In the early 1950s, the Inuit people living next to a giant US Air Force base called Thule in northwest Greenland, were forced to move to make away for expansion of the base. Thule, with a deep water port, became one of America’s largest military bases in the world and hub of US nuclear weapons operations during the Cold War. In 1968, a US B-52 bomber carrying four thermonuclear bombs crashed near the base.
(“The New Cold War in the Arctic,” In These Times, Oct. 30, 2023)
Since April, states across the U.S. have begun the biggest overhaul, or unwinding of Medicaid in the 58-year history of the government health insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation states are reviewing the eligibility of more than 28 million people and have already terminated coverage for over 10 million. Millions more Americans are expected to lose their Medicaid coverage in the coming months.
(“Worse Than People Can Imagine: Medicaid Unwinding Breeds Chaos in States,” Stateline.org, Nov. 7, 2023)
In a historic voting rights case, the new liberal majority on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court appears ready to strike down the state’s legislative district maps, some of the most gerrymandered districts in the United States. If the maps are redrawn many believe more than a decade of Republican majority rule in the Badger State will end. During three hours of oral arguments, the state supreme court fiercely debated the case, Clarke v Wisconsin Elections Commission, which was filed after liberal justices gained the majority on the Wisconsin high court in August.
(“Wisconsin Supreme Court Appears Poised to Strike Down Legislative Maps” Guardian, Nov. 21, 2023)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.
