The Florida state prison system is run like a 21st century slave plantation. Prisoners endure brutal conditions at the hands of guards and that state. That is why Florida has the highest inmate death rate in the US. While this sounds horrific, big corporations are cashing in. Florida sells prison labor to corporations for a fraction of what they would pay employees covered by labor laws. And because Florida does not pay the prison workers, Florida's government directly profits from free slave labor. This arrangement creates a perverse incentive to under-educate, under-employ and over-incarcerate large numbers of low-income Black bodies for the benefit of corporate profit. The state of Florida should not promote, manage and benefit from this arrangement. Florida prisoners are on strike in what they are calling #OperationPUSH to fight for an end to prison slavery and humane conditions for prisoners.

Four months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans are still suffering from the impacts of the storm. 40% of the island is still without electricity and supplies are still being brought in while Puerto Ricans rebuild their homes and lives, many from scratch. There’s no question that Puerto Rico should use all of its resources to recover and rebuild right now, but hedge fund CEO Seth Klarman thinks otherwise. Seth Klarman leads Baupost Group, a hedge fund that holds $911 MILLION of Puerto Rico’s debt, and has said that canceling the debt would be “impractical.” What’s really impractical and unconscionable is holding Puerto Ricans hostage with an unjust debt while the island recovers from the worst disaster in recent memory. This is colonization in the 21st century and we will not stand for Seth Klarman’s profit-driven tactics. Harvard University, having the largest endowment and most money invested in Baupost Group, must take action to stand with Puerto Ricans and divest its $2 billion from Seth Klarman’s hedge fund. Harvard has a moral obligation to divest any and all funds from Baupost Group -- we call on Harvard University and its endowment to divest from Baupost now!

The President submitted a proposed 2017 budget supplemental 2018 budget that includes a big increase in immigration enforcement and the military. This will come at the expense of many social, scientific and other programs that benefit working people. Among many other things, these proposed cuts would: - Reduce help for low- and moderate-income students to afford college; - Make it harder for cities and rural communities to invest in economic development - Eliminate housing and energy supports for families and seniors - Drastically reduce the capacity of agencies that monitor pollution and toxic contamination--threatening our water, air and other natural resources. Did you know that a billion dollars spent on domestic priorities such as mass transit, home weatherization, education and health care, would each produce more jobs than the same amount spent on the military?

Payday lenders purposefully ensnare people in debt they can’t escape. These legalized loan sharks collect 75 percent of their fees from people stuck in more than 10 loans a year by charging 300 percent APR. It’s a debt trap.

This summer, the Department of Labor (DOL) is expected to implement a new overtime rule, which would raise the overtime salary threshold from $23,660 to $50,440, strengthening the right of 13.5 million additional workers to receive overtime pay and the right to earn a fair living. Unfortunately, our opponents in Congress are eager to steal this victory from workers by running out the clock on one of President Obama’s signature economic achievements. The Congressional Review Act dictates that all “major” rules are delayed for 60 legislative days after they are submitted to Congress and are subject to a “fast track” process for repeal. That process has to end before President Obama leaves office to guarantee a veto of any Congressional resolution of disapproval. If the DOL does not act soon, Congress will reverse this critical protection for millions of workers.