Weeks of torrential rains in East Africa have triggered floods which have caused the deaths of over 200 people  in Kenya, Tanzania, and Burundi.  Landslides destroyed homes and businesses in poor urban neighborhoods already hard hit by the climate crisis and failing infrastructure.

(“Deadly Rains and Floods Sweep Cities Across East Africa,” New York Times, April 25, 2024)

The United Auto Workers is expanding its organizing reach. After the union won historic new contracts with the Big Three automakers, they’ve broken new ground by successfully organizing a Volkswagen auto plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the first union victory at an auto plant in the American South in decades. Now the UAW is investing in organizers to work with independent auto unions in Mexico to fight decades of declining wages, and challenge corrupt charro unions, basically company unions that protect anti-democratic union officials from rank-and-file challenges.   .

(“UAW is Standing Up With Mexican Autoworkers,” In These Times, April 4, 2024)

The World’s second biggest meatpacker, Tyson Foods dumped millions of pounds of toxic pollutants from its meat and poultry plants into American rivers and lakes over the last five years. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, which calculated the scope of the dumping, the contaminates dispersed in 87 billion gallons of wastewater threatened vital eco-systems, endangering wildlife and human health.

(“Tyson Foods Dumps Millions of Pounds of Toxic Pollutants in US Rivers and Lakes,” Guardian, April 30, 2024)

This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.