The “Make Amazon Pay” campaign includes strikes and protests on six continents, disrupting a major shopping weekend.
Amazon workers and their allies are participating in a series of global actions aimed at holding the online retailer “accountable for labor abuses, environmental degradation, and threats to democracy,” according to the labor group UNI Global Union.

Dubbed “Make Amazon Pay,” the campaign is set to last from November 29 to December 2 and will include strikes and protests across six continents, according to the group — and is timed to disrupt Black Friday (or “Make Amazon Pay Day”) and Cyber Monday, two of the busiest online shopping days of the year.

“When we announced our intention to protest today, our management attempted to stop us in multiple ways. We want to say to Amazon — you could not stop us today, you cannot stop us in the future,” said the general secretary of the Amazon India Workers Union during a demonstration held in India on Friday.

Make Amazon Pay Day was launched in 2020 by UNI Global Union and the left-leaning movement group Progressive International. It has expanded each subsequent year, say organizers, and today the coalition behind Make Amazon Pay Day brings together a wide range of groups, including climate, racial, and economic justice organizations.

According to Progressive International, actions taking place as part of the campaign include but are not limited to: strikes at multiple warehouses in Germany; direct actions in French towns and cities led by the justice group Attac; a rally in India by Amazon workers over unsafe working conditions; and a protest by trade unionists at an Amazon call center. All told, actions are supposed to take place in over 30 countries.

📢 The streets of #Agra are alive with the voices of workers marching together for justice and accountability! Warehouse workers and allies demand fair treatment, better conditions, and dignity for all. It's time to #MakeAmazonPay! ✊ @uniapro@uniglobalunion@ProgIntl pic.twitter.com/pGPzOIjYVX

— Amazon India Workers Union (@AiwaInd) November 29, 2024

“This fight is global. Every picket, every strike, every action of solidarity matters. Another world is possible, and we are building that world one strike, one conversation at a time. Together, we are unstoppable,” said Christy Hoffman, UNI Global Union’s general secretary, on Friday while speaking to striking workers in Germany.

The campaign alleges that Amazon “squeezes” workers, communities, and the planet. For example, “while tripling profits in early 2024, Amazon surveils and pressures drivers and warehouse workers at the risk of severe physical and mental harm,” according to campaign materials.

Responding to the campaign, an Amazon U.S. spokesperson told Newsweek: “The fact is at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities — all from day one. We’ve created more than 1.5 million jobs around the world, and counting, and we provide a modern, safe, and engaging workplace whether you work in an office or at one of our operations buildings.”

Online, progressive political figures lent their support to the effort.

“Today, I stand with Amazon workers in over 30 countries around the world striking and protesting to #MakeAmazonPay,” wrote Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the British Labour Party.

“While billionaire Bezos tours the world on his $500m yacht, Amazon workers in 20+ countries are rising up this Black Friday to demand fair wages, union rights, and climate action. Amazon must pay its fair share and respect workers. I stand with #MakeAmazonPay,” chimed in U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on X.

Following the inaugural Make Amazon Pay campaign in 2020, hundreds of lawmakers from dozens of countries endorsed the effort with an open letter to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.

“The world knows that Amazon can afford to pay its workers, its environmental cost, and its taxes. And yet — time and again — you have dodged and dismissed your debts to workers, societies, and the planet,” the letter alleged. U.S. signatories included Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

Migraine affects roughly 35 million people, or about 12 percent of the U.S. population. Typically, migraine affects more women than men. Yet, up to half of those with migraine don’t have a diagnosis. Continue reading to learn more about severe or chronic migraine and treatment options.

What is severe migraine?

The symptoms of severe or acute migraine include pain, which is usually severe and often disabling, as well as intense throbbing. Some people experience nausea, vomiting, or extreme sensitivity to noise or light during attacks. Episodes of severe migraine may last from 4 hours to 3 days.

Severe migraine may occur with or without aura. Aura refers to a perceptual disturbance. Examples include experiencing nonexistent smells, lights, or sounds. Migraine is often considered severe when pain, nausea, or other associated symptoms force a person to avoid normal daily activities.

Also, migraine is classified as severe if the person affected has a history of two to five similar episodes. Migraine is most common among people ages 25 to 55Trusted Source, but it may also affect children and teens.

