US Spending on Afghan War Highest to Date
The annual price tag for the war in Afghanistan continues to grow after nine years of war. The United States and NATO plan to spend $11.6 billion on Afghan forces alone, according to The Washington Post. The US plans to spend at least $100 billion on the war in Afghanistan this year. The price tag is the highest to date. The new funding will push the cost of the war in 2010 and 2011 to $20 billion, which is as much as was spent during all seven previous years combined. The military hopes to shift security responsibility from international forces to local troops.
Unemployment Spikes
Unemployment claims in the US rose slightly more than expected in the last week of 2010, according to Market Watch. The Labor Department reported that jobless claims rose last week by 18,000 to top out at 409,000, a larger figure than officials expected.
Treasury Secretary Warns Congress About Debt Limit
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sent a letter to Congress warning of “catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades” if Congress refuses to raise the statutory debt limit for the government, according to The Hill. The letter, sent to all members of Congress, ignited arguments among Republicans who took over the House of Representatives this week. Some Republicans want to freeze the government’s debt limit. “Spending cuts – and reforming a broken budget process – are top priorities for the American people and for the new majority in the House this year, and it is essential that the president and Democrats in Congress work with us in that effort,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
More Marines Going to Afghanistan
The US plans to temporarily send an additional 1,400 marines to Afghanistan to secure fragile security gains made during a time when casualties on both sides have reached an all-time high, according to Reuters. A review made by the Obama administration claims the US is making headway against the Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan, but serious challenges remain in the unstable country.
Democrats to Defend Health Care Reform After All
Top Democrats plan to spend the next week defending the Obama administration’s health care reform law, according to The Hill, which pointed out that Democrats refused to defend health care reform during the 2010 midterm elections. New House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) decided to schedule a vote on the complete repeal of the health care reform law, originally passed in March 2010. Democrats plan to defend their landmark reform package on “all fronts.”
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.