October 12—Gov. Gavin Newsom signed has signed Senate Bill 43, expanding the meaning of "gravely ill" to include those who are unable to provide themselves with basic needs due to mental illness or addiction issues. It is hoped the measure will reduce homelessness in San Francisco specifically, with local governments saying they can not help those who refuse to be helped.

October 12—President Biden has directed federal agencies to both use existing authority and to suggest new measures to restore salmon and other fish populations in the Pacific Northwest. Dam construction and overfishing have caused steep declines in wild fish numbers, in contravention to U.S. treaty oblignations with first nations of the region.

October 11—The Guardian offers a brief description of the three main actors in the House Speaker drama.

October 11—Registered Florida Republicans now outnumber Democrats by over a half-million voters, one of many signs that the Democratic Party needs to rethink its platform and positioning.

October 11—Visiting Mexico, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, facing a crisis caused by a surge of 110,000 foreign migrants to the city since the spring of 2022, urged Latin Americans not to look to New York as a destination, saying that there is simply "no more room" in the city. The Social Democrat supports rational and orderly immigration, in keeping with existing U.S. laws and regulations.

October 11—This piece in The Hill highlights how issues not strictly central to the social democracy project—in this case, crime and abortion—play an outsized role in U.S. elections. The challenge for the American Left is to negotiate these fraught issues in a manner which does not torpedo its odds of establishing governing majorities.

October 10—Over one thousand people have been killed in Israel and Gaza in the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East. Reuters offers some background.

October 10—Three months after The Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration's first attempt at student debt relief, the administration is convening a group of stakeholders to provide guidance to the Education Department for a new plan.

October 10—After five months of a much publicized strike, members of the Writers Guild of America have ratified a contract with Disney, Netflix and other media giants. The Social Democrat applauds the efforts of unions to improve the lives of their member workers.

Oct 9—AP News looks at how third-party presidential contenders Robert F. Kennedy and Cornel West, along with the No Labels movement, could affect the 2024 elections. The Social Democrat highly urges all fellow travelers not to throw away their votes on any choice other than Democratic candidates.

Oct 9—Harvard economist Claudia Goldin, known for her investigations of gender wage discrepancies, has been awarded the Nobel Prize. Goldin's research has shown that, contrary to popular belief on the Left, the difference in earnings between men and women is mainly attributable not to discrimination by employers but to choices about career path and work-life balance. In her latest book, Career and Family: Women's Century-Long Journey toward Equity, she pinpoints "greedy" jobs as a major culprit in the professional classes, where exorbitant work hours are rewarded, presenting difficult choices to women who feel responsible for the needs of children at home.

Oct 10—Starting in 2024, purchasers of electric vehicles will be able to take the $7,500 tax credit, mandated by the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, at the dealer, rather than waiting to claim on their income tax filings.

Oct 10—336,000 non-farm jobs were added to the U.S. economy in September, with the unemployment rate steady at 3.8% and year-on-year average hourly earnings up 4.2%.

Oct 8—In a Reuters "Explainer" article, why healthcare workers are striking against Kaiser Permanente.

October 3—California has taken the national lead in increasing wages for fast-food workers. The new minimum of $20 per hour will affect workers at restaurant chains with at least 60 branches nationwide; and the legislation includes a council with power to annually boost the minimum to keep up with inflation. The change will affect about 500,000 California workers, whose current minimum wage is $15.60. In reference to the widely held view that fast-food restaurant jobs are the province of teenagers who don't really need the money, California governor Gavin Newsome said, “That’s a romanticized version of a world that doesn’t exist," noting that most restaurant workers are adults with adult expenses and responsibiities. Social democracy in action!