Chronic migraine occurs at least 15 days a month, for more than 3 consecutive months. This type of migraine can cause a substantial loss in productivityTrusted Source and may result in a poor quality of life. It’s important to treat acute migraine in order to prevent the development of chronic migraine.

Treating severe migraine

Chronic migraine treatment typically involves lifestyle and trigger management, medications, and preventive measures. Managing your diet, ensuring you get enough sleep, and avoiding your migraine triggers whenever possible is a start, but typically your doctor will recommend medications to manage pain and other symptoms.

Numerous drugs are available to treat migraine. Over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen, can be helpful in treating mild to moderate migraine episodes. For moderate to severe migraine, however, triptans may be recommended. Triptans, which were created to treat acute migraine symptoms, may be taken orally or via a nasal spray.

Here’s a list of commonly prescribed medications in the triptan family:

• sumatriptan (available in oral form, injectable form, or nasal spray)
• naratriptan
• zolmitriptan (available in oral form or nasal spray)
• rizatriptan
• almotriptan
• frovatriptan
• eletriptan

Triptans are most effective when used to treat a migraine episode that has not yet progressed to a severe stage.

Natural relief for migraine

Research around the use of supplements to treat migraine is ongoing, but feverfew, magnesium, riboflavin, and coenzyme Q10 may help. Ultimately, a 2019 examinationTrusted Source of supplement effectiveness determined that even with limitations — small sample sizes and lack of medical diagnoses — these supplements may decrease the frequency of migraine headaches.

Mainstream migraine preventive treatment

At this time, onabotulinumtoxin A (Botox) is a popular preventive treatment for chronic migraine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (anti-CGRP) monoclonal antibodies are also used to treat chronic migraine. Anti-CGRP treatments are also called CGRP, CGRP inhibitor, and CGRP antagonist treatment. These include:

• eptinezumab (Vyepti)
• fremanezumab (Ajovy)
• galcanezumab (Emgality)
• atogepant (Qulipta)
• erenumab (Aimovig)

Most CGRP migraine treatments are taken by injection. Atogepant is the first, and so far only, FDA-approved oral CGRP for the treatment of migraine.

Migraine headaches vs. other types

Virtually everyone gets ordinary tension headaches. Tension headaches typically cause a dull pain, as if a tight band is squeezing the head. Triggers may include:

• muscle tension in the neck and scalp
• caffeine withdrawal
• too little sleep
• dehydration

Tension headaches usually respond to treatment with common over-the-counter pain relievers.

A cluster headache is another less common type of headache. Cluster headaches affect men more often than women. The headaches are characterized by sudden severe pain behind or around the eye, on one side of the head. Pain peaks within 10 minutes but can last 15 minutes to 3 hours.

Migraine, which is considered a neurological disorder, and migraine episodes are distinct from tension or cluster headaches. When migraine is chronic, it can be very disruptive to a person’s life.

Migraine aura and migraine triggers

Some people with migraine report warning symptoms. This is known as migraine with aura. Warning symptoms may include blurred vision, seeing “stars,” or other odd sensations like unpleasant smells before the onset of an attack. Some may even experience slurred speech or other language difficulties. Temporary loss of vision in one eye has also been reported.

Aura may occur from 10 minutes to 1 day before the onset of a migraine episode. In some cases, a person may experience an aura without a migraine episode. Migraine with aura tends to be less severe and disabling than migraine without aura.

A number of factors are known to trigger the onset of migraine episodes. More than halfTrusted Source of people who experience migraine with aura report having at least one trigger for their migraine. Potential triggers are numerous and may include:

• fluctuating hormone levels
• stress or anxiety
• fermented and pickled foods
• cured meats and aged cheeses
• fruits such as bananas, avocados, and citrus
• skipped meals
• too little or too much sleep
• bright or strong lights
• changes in atmospheric pressure due to shifting weather
• alcohol use
• caffeine withdrawal

The science behind migraine

Migraine results from a complex cascade of abnormal events in the brain, something researchers are still trying to fully understand. One thing scientists do know: The abnormal activity originates in the body’s largest cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve. Changes within this cranial nerve quickly spread to a network of smaller nerves. These nerves form a web throughout the delicate outer lining of the brain, known as the dura mater.

