The Democrats’ major reform bill, Build Back Better, has been gutted of its most important provisions -- by Democrats themselves. The misnamed “negotiations,” in which Manchin and Sinema take a hacksaw to the bill, have cut free college, all paid family leave, the Clean Energy Performance Program (CEPP), much of the billionaire taxes, dental and vision for Medicare recipients, and more. How can two Democrats do such damage to provisions that people want and need? What does this say about the state of the government and the two-party system? Brian Becker, the host of The Socialist Program, whose Thursday episodes will soon be video episodes on BreakThrough News, gives us the details and the broader picture.
The majority of carbon reduction measures in the bill are gone too. President Biden is heading to Glasgow today for COP26, the global climate conference, where no doubt he will announce hollow climate goals that are well beyond what he’s accepting in the current bill. How will the U.S. get to the level of emissions necessary to prevent planetary destruction? What does this unwillingness for the U.S. and other Western nations to act tell us about the future of capitalism? Brandon Wu, ActionAid USA’s Director of Policy and Campaigns, explains. The people of Sudan have had their government taken control of by a military coup, and they are fighting back. Internet is out throughout the country while people resist the violent and repressive takeover. Eugene + Rania discuss. Presidential elections in Honduras are coming up on November 28. Reports show 73% of the country under the poverty line, and it’s still in crisis from the 2009 coup orchestrated by the United States. Zoe Alexandra, co-editor of Peoples Dispatch & journalist covering social movements and left politics in Latin America and the Caribbean, breaks it down. PLUS: Why is Israel's labeling of six Palestinian organizations as "terrorist" such a problem? » Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/BreakThroughNews -------------------------------- » Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BTnewsroom » Tweet us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BTnewsroom » Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btnewsroom/ At Breakthrough News we believe in the power of independent media. Five mega-corporations dominate the media landscape — controlling 90% of what we read, watch and listen to. They control the news cycle, to which social media and even most “alternative” media is forced to respond. We are breaking through that cycle. We tell the untold stories of resistance from poor and working-class communities — because out of these stories we will construct a different narrative of the world, as it is and in real time. People’s movements in every corner of the globe are changing history and shifting consciousness. But these movements barely receive any coverage from the corporate media. They need visibility. They need amplification. They need a media arm to break through. We can be that media arm, but only with your help. Become a Patron and join us on the front lines in the battle of ideas. Subscribe and follow us! https://www.youtube.com/breakthroughnews @BTNewsroom
