Liberation Audio

When the virus hit, the rich turned tail and ran. New York is the big money city, the city of Wall Street and the epicenter of capitalism. With at least 65 billionaires and 350,000 millionaires, it is the richest city in the world. Those who claim to make the world turn have not only been absolutely useless in this health crisis, they also have been dangerous. In the rush to save their necks they did not flee the virus, they took it with them. Their mass exodus to Hamptons coincides with a steep spike in virus cases in Suffolk County, where the Hamptons are located. Essential workers have gotten no support from the money class who claim to make this city work, and virtually no government protection. Some city and state policies and practices have even threatened their safety. They have been left on their own to individually find a way to stay well as they perform their necessary functions. This is criminal neglect. The result is that front-line workers in NYC and their families have the highest COVID-19 contagion rates and the greatest number of deaths from the virus. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/rich-flee-nyc-workers-deal-covid-19

Ventilators are the most the most important piece of equipment for keeping COVID-19 patients in crisis alive. Yet there is an acute shortage. There is no central coordination for getting supplies. The states have been advised by the federal government to buy ventilators and PPE on the open market. This has forced states to compete against each other for what exists. Corporations have responded to the demand by jacking up prices. Why does China have ventilators when the U.S. doesn’t? China has ventilators because, while there are capitalist businesses there, China has the centralized government of a socialized country. This government prioritized meeting human needs and saving human lives. In marked contrast to the U.S foot-dragging, when the seriousness of the virus became evident, the Chinese government immediately centralized the retooling of more than 1,000 factories to produce needed supplies. Applying science and the principles of public health, China has contained COVID-19. Now it is producing for export many thousands of ventilators, masks, gowns, test kits and other PPE , often given these as gifts to countries hardest hit. Cuba, a socialist country whose government puts people’s needs first, instituted science-based practices to protect its population. It has very few COVID-19 cases, and is sending anti-viral medications and doctors around the world to assist other countries. The coronavirus pandemic has revealed the capitalist system to be so bankrupt that, for the sake of humanity, it must be put out if its misery. Capitalism is the virus and socialism is the cure. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/how-wall-st-trump-created-the-ventilator-crisis/

From colonialism to covid, Vietnam has a history of success fighting against deadly diseases. Vietnam, which shares a border with China and is about 1,200 miles from where the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, has overcome steep odds in the global fight against COVID-19. As of April 6, the Vietnamese government has reported 245 confirmed cases with 95 recoveries and no fatalities. Vietnam’s success so far is not simply a miracle. It is the result of a heavily planned economy with a socialist government that puts people over profits. The COVID-19 pandemic has ripped open the weak seams of capitalism and laid bare its callousness in the face of human suffering. In a world where capitalism is a morbid plague, Vietnam proves that there is another way. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/why-has-no-one-in-vietnam-died-from-coronavirus/

People are seeing the starkness and brutality of this capitalist system. In this country, our healthcare is tied to our jobs. We say, free healthcare for all. Gloria La Riva, PSL 2020 Presidential Candidate This is a segment from our livestream featuring leaders from the Party for Socialism and Liberation on the coronavirus, capitalism and the class struggle.

"The bailout is a massive handout to corporations that's being spun to people as necessary." Eugene Puryear, member of the PSL Central Committee on class struggle. This is a segment from our livestream featuring leaders from the Party for Socialism and Liberation on the coronavirus, capitalism and the class struggle.

"The working class is the essential class", Brian Becker, member of the PSL Central Committee on class struggle. This is a segment from our livestream featuring leaders from the Party for Socialism and Liberation on the coronavirus, capitalism and the class struggle.

We need a people's program to fight the virus! The Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Gloria La Riva/Leonard Peltier presidential campaign call for an immediate emergency program to combat the Coronavirus crisis involving the following measures: - Full sick pay and 100% unemployment insurance for every worker, no evictions or foreclosures - War time emergency production and distribution measures - Free healthcare - Secure housing for all - Strengthen the public health system and more! Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/a-peoples-program-to-fight-the-virus/

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which passed nearly unanimously on March 27 by Congress and was signed into law by President Trump, is not nearly enough to solve the massive problem facing working class people. Even worse, it constitutes a massive act of robbery because it transfers $454 billion of taxpayers dollars (and potentially 10 times that amount!) to the big corporations and banks. All the resources to take on this crisis exist; what’s lacking is the political will to use them. Read the full article: www.liberationnews.org/five-things-workers-should-know-about-the-federal-coronavirus-act

The Trump Administration and the establishment media have waged a campaign of criticism of China’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of this diverts attention from the neglect of the Trump administration and elected officials in fighting the virus here. The following is meant to debunk these myths, to better focus upon what is needed in the U.S. to save lives here, and hold responsible people accountable. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/8-myths-and-facts-about-china-and-covid-19/

As the novel coronavirus COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the world, criminal economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. government are threatening to escalate a public health emergency into a full-blown catastrophe. U.S. sanctions have left the country without sufficient testing kits, ventilators, antiviral medicine and other life-saving supplies. While the World Health Organization, health care providers and human rights organizations have called for the lifting of the sanctions on humanitarian grounds, the U.S. response has been the opposite. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/medical-terrorism-iran-battling-covid-19-is-hit-with-new-u-s-sanctions/