Ward 9 City Council candidate Ty Moore was arrested in a civil disobedience at the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage center, standing up for housing rights for all Minneapolis residents.

The sea of self-made signs, placards, and banners at the historic Keystone XL protest in Washington DC showed that the destruction of the environment and climate change are definitely on the minds of ordinary people. After Hurricane Sandy and growing severe weather patterns, many more people realize climate change affects our day-to-day lives.

"I look at my 11 month old son and I am fearful for his future if I am retrenched [dismissed],” commented one mineworker at the historic conference of the Democratic Socialist Movement of South Africa (DSM). Another mineworker defiantly declared: “You cannot buy the bravery of the South African mineworkers: no surrender!”

Today and tomorrow across India a two day general strike sees tens of millions of workers stay away from work. Their protest has been called by the main trade union organisations against the Congress government’s policies. Lucrative deals for direct investment by multinational companies are threatening the livelihoods and living standards of over one billion people!

Obama returned to the U.S. House of Representatives chamber on Tuesday victorious from the general election only a few months ago. In November Americans across the country made clear with vote after vote their rejection of right-wing conservative policies of tax breaks for the rich and corporate welfare, as well as homophobia and sexism.

Hundreds of striking municipal workers meeting in a Pretoria park loudly cheered, sang and toyi-toyied after hearing speeches from visiting CWI members Peter Taaffe and Alec Thraves.

The discussion on South African perspectives reflected an organisation thoroughly rooted in struggle, in particular in workers’ struggle. The conference heard reports from the various strike committee members and mineworkers who attended as delegates and visitors. The discussion had to both reflect on the lessons of the past seven months of struggle and consider the looming new clashes in the mining industry.

It's time we raised our expectations. Our city is governed by a one-party political machine whose loyalty lies with the big developers, the big banks, and the big corporations who fund them. My name is Ty Moore and I'm running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 9 to support bottom-up community efforts to win real change.

The corporate news media coverage of Christopher Dorner’s eleven page manifesto as a deranged gun man with deep psychological problems (particularly with women) hell-bent on revenge against those that were involved in his firing from the LAPD and his discharge from the Navy is misleading. Yes, revenge is a central theme of the manifesto, but what is not dissected in the media is Dorner’s charge of racism, violence within the LAPD, and events surrounding his firing from the force after reporting police brutality to his supervisor and internal affairs.

Dear Gov. Patrick, My CEO suggested I write you a “thank you” letter for my 23 cent raise. And I really needed it! You’re going to raise fees and the gas tax for the privilege of driving my car to work, my credit card is almost maxed out, and my car’s radiator just went out on my way to work last week.

Garfield High School teachers voted unanimously to boycott the MAP test and in doing so have given bold action to the simmering anger amongst teachers in Seattle and nationwide at constant standardized testing.

Just outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, between 22 and 27 January, the largest and most enthusiastic and confident CWI Latin American school took place. Approximately 160 comrades from Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela participated with comrades also present from Sweden, USA and Britain and the International Secretariat of the CWI.

President Barack Obama’s second-term inauguration (20-21 January) did not inspire the mass enthusiasm aroused by his first inauguration in 2009. There is widespread disillusionment with Obama, who helped save big business after the 2008 slump but has failed to deliver improvements for working people.

Below we publish a declaration published this weekend by Socialismo Revolucionario (CWI in Spain) following the explosion of the government party’s corruption scandal, in which President, Mariano Rajoy, has become directly implicated along with a wide swath of PP leaders. The allegations, revealed in a leaked document claiming to consist of handwritten “off-the-books” records made by former PP treasurer, Barcenas, of illicit payments made on a regular basis to PP leaders, originating in illegal donations made by big business to the party.