This year, 75 of the poorest nations around the world owe China over $22 billion in debt, for loans Beijing made in their “Belt and Road” global infrastructure initiative. The program7 lent developing nations funds they needed to build schools, bridges, hospitals, highways and shipping and air ports, making Beijing the largest supplier of bilateral loans, peaking with a total of more than $50 billion in 2016, more than all western creditors combined.
(“Poorest 75 Countries Face a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Debt Repayment to China,” Guardian, May 27, 2025)
House Republicans passed their proposed federal budget by a narrow 215 to 214 vote on May 22, making a total of $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and the SNAP food assistance program, in order to pay for enormous tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. Earlier in the budget debate, a dozen House Republicans had vowed to oppose reductions in Medicaid, citing concerns about the potential impact of gutting the program on health care providers across the country.
(“Curious Case of the Republican Medicaid Turncoats,” American Prospect, May 22, 2025)
In the weeks after deadly wildfires engulfed Los Angeles neighborhoods in January, some small steps have been taken to restore historic homes owned by African Americans lost in Altadena to the Eaton Fire. The fire destroyed more than 6,000 Altadena homes, occupied mostly by middle- and working-class families, many of whom had been in those houses for generations. The fire which killed 18 residents, also destroyed Altadena’s business district, as well as schools, churches, and synagogues.
(“In the Aftermath: Rebuilding LA After the Fires,” The Nation, April 19, 2025)
