It’s not just Zohran Mamdani — socialist candidates won municipal elections across the US last week. Like the New York mayor-elect, many of them focused their campaigns on affordability and relied on impressive grassroots volunteer operations.
Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon Is a Film for Musical Superfans
Richard Linklater must have extraordinary pull to get big-screen releases for his two esoteric period movies this year, because only a small group of avid American musical superfans will find Blue Moon interesting.
“Elbows Up” in the Shadow of the US
Canada’s new declarations of independence disguise continued economic and cultural reliance on its threatening neighbor. From Mark Carney’s trade diplomacy to the literati’s self-congratulation, Canada can’t imagine a freedom that isn’t defined by the US.
In Cameroon, Hopes for Change Have Been Stifled
In October’s election, Cameroon’s 92-year-old president, Paul Biya, retained his four-decade-long grip on power. Electoral fraud and repression trap Cameroon in a system inherited from colonization, designed to serve foreign interests and a small elite.
Nancy Pelosi Helped Drive the Democrats’ Degeneration
Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement after decades as a shrewd political operator. A genuine leader in a party that lacks them, Pelosi bears a large share of the blame for the Democrats’ embrace of bland corporate centrism.
At a Brooklyn town hall with Bernie Sanders on Saturday, Zohran Mamdani recounted how Bernie “gave me the language of democratic socialism to describe my politics” and called on supporters to keep organizing after Election Day. We reproduce his speech here.
Mayor Mamdani’s Budget Can Add Up
New York’s incoming socialist mayor faces real fiscal constraints — but also real opportunities. With a strong tax base, modest reforms, and a clear political mandate, Zohran Mamdani has the tools to govern.
For 50 Years, Morocco Has Denied Western Sahara Freedom
Morocco has illegally occupied Western Sahara for half a century. From Henry Kissinger to Donald Trump, US government officials have worked tirelessly to help the Moroccan monarchy maintain its oppressive rule over the Sahrawi people.
ICE Is Planning to Build a Bounty Hunter Army
In addition to the extensive technology at its disposal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is devising plans for a bounty-hunting program that would enlist private contractors to help carry out Donald Trump’s mass deportations.
The Springsteen Movie Is an Emotional Workout for Depressives
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is the kind of well-done, serious drama that used to be commonplace in American filmmaking and now is vanishingly rare.
Labor organizing can’t succeed at scale without a supportive legal and political environment, created by majoritarian coalitions that can win reforms, confront corporate power, and prove to skeptical workers that progressive governance delivers.
Andrew Cuomo’s Tens of Millions Couldn’t Stop Zohran Mamdani
Thanks to New York City’s public campaign finance system, Zohran Mamdani was able to defeat the moneyed and powerful Cuomo political dynasty. He was victorious despite record-shattering political spending from Andrew Cuomo’s fundraising apparatus.
As Neoliberalism Crumbles, It Becomes More Destructive
Economist Branko Milanovic is one of the sharpest critics of global inequality. He spoke to Jacobin about how the decline of neoliberal globalization is harshening its most destructive tendencies.
Zohran Mamdani Is Bringing Bernie’s “Nevada Moment” Home
In 2020, Bernie Sanders decisively won the Nevada primary, in part because many younger immigrant voters persuaded parents and grandparents to vote for him. Zohran Mamdani’s victory, powered by similar dynamics, marks the second phase of this moment.
The Socialist Mayor of Schenectady
Long before Zohran Mamdani, Schenectady, New York, elected a socialist mayor who tried to make good on radical promises inside city hall. His short experiment still speaks to the challenges — and possibilities — of governing on the Left.