Martin Michaels

Martin Michaels is a Mint Press staff writer specializing in immigration, international affairs and social justice issues. A native New Yorker, Michaels graduated with a degree in international relations and democratization in the Middle East. He has traveled to Jordan, Egypt and Israel, conducting research and studying human rights issues there. Michaels has also worked in various positions with J Street and Occupy Wall Street, promoting peace and social justice. Contact Martin at [email protected] or follow Martin on Twitter at @MMichaelsMPN.

What Do New Yorkers Want Their Next Mayor To Deal With?

As the field of candidates narrows, New York City residents report wealth distribution as a top issue.

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

Bill de Blasio stood alone Monday as the sole Democratic candidate in New York City’s mayoral race -- his final opponent, William C. Thompson, Jr. announced that he would forgo a recount leaving de Blasio to square off against Republican challenger Joe Lhota in the race to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has led the city of 8.3 million for the

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Economic ‘Recovery’ Still Leaves Female College Grads Behind

A new report shows women who have recently graduated college disproportionately struggle to find jobs in their fields, especially in the public sector.

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

Five years after the 2008 economic crisis, about 40 percent of all recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. Month after month, however, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported strong job growth and decreasing unemployment after the economic downturn eliminated at least 7.5 million jobs. Researchers from the National

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Civil Liberties Groups Launch Campaign To Protect Email Privacy

The campaign, “Vanishing Rights,” aims to raise awareness about a 1986 law that allows the government to read emails after six months.

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

Laws protecting Americans’ privacy online have not been updated since 1986, years before the Internet was available to the public, meaning that police can view any email older than 180 days without a warrant. It’s become a major issue for civil liberties groups who say that laws need to be overhauled in order to protect online privacy and Fourth

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Report: Billionaires Rely On Public Assistance To Build Sports Stadiums

Though often touted as key to a city’s prosperity, expensive sports stadiums are rarely worth the investment.

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

Despite having billions in personal wealth, the owners of professional sports teams are increasingly relying upon taxpayer subsidies to pay for stadiums or renovate existing ones, ThinkProgress reports. Across the U.S., taxpayers have been asked to foot the bill for lavish stadiums that have gone over-budget by some $10 billion in recent

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Big Banks Push To End Credit Unions’ Tax-Exempt Status

For-profit banks are lobbying Congress to change the rules as thousands of Americans switch to not-for-profit financial institutions.

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

Cooperatively run credit unions used by 96 million Americans could lose their tax exempt status if Congress approves a proposal from big banks to tax the not-for-profit financial institutions. Behind the push to impose a tax on credit unions is the American Bankers Association (ABA), an lobbyist organization representing the $13 trillion U.S.

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Labor Dispute Could See Las Vegas Shut Down By Strike

Some 50,000 unionized service industry workers at major hotel-casinos may go on strike over stalled contract negotiations.

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

Stalled contract negotiations could soon lead to a major strike by 50,000 bartenders, maids and food servers working at 20 hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, Nev. A strike of this size could shut down or significantly limit operations at some of the largest Las Vegas casinos, including the MGM Grand and Caesar’s Palace. The Associated Press reports that

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Yes, Greece’s Latest General Strike Is Still A Big Deal

Three years into austerity, it may seem like just another strike — but a labor action of equivalent scale in the U.S. would be unprecedented.

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

As the Greek economy continues its freefall, the country’s top unions have called for a nationwide general strike this week to protest government plans to axe 15,000 public sector jobs and suspend another 25,000 as part of economic austerity reforms. Previous general strikes brought 100,000 workers to the streets of Athens and a similar number

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