SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Fast Tracked trade deals have exacerbated the income inequality crisis, pushed good American jobs overseas, driven down U.S. wages, exploded the trade deficit and diminished small businesses' share of U.S. exports, a new report from Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch shows. The report, "Prosperity Undermined,"compiles and analyzes 20 years of trade and economic data to show that the arguments again being made in favor of providing the Obama administration with Fast Track trade authority have repeatedly proved false.
President Barack Obama is expected to push Fast Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The pact, initiated by George W. Bush, literally replicates most of the job-offshoring incentives and wage-crunching terms found in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and would roll back Obama administration achievements on health, financial regulation and more.
"It's not surprising that Democrats and Republicans alike are speaking out against Fast Track because it cuts Congress out of shaping trade pacts that most Americans believe cost jobs while empowering the president to sign and enter into secret deals before Congress approves them," said Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. "In their speeches and commentary, the administration, corporate interests and GOP leadership disregard the real, detrimental impacts that previous fast tracked trade deals - which serve as the model for the Trans-Pacific Partnership - have had on America's middle class over the past 20 years."
With unprecedented unity among Democratic members of Congress, there will be a handful of Democratic House votes in favor of Fast Track. Last year, seven of 201 House Democrats supported Fast Track legislation. Meanwhile, a sizable bloc of GOP House members oppose Fast Track, which would grant the president extensive new executive powers and delegate away core congressional constitutional authorities.
The new report shows a 20-year record of massive U.S. trade deficits, American job losses and wage suppression. More specifically, data show that:
"Big dollars for big corporations and special interests calling the shots - that's what the American people hear when only the country's top corporate lobbyists are shaping America's trade agreements," said Wallach. "With such high stakes, we cannot let the Fast Track process lock Congress and the public out of negotiations that will have lasting impacts on the livelihoods, rights and freedoms of American families, workers and businesses."
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
(202) 588-1000Nearly 80 world leaders and Nobel laureates say the 'Pact for the Future' will be deeply flawed if it ignores the key driver of the planetary crisis.
A group of 77 former world leaders, Nobel laureates, and scientists on Tuesday called on United Nations member countries to reintroduce into an upcoming treaty, the Pact for the Future, a strong commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels.
The Pact for the Future has been under negotiation by U.N. member nations this year and is expected to be signed at a special meeting in September called the Summit of the Future.
The initial draft of the agreement, from January, included language fairly similar to that which nearly 200 U.N. nations agreed to at last year's COP28 climate summit in Dubai, calling on countries to "accelerat[e] the transition away from fossil fuels." The first draft also included a commitment to setting a deadline to end fossil fuel subsidies.
However, subsequent versions have not included any reference to fossil fuels, the burning of which is the main cause of the climate emergency, due to the greenhouse gases emitted. In response, the 77 leading figures have published a letter supported by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.
"The omission of fossil fuels from the draft Pact for the Future is another stark failure to confront one of the greatest threats to our planet and humanity."
The signatories include Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner and chief adviser in Bangladesh's new interim government; Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland; the Dalai Lama; and Stefan Löfven, the former prime minister of Sweden.
The authors of the letter wrote that they are "gravely concerned" about the watering down of the agreement.
"We call on the United Nations to ensure that the Pact for the Future includes robust commitments to manage and finance a fast and fair global transition away from coal, oil, and gas extraction in line with the 1.5ºC limit agreed to by nations in the Paris Agreement," they wrote.
"If the Summit of the Future does not address the threat of fossil fuels, it will not be worthy of its name, risking undermining a once-in-a-century opportunity to restore trust in the power of international cooperation," they added.
Jody Williams, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who signed the letter, said in a statement that "unless fossil fuels are tackled, there is no future to safeguard."
Löfven, who led Sweden from 2014 until 2021 and is now head of the Party of European Socialists, a coalition of center-left parties from around Europe, also spoke forcefully about the need for a stronger international agreement.
"The omission of fossil fuels from the draft Pact for the Future is another stark failure to confront one of the greatest threats to our planet and humanity, " he said. "World leaders should be unequivocal when it comes to acting decisively and collectively to prevent further climate impacts, and instead, they are deciding to bury their heads in the sand."
"Only through unwavering international cooperation to phase out fossil fuels can we safeguard our common future," he added.
The pact is not exclusive to climate issues but covers five areas: sustainable development; peace and security; science and technology; youth and future generations; and transforming global governance, including international financial architecture reform.
The first draft of the pact released in January, despite its mention of fossil fuels, was "somewhat unambitious," according to Tim Hirschel-Burns, a policy liaison at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. The draft didn't contain many concrete, binding proposals, he wrote on the center's website in April.
Hirschel-Burns called for the treaty to include language that would give more voting power to Global South countries at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and an end to the gentleman's agreement that places a European in control of the former institution and an American the latter. Some language regarding Global South representation at those financial institutions was included in the newest draft of the pact.
In May, Human Rights Watch called for a strong pact that prioritized economic justice and the environment. HRW asserted that civil society organizations hadn't been consulted enough and that China, Russia, Cuba, and Iran had sought to weaken the human rights provisions in the agreement. However, the group was also critical of Western countries, saying that "their selective application of human rights undermines the credibility of such an agenda, particularly for countries in the Global South."
"While the United States and other Western countries justifiably condemn Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine, for example, many of them have not shown the same resolve concerning Israel's atrocities in Gaza," the HRW statement said. "While the European Union says it champions human rights protection globally, it opposes efforts at the U.N. to make the international tax system fairer for developing countries."
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, which published Tuesday's letter, leads an effort to establish an international agreement in which full transparency is developed over fossil fuel reserves so that countries can successfully negotiate a phaseout of their use. A huge number of government entities and global organizations have endorsed the idea, but only 13 countries have signed on so far.
