No Vent and Burn was Necessary in East Palestine, OH
On June 25, the National Transportation Safety Board released their latest report on the East Palestine, OH Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred in February 2023. In their report and board meeting, they exposed that the venting and burning of five carloads full of toxic chemicals – namely vinyl chloride – was not actually needed. Norfolk Southern officials and […]
Every Day is Tax Day for the Working Class
People think of April 15 as Tax Day because that’s when federal and state income taxes are generally due. If you get a refund, it’s only because you have been paying into the system all year. Working-class people pay all year long, not just income taxes, but sales taxes on all kinds of things we […]
Baltimore Bridge Disaster Didn’t Have to Happen
At 1:28 a.m. on March 26, a massive cargo ship, known as the Dali, collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in seconds in the collapse of most of the structure and the death of six construction workers who were performing pothole repair on the bridge. Before its collapse, the Key Bridge carried about […]
Biden to East Palestine, Ohio: Blame Norfolk Southern, not Me!
A year after the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that caused massive evacuations and immeasurable air and soil pollution, Joe Biden finally made an appearance to address residents of the area. Community members, who faced temporary displacement from their homes and ongoing medical problems in the wake of the toxic chemical spill have thus far […]
Medical Waste Incinerator Explosion in South Baltimore
Residents of Curtis Bay, an industrial neighborhood in South Baltimore, were shaken by yet another explosion last week, which reportedly shook windows and doors. Only two years ago, an explosion at the coal terminal in the neighborhood blew out windows and traumatized residents. This time, the loud sounds were coming from the country’s second largest […]
Earthquake in Morocco, Floods in Libya: Natural Phenomena, But Social Disasters
September 14, 2023 editorial of the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) in France. Translated from French. Morocco: our solidarity and anger, false pity in high places On the night of Friday, September 8 to Saturday, September 9, an earthquake struck Morocco. The disaster has already claimed more than 2,900 lives across the country and injured more […]
Deadly Johannesburg Fire Was a Predictable Tragedy
On August 31, a fast-moving blaze spread through a formerly abandoned five-story building in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. Within minutes, dozens of people were trapped in and above the flames. Some managed to escape the inferno with only burns and broken bones. But at the end of the blaze, at least 74 had died. This […]
More Handouts for a BART Landlord?
The landlord of the Coliseum Connections apartment building near the Coliseum station, which flooded on New Year’s Eve, is suing the City of Oakland. He is saying it’s the city’s fault that his building flooded due to poor storm drain infrastructure, and he should be paid back thousands of dollars in damages. While he has […]
Flash Floods Will Be Worse Than Previously Predicted
Billions of dollars of federal infrastructure money could be wasted on projects that won’t be resilient enough in the face of the climate crisis. A report released by a climate nonprofit, First Street, details that the models engineers are using to predict future rainfall are outdated. First Street analyzed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration […]
Florida – Tragic Example of the Sickness of Capitalism
The tragic aftermath of Hurricane Ian has left a trail of death and destruction through southwest and central Florida, not to mention South Carolina. Cars were picked up and carried along like toys by the powerful storm surge, boats were piled in disorderly fashion on top of each other in and sometimes away from their […]
California – Cooking from Climate Change and Rolling the Dice with Neglected Infrastructure
For the past two weeks, much of California has faced record temperatures. Governor Gavin Newsom declared that it was the longest and hottest stretch of heat wave days ever on record in the state. Throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, a number of cities reached over 110 degrees. Sacramento hit temperatures over 100 degrees for […]
Water Emergency in Baltimore
Positive samples of E. coli in drinking water were detected beginning on Friday, September 2 in Baltimore’s Harlem Park/Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, an overwhelmingly Black area with some of the city’s highest rates of poverty. The first public announcement was released on Monday, when the Department of Public Works posted on social media that residents in a […]
The Levees Held, But Millions Were Still Unprotected from Deadly Storms
While the cultural and entertainment center of New Orleans was saved from deadly storm surges, the same cannot be said for the rest of Louisiana’s coast.
Baltimore Sewage Treatment Plants are Polluting the Chesapeake Bay
Baltimore’s two wastewater treatment plants have been releasing large quantities of partially-treated sewage into rivers flowing into the Chesapeake Bay for about a year without detection.
Crumbling Infrastructure: A Continuing Crisis of the System
Our infrastructure has been crumbling for decades, because it isn’t a priority for the businesses and politicians.