Some Recent Headlines

All week every week, I collect news articles in hopes of reading them over KNON radio. Here are some recent articles and bits of my observations:

The best understanding always flows from the general to the particular, so I’m going to take a worldwide view and then bring it down to my home in North Texas.

The Economic Situation

We are in the middle of a worldwide shift toward the end of American economic domination.

The Multipolar Moment: What U.S. Hegemony Decline Means Telesur

U.S. economy grew at a modest 1.6% annual pace (1st quarter) ap in dmn //Chinese authorities worry if their growth falls below 5%//

German economists have lowered their predicted growth rate to .4% for next year.  Telesur

Trump’s State Visit to Beijing and the New Cold War on Asia Telesur

Trump Between Cuba and Taiwan Telesur

In the U.S., the stock market is booming, but people are beginning to hurt. Construction of data centers and other infrastructure for artificial intelligence is helping some and hurting others. Unions seem paralyzed, but environmentalists and communities are moving into action.

“Households getting discouraged as Wall Street rises” ap in dmn

“Prices in the U.S. are Rising at the fastest pace in years.” NYT

Atmos will be allowed to raise household gas prices $9.46/month.  DMN

“Nearly 88,000 U.S. jobs were directly eliminated by AI in 2026 as companies restructured operations,…” Telesur

Inside the Trump-backed push to bring AI doctors into American medicine WAPO via ARA

“It’s clear that if we don’t harness if properly, A.I. is the single biggest threat to working people of our lifetime.” –Pope Leo quoted in PW

Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling  Fortune via ARA

Texas billionaires are benefitting from the tech boom, but a spontaneous resistance is growing. Jun 11, 6P: ”Are Data Centers Good for Texas” film by Texas Organizing Project at Texas Theatre, 231 Jefferson in Oak Cliff. 469-550-4750

“Median CEO pay up nearly 6% in 2025” At the median company, the average worker would have to work 200 years to get what his/her CEO makes in one.”  AP in dmn

Musk received $132.3B in one year.  Ap in dmn

Data center divide widens in North Texas   DMN

The hospitality industry in North Texas, especially in Arlington, expects to make major gains from the World Cup. Each Player to Receive $5,000 Per Day at the 2006 World Cup Finals Telesur

Uncertainty about Trump’s warmaking is affecting business decisions.

Bell Textron announced 250 layoffs and some furloughs.  DMN

The fury against data centers is mostly in rural areas. The uprisings in urban areas are largely undirected except that they are always against autocracy. “No Kings” is the most popular slogan​ in American history.

The Political Situation

U.S. imperialism is intervening, with some success but not unequivocal success, in other nations’ power struggles. The world’s wealthiest man, Elon Musk, is the main ambassador for autocracy.

Trump plans anti-anti-fascist summit.  PW

Colombian elections, Bolivian rebellion.  Telesur

China Sends Rice Shipment to Cuba Amid U.S. Blockade Telesur

The economic situation is the most important, but is not the only crisis of capitalism. The world is also dangerously close to suffocating, drowning, or dying from disease because of capitalist domination.

The most vulnerable populations such as seniors and children are hardest hit. Oppressed people are learning how to fight. People of color are by far the most likely to fight back. African Americans, because they are overwhelmingly working class, continue as the spearhead for justice.

Trumpsters, like autocrats through history, are trying to control all information.

“…right now, Republicans are running circles around Democrats on the social media platforms where more and more Americans are getting their news. Case in point: Fox News’ TikTok account has exploded from around 500,000 followers on Election Day 2024 to nearly 11 million today.“  Robert Reich

“Scott Pelley worked at CBS News for 37 years, including as White House correspondent, anchor of the “CBS Evening News” and “60 Minutes” correspondent until he was fired on Tuesday.” In an interview with Time magazine, he said he was fired for standing up for the truth, particularly about what happened in Minneapolis.  Nyt

In another case of President Trump’s erasure of history, the Trump regime’s Justice Department has deleted all the files—documents, e-mails, reports, and everything else—about the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol invasion and insurrection from its website. And bragged about it  PW

The mid-term elections loom before us as an opportunity to set autocracy back. We have no illusions about the straight-jacket of the 2-party capitalist system, but the working class can make gains in spite of it by employing class struggle election policies. Trumpster corruption may be a good election issue. Overwhelming turnout for progressive candidates and ideas is job one.

“Former judges urge inquiry into deal trump struck with I.R.S.“   NYT

”FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home” NYT

Trump said while surrounded by top administration officials. “I don’t care about the midterms.”  AP

“… in congressional primaries and general elections, the top fundraiser still wins 92 percent of the time.” Niskanen Center Oct 2025

“In latest sign of discontent, 43% of voters are dissatisfied with both parties.” NYT

Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas Baptist says that Trump understands the Bible better than the Pope does. Fox News https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1F8TiLkbe4

There are 18.7M voters registered in Texas. 81.19% of VAP are registered. 1.4M voted in Republican runoff. 64% went for Paxton . In the primary, before the runoffs, 2.3M Democrats and 2.2 Republicans voted. Texas Secretary of State and DMN

The Trumpsters are currently trying to rig the system as much as possible. Trump himself has floated the idea of not having elections. The most likely future gives Democrats an edge in many if not most elections. However, it is a certainty that the Trumpsters will try to overthrow all elections that they lose, exactly as Trump did in 2020.

Judge declines to block Trump’s mail-in voting executive order. NBC News/Reuters, May 28, 2026

“A federal judge has declined to halt President D Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm elections.”  AP in DMN

They will of certainty employ the coercive forces that they can command.

To overcome the billionaire autocrats, we will have to organize to fight beyond the electoral arena. Boycotts and other mass actions will be necessary. The most powerful organizations will be those close to labor like YALL and TARA. Civil rights organizations are a close second.

The progressive movement can be well proud of what we have done over the past period.

Strategies and tactics are now under discussion. Some of them, such as military action, going underground, or total reliance on the Democrats, are obvious losers. But other strategies and tactics are not as clear without a vigorous discussion.

 It is our job to make the best recommendations possible and to implement and communicate them as widely as possible.

–GeneLantz19@gmail.com