How strikes and political disturbances affect businesses

Reverend William Barber speaks to the press in 2016. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images Not long before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. announced the formation of the Poor People’s Campaign. The project would eventually unite poor whites from Appalachia with farmworkers, indigenous people, and black civil-rights activists. After King’s death in 1968, the campaign marshaled a significant mobilization in Washington, D.C., and then went quiet — until 2017. Revived by Reverend William Barber and Reverend Liz Theoharis, the renewed Poor People’s Campaign continues the mission set out by King and his allies so many decades ago. Its ambitions are broad: On its website, it says it intends to “lift up and deepen the leadership of those most affected by systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation.” It goes on to state, bluntly, that “people should not live in or die from poverty in the richest nation ever to … [Read more...] about Rev. William Barber on the Political Power of Poor People: ‘We Have to Change Our Whole Narrative’

Climate change protesters frustrated a D.C. driver during morning rush hour during a planned climate strike on Friday, prompting him to remind them that they were causing him to “burn more gas by sitting here.”Left-wing climate change protesters took to the streets of D.C. on Friday morning in order to “shut down business-as-usual for the financial institutions” that they say “profit off of the climate crisis and immigrant detention.” Protesters could be heard chanting, “No more gas, no more oil, keep the carbon in the soil,” and successfully blocked traffic, causing frustration for one D.C. driver, who actually supports their movement. “This is a bad strategy for you all, I’m telling you,” the man told an activist. “What strategy would you suggest?” the activist asked. “Not making me burn more gas by sitting here,” he quipped. The activist suggested that the man turn off his car, but he dismissed … [Read more...] about Watch: Climate Strike Frustrates D.C. Driver: I’m Burning ‘More Gas by Sitting Here’

France’s vaunted high-speed trains stood still Thursday, schools across the country shut down and the Eiffel Tower warned visitors to stay away as unions held nationwide strikes and protests over the government’s plan to overhaul the retirement system.Paris deployed 6,000 police for what’s expected to be a major demonstration through the capital, an outpouring of anger at President Emmanuel Macron for a reform seen as threatening the hard-fought French way of life.The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum warned of strike disruptions, and Paris hotels struggled to fill rooms. Many visitors — including the U.S. Energy secretary — canceled plans to travel to one of the world’s most visited countries amid the strike.Subway stations across Paris were shuttered, complicating traffic — and prompting many commuters to use shared bikes or electric scooters instead. Many workers in the Paris region worked from home or took a day off to stay with their … [Read more...] about Mass strike over pensions tangles transportation across France

(CNN)In London, President Donald Trump, having been the subject of mockery by fellow world leaders at a major summit, packed up early and left without holding a traditional news conference -- but not without firing back at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling him "two-faced." In Washington, four law professors testifying before congressional impeachment investigators divided on whether Democrats have the grounds to impeach Trump. The three called by Democrats argued that we've learned enough about Trump's pressure on Ukraine -- an effort to get a foreign country to damage a potential 2020 Democratic rival -- while the one expert called by Republicans said the inquiry has moved too fast. And we learned that Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who has played a central role in the Ukraine saga, is once again in Ukraine -- and, according to his spokeswoman, is there "for the sole purpose of proving his clients innocence." It's a lot. Here's CNN's minute-by-minute … [Read more...] about A battle of attrition: It was a busy day in impeachment politics

(CNN)The South African government has announced that the country's troubled national airline, South African Airways, will urgently go into "voluntary business rescue." In a statement released by the country's Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, the air carrier will receive 2 billion rand (more than $136 million) from existing lenders ahead of the business rescue, and another 2 billion rand at a later date through the country's national treasury. State-owned SAA has relied on government bailouts to stay afloat in recent years. The government says the move ensures there will not be any further unplanned stoppages or cancellations of flights but insists it is not a bailout. Ethiopian Airlines pilots followed Boeing's emergency procedures before crash: report "The board of SAA has adopted a resolution to place the company into business rescue. This decision is supported by the government. "This is the optimal mechanism to restore confidence in SAA and to safeguard … [Read more...] about Troubled South African Airways to receive $272 million as it goes into business rescue