I. Food Insecurity 

45M - Number of people in southern Africa who lack sufficient access to nutritious food -- up from nearly 10 percent from 2019.

8.4M - Children who are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition across southern Africa this year; some 2.3 million of them will require lifesaving treatment.

820M - Number of people worldwide who suffered from hunger in 2018 -- up from 784 million in 2015.

60% - Share of food-insecure people who are women or girls.

2B - People who are unable to access safe, nutritious, and sufficient food year-round.

132M - Additional people who could become chronically hungry this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Source: The Nation, August 24/31, 2020).

II. Express Lane to Immigration Detention

Driving in Gwinnett County, Georgia can be an express lane to immigration detention.

1.) Primary charges filed against people held by the Gwinnett County Jail: a. Driving without a license and other traffic violations: 45%; b. DUI; 7%; c. Other charges: 48%. 

2.) The pandemic slowed ICE's ability to pick up people held in the Gwinnett County Jail. But sheriff's deputies kept flagging more people than the agency could take. a. Dec '19 - ICE holds - 175 --- ICE pickups - 155; b.  Jan '20;  ICE holds - 160 --- ICE pickups - 150; c. Feb '20 -  ICE holds - 180 --- ICE pickups - 165; d. March '20 - ICE holds - 150 --- ICE pickups - 120; e. - April '20 - ICE holds - 60 --- ICE pickups - 40; f. - ICE holds - 40 ---  ICE pickups - 10. (Source - Mother Jones, September + October 2020). 

III. Biden' Plan to Tax the 1%

According to the Tax Policy Center, Biden' plan would raise upward of $3.7 trillion over 10 years, similar to the amounts that would be raised by a wealth tax.

It would also remove the cap on Social Security payroll taxes for those making above $400,000, generating revenue for low-income retirees.

Biden's plan would tax the capital gains and divided income of those earning more than $1 million as regular income at the increased 39.6% rate. 

All told, Biden's tax plan would reduce the after-tax income of the top 1% by around 17 %. The top 0.1% would see an after-tax income drop of an estimated 23.4%. (Source: Mike Konczal, "The Serious Plan," The Nation, September 7/14, 2020, and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center).

ADDENDUM:

*In just the first three  quarters of 2018, big business quietly pocketed stunning savings they would have (and should have) paid to support America's public needs: $4.5 billion for Apple, $2.2 billion for AT&T, $2.4 billion for Bank of America, $1.7 billion for Verizon, and $1.6 billion for Walmark.