"What Trump is doing is laying the groundwork for rejecting the election results if he loses," the U.S. senator said.
Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont warned Tuesday that former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee, is laying the groundwork for another round of election denial if he loses to Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
Taking aim at Trump's false claim that a photo showing thousands of people waiting to greet Harris and her Democratic running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at a Michigan airport is a fake generated by artificial intelligence, Sanders said in a statement that "Donald Trump may be crazy, but he's not stupid."
"When he claims that 'nobody' showed up at a 10,000-person Harris-Walz rally in Michigan that was livestreamed and widely covered by the media, that it was all AI, and that Democrats cheat all of the time, there is a method to his madness," the senator continued.
"Clearly, and dangerously, what Trump is doing is laying the groundwork for rejecting the election results if he loses," Sanders argued. "If you can convince your supporters that thousands of people who attended a televised rally do not exist, it will not be hard to convince them that the election returns in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and elsewhere are 'fake' and 'fraudulent.'"
"This is what destroying faith in institutions is about. This is what undermining democracy is about. This is what fascism is about," he added. "This is why we must do everything we can to see that Trump is defeated."
Trump infamously tried to overturn the results of his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden, an effort that culminated in the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection and resulted in a historic second impeachment by the then-Democrat-controlled House of Representatives and a slew of federal and state felony charges in two separate election interference cases.
As his polling lead evaporates amid surging liberal enthusiasm over the Harris-Walz ticket, Trump has reverted to his oft-repeated 2020 claim that if he loses, it will be due to "cheating."
Trump, his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), and many Republican officials have recently ramped up attacks on undocumented immigrants. Although the myth of the "illegal immigrant voters" has been widely debunked—including by right-wing groups—Republicans and others including billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who interviewed Trump on his social media platform X Monday evening, have been amplifying false claims about undocumented voters affecting the outcome of the election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)—who led the legal fight to overturn the 2020 election results—also recently accused undocumented immigrants of attempting to "disrupt our elections."
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)—one of just eight senators who refused to certify Biden's 2020 Electoral College victory—said in July: "I traveled to the future to an imaginary world where actually Joe Biden got reelected... In my dream I met the ghost of Biden's future... It was easy for Democrats to rig the elections; they simply allowed all the noncitizens to vote."
On Monday, the government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) published a report revealing that 35 county officials around the country who were involved in efforts to subvert the 2020 election are still in positions to do so again.
"I think there's almost no question that this is going to happen," CREW president Noah Bookbinder said of another attempt to overturn the election. "And it seems to be happening in a way this year that is more systematic than it has been in the past. So that's deeply, deeply concerning."
"By passing this amendment, we can end Missouri's total abortion ban and ensure that Missourians regain access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare," said one organizer.
Voters in at least eight U.S. states will now be able to vote on constitutional amendment ballot measures regarding abortion rights in the November elections, and in Missouri on Tuesday, organizers celebrated as they learned their initiative to place a history-making referendum on ballots had succeeded.
Missouri voters will have the opportunity to vote "yes" on the Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative, which, if passed, would make Missouri the first state to reverse its strict abortion ban through a vote by citizens.
The ballot initiative was officially certified by the Missouri secretary of state on Tuesday, three months after organizers with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom delivered more than 380,000 signatures to the state Capitol.
"This effort is a lifeline for Missourians who are now living under a senseless and cruel abortion ban passed by politicians who are deeply out of touch with voters in the state," said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, which helped to fund and assist Missourians for Constitutional Freedom's signature-gathering campaign. "Missourians want and need to make their own healthcare decisions without government interference. Today, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom moved voters one step closer to securing reproductive rights, and we are proud to stand with them."
Missouri's abortion ban is one of the most extreme in the nation, with the procedure prohibited in almost all circumstances "except in cases of medical emergency." The 2019 policy went into effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
"As we turn our attention to the November ballot, it's clear Missourians overwhelmingly support reproductive freedom and will have the chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box."
In addition to reversing the ban, the Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative would establish that Missouri residents have the right to make their own decisions about reproductive healthcare, including abortion, contraception, and miscarriage care.
Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, said the campaign's gathering of nearly 400,000 signatures from all 114 counties in Missouri is a testament to voters' commitment to reversing the abortion ban.
"As we turn our attention to the November ballot, it's clear Missourians overwhelmingly support reproductive freedom and will have the chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box. We are ready to fight so all Missourians can take back the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions," said Sweet.
As numerous state bans have gone into effect in 2022, reproductive health clinics in bordering states that allow abortion care have been flooded with patients from other states, delaying care for Missourians, who even before the overturning of Roe frequently crossed state lines to get care. A hospital in Joplin, Missouri denied a patient an emergency abortion last year, in violation of a federal statute, because doctors were concerned that providing care would break the state law.
"Missourians have been suffering under a total abortion ban with no exceptions, leaving women and families in unimaginable circumstances," said Margot Riphagen, vice president of external affairs for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers Action. "This cruel and unjust ban has put countless lives at risk and denied people the fundamental right to make their own healthcare decisions. By passing this amendment, we can end Missouri's total abortion ban and ensure that Missourians regain access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare." "It's time to put control back in the hands of individuals," added Riphagen, "and protect the health and dignity of our communities."
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom said it would hold canvassing kickoff events on August 17 and 18 to urge people to vote "yes" on the Right to Reproductive Freedom ballot question.
On Monday, organizers in Arizona also celebrated as the state formally certified their proposed ballot measure to establish the right to abortion care in the state constitution.
Advocates in Montana and Nebraska have submitted signatures for similar initiatives and are awaiting approval.