• Growing factionalism is consuming Germany’s far right populist party Alternative for Germany (or AfD), only months before pivotal state elections. In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, local AfD leaders resigned over the growing influence of Bjorn Hoecke, who complained that Berlin’s Holocaust memorial is a “monument to shame”.
(“German Far-Right Party Shaken by Rising Sway of Hardliner,” Reuters, July 10, 2019; “German’s Populist Party Embraces Its Extreme Wing,” Spiegel, July 13, 2019)
• On Amazon’s “Prime Day,” workers for the e-commerce giant in Germany and Minnesota went on strike to protest harsh working conditions. The unionized workers in Germany are demanding that Amazon join a collective bargaining agreement, but Amazon has refused. Protests against Amazon were also organized in both Britain and Spain.
(“Amazon Workers Go on Strike in Germany As Prime Day Begins,” CNN, July 15, 2019; “Why Today’s Amazon Strike Is So Important,” Jacobin, July 15, 2019; “Whole Foods Workers Say Conditions Deteriorated After Amazon Takeover,” The Guardian, July 16, 2019)
• As massive protests in Puerto Rico demand that Gov. Ricardo Rossello resign, the Commonwealth’s ongoing debt crisis may be headed toward a resolution, involving $124 billion dollars in debt. The bankruptcy law established by Congress in 2016, known as “Promesa,” is now being used to restructure Puerto Rico’s debt. A federal oversight board is now proposing to reduce the amount paid to some of those who hold the territory’s debt, while giving a good deal to more than 300,000 of the island’s workers and retirees, some of whom do not even have Social Security.
(“Puerto Rico’s Bankruptcy Plan Is Almost Done,” New York Times, July 14, 2019; “Ripples From Puerto Rico’s Debt Crisis Reach the Mainland,” Bloomberg, July 2, 2019; “Puerto Rico Protesters Are Clearing the Streets After a Night of Demonstrations Included Police Firing Tear Gas,” CNN, July 18, 2019)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Richard Hill.