Within as little as 10 minutes after a migraine episode begins, pain-sensing nerves in this network undergo molecular changes. This causes them to become hypersensitive to pressure. This hair-trigger response creates throbbing pain as blood pressure naturally rises and falls with each heartbeat.

Also, certain arteries dilate and blood flow is altered, causing the release of pain-producing chemicals. You may experience some of these changes even after an attack has passed.

Brain messenger chemicals, dopamine and serotonin, are also believed to play a role in developing migraine.

Another theory suggests that migraine may be related to the brain’s temperature. If it’s too high or too low, a migraine attack may occur as the body’s defensive response to temperature fluctuations. In addition, a 2015 studyTrusted Source found that small decreases in atmospheric pressure led to migraine episodes in people with migraine.

Scientists believe there’s a genetic basis for migraineTrusted Source. Certain environmental factors, including weather changes, altitude changes, and even travel, are also believed to be linked to migraine. In fact, migraine attacks may be triggered by extreme heat or a change in your routine or your environment.

Takeaway

In general, a migraine episode may appear as a severe headache. Chronic migraine is the presence of an episode at least 15 days a month for more than 3 consecutive months. It’s possible that some days the episode is not so severe and on others it is quite painful, leading to a loss in productivity and quality of life.

If you think you have chronic migraine, you should speak with your doctor so they can help you decide on a course of treatment.

This comes amid broader concerns about conflicts of interest within Trump’s transition team and incoming administration.
Boris Epshteyn, a leading adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, allegedly sought payments in the tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for promoting candidates for top positions in the incoming administration, a scheme that observers saw as further evidence of the corruption pervading the Republican leader’s inner circle.

Multiple news outlets reported Monday that the top attorney on Trump’s transition team investigated Epshteyn — who helped represent the former president during his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election — over accusations that he requested payments from people seeking roles in the incoming administration.

Scott Bessent, Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury Department, was among those Epshteyn pushed for payments , according to The Associated Press.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Epshteyn asked Bessent for “a monthly stipend of at least $30,000” in exchange for promoting him for the Treasury role, an offer Bessent declined. Epshteyn “later asked Bessent to invest $10 million in a three-on-three basketball league,” according to the Post, which cited an internal legal review.

Epshteyn called the accusations “fake” and “defamatory.”

Reports of Epshteyn’s scheme came amid broader concerns about glaring conflicts of interest within Trump’s transition team and incoming administration, both of which are teeming with lobbyists and executives who stand to benefit from the president-elect’s second term.

“In any organization, when the person at the top is as corrupt as Trump, everyone else becomes corrupt, because otherwise you’re a sucker,” journalist Jon Schwarz wrote Monday.

In what one watchdog group called “a highly unprecedented move,” Trump has thus far refused to sign a legally required ethics pledge and other documents necessary to formally set the transition in motion. By not signing the ethics pledge, Trump has been able to conceal the names of individuals and corporations financing his return to power, allowing them to contribute unlimited sums.

“This resistance to commit to ethical conduct while serving as president is a red flag pointing to nothing so much as greed and corruption and an intention to enrich himself and/or his family through the extensive powers of his office,” Virginia Kase Solomón, president and CEO of Common Cause, said in a statement Monday. “Americans expect and deserve a president who prioritizes the nation’s well-being over personal gain. They will not tolerate a president who abuses the powers of his office to line his own pockets.”

During his first term, according to a recent analysis by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Trump “likely benefited from $13.6 million in payments from foreign governments” to his companies.

Trump, granted sweeping immunity by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, is poised to enrich himself further during his second term. As the Post noted last week, the president-elect “has made no promises to divest from any of his financial interests, which have now soared to include a cryptocurrency business and a stake valued at $3.76 billionin a social media company, in addition to his family firm’s growing number of foreign deals.”

“The unprecedented scenario of a president holding a single company’s shares worth billions of dollars — as Trump does in Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., the parent company of Truth Social — is unanticipated by existing law,” the Post added.

Delaney Marsco and Maha Quadri of Campaign Legal Center wrote earlier this month that “in the absence of swift, concrete action by the president-elect to signal his dedication to ethics standards, all signs point to a second term that will prioritize personal interest over public good, and a declining trust in public institutions.”