Jake Johnson, staff writer

Jake Johnson

Jake Johnson is a staff writer for Common Dreams. Follow him on Twitter: @johnsonjakep

Articles by this author

Volunteers prepare food assistance for the needy at the Share Your Christmas food distribution event on December 9, 2020 in Groveland, Florida. News
Thursday, December 10, 2020
'Deeply Disturbing' Surge in Layoffs Spotlights Cruelty of Trump-GOP Refusal to Boost Unemployment Benefits
Hours after the U.S. reported a staggering 3,000 coronavirus deaths in just 24 hours, the Department of Labor announced Thursday that an additional 1.3 million Americans filed jobless claims last week, further bolstering the case for a bold relief package and spotlighting the cruelty of the...
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U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani attend a signing ceremony at the White House on September 15, 2020. News
Thursday, December 10, 2020
'Shameful': Senate Republicans—and Two Democrats—Kill Effort to Stop Trump's Lame-Duck Sale of F-35s and Drones to UAE
Most Senate Republicans and a pair of Democrats teamed up on Wednesday to vote down resolutions aiming to block the Trump White House's lame-duck sale of $23 billion worth of F-35s, Reaper drones, and missiles to the United Arab Emirates, ignoring warnings that providing the Middle East nation with...
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on November 17, 2020. News
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Seeking 'Biggest Incident of Voter Nullification' in US History, 18 Republican AGs Back Texas Effort to Overturn Biden Win
With the Trump operation's legal effort to overturn the November election going nowhere , nearly 20 Republican attorneys general have decided to throw their support behind Texas AG Ken Paxton's desperate—and, according to analysts, doomed-to-fail—Supreme Court lawsuit against four key battleground...
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) speaks alongside a bipartisan group of Democratic and Republican members of Congress on December 1, 2020. News
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
'Beyond Incomprehensible': Bipartisan Covid Relief Package Would Let Paid Sick and Family Leave Expire
An updated version of the $908 billion bipartisan coronavirus relief proposal currently under negotiation on Capitol Hill does not include an extension of federal paid sick and family leave programs set to expire at the end of the year, an omission that could deprive nearly 90 million workers of...
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Dozens of protesters gather in front of Jeff Bezos' residency on 5th Avenue in Manhattan on August 9, 2020. News
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
New Research Shows 'Pandemic Profits' of Billionaires Could Fully Fund $3,000 Stimulus Checks for Every Person in US
America's 651 billionaires have gained so much wealth during the coronavirus pandemic that they could fully pay for one-time $3,000 stimulus checks for every person in the United States and still be better off than they were before the crisis. That's according to new research released Wednesday by...
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Tom Vilsack meets with staff members on Tuesday September 20, 2016 in Washington, D.C. News
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
'A Terrible Decision': Progressives Denounce Biden Pick of 'Mr. Monsanto' Tom Vilsack as Ag Secretary
President-elect Joe Biden's reported decision to nominate Tom Vilsack to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture was met with immediate backlash from progressives, who argued the former Iowa governor's industry-friendly record as Obama's USDA chief should have disqualified him from returning to the...
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) speaks during a press conference on July 7, 2020 in St. Paul, Minnesota. News
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
Ilhan Omar Rips Congress for Approving $740.5 Billion Bill to 'Appease Defense Contractors' While Skimping on Covid Relief
After the Democrat-controlled House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $740.5 billion budget for the Pentagon for fiscal year 2021, Rep. Ilhan Omar slammed the warped priorities that have led lawmakers to pass with few objections a "bill to appease defense contractors and special interests" while...
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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on December 2, 2020. News
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
'This Is Atrocious': Trump White House Proposes Covid Relief Plan With $0 Weekly Unemployment Boost
The Trump White House late Tuesday tossed into the middle of ongoing coronavirus relief negotiations a $916 billion proposal that includes one-time $600 stimulus payments in the place of a weekly boost to federal unemployment benefits, a trade-off that Democratic lawmakers and economic analysts...
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks at a protest at the U.S. Capitol on October 22, 2020 in Washington, D.C. News
Tuesday, December 08, 2020
Sanders Leads Senate Demand for $1,200 Stimulus Checks Over 'Get-Out-of-Jail Free Card' for Corporations
Rejecting the bipartisan coronavirus relief plan currently under negotiation on Capitol Hill as "totally inadequate," Sen. Bernie Sanders and five Democratic senators circulated a letter Tuesday calling on their fellow lawmakers to join them in demanding the inclusion of another round of direct...
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News
Tuesday, December 08, 2020
'Time Is Running Out for Millions': Progressives Rally for People's Bailout as McConnell Pushes Corporate Immunity
As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's unrelenting effort to give corporations immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits threatens to undermine ongoing relief talks, a coalition of lawmakers and progressive advocacy groups is holding a virtual rally Tuesday evening to demand a "people's...
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