Bernie Sanders has proposed making artificial intelligence providers hand over 50% of their stock to a US sovereign wealth fund. Criticisms of the idea, ranging from AI skepticism to arguments against public ownership, have not been compelling.
I Am Not to Blame for Unemployment Hell, and Neither Are You
No matter how many books about Marxism you may have read, a bout of unemployment may find you blaming yourself for your condition. Jobless workers: resist the siren song of self-castigation.
Filmed in Western Sahara, The Odyssey Endorses Colonialism
For five decades, Morocco has illegally occupied Western Sahara. The shooting of part of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in the territory, backed by state subsidies, serves a far-reaching effort to normalize Morocco’s colonial rule.
Troy Jackson’s Politics Are Rooted in Maine Logger Struggles
Maine Senate hopeful Troy Jackson’s history is a case study of something the Left often discusses but rarely sees: a working-class politician who emerged from workplace organizing struggles and used his power to advance pro-worker policies.
Richard Pryor’s Daughter on His Radical Legacy
Historian Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor discusses her new memoir, the history of the N-word, and why her father used comedy to confront racism.
American Freedom Was Built on Endless Conquest
The Founders made expansion the precondition of American freedom. We must find an alternative.
Mainstream economics cannot accept the concept of contradiction that is foundational for Karl Marx’s analysis of capitalism. David Harvey explains why we need the Marxist perspective if we want to make sense of capital’s latest mutations in the age of AI.
To Celebrate Bastille Day, $7.89 Subscriptions
Bastille Day is the perfect day to convert a friend into a Jacobin. Yearlong print and digital subscriptions are just $7.89 today.
Why the French Revolution Matters
The storming of the Bastille was the opening act in a century-long upheaval that broke with the premodern world and finally put ordinary people in charge of their nation’s destiny. That’s the legacy of the French Revolution.
Unable to Accept Defeat, Donald Trump Presses On in Iran
Iran has destroyed much of the US’s military infrastructure across West Asia and strengthened its position by controlling the Strait of Hormuz — yet Trump has learned nothing from his defeat.
Aliens Gave Us One of Hollywood’s Great Working-Class Heroes
When James Cameron’s Aliens was released 40 years ago, film critics dismissed it as a dumb blockbuster, a defense of patriarchy, and a reflection of US scorched-earth military policy. They were wrong on all counts.
Jonathan Chait’s Atlantic essay claims the Democratic Socialists of America has betrayed the legacy of its founder, Michael Harrington. It gets DSA’s history, and what the organization is today, wrong.
The Left Needs Its Own Foreign Policy
Outrage at US complicity in the war on Gaza has pushed many Americans to think about international politics for the first time. The Left should seize this moment to push its vision of how the global order should run.
What Marx Can Tell Us About Artificial Intelligence
Karl Marx’s analysis of capitalism’s tendency to replace living labor with machines can help shed light on how AI take-up may develop.
Everybody Should Welcome Nationalizing AI
Bernie Sanders wants to nationalize half the stock of major AI companies and create a sovereign wealth fund for the American people. The case for going even further is stronger than most people realize.
As Mass Incarceration Rose, Corporate Crime Ran Amok
We spoke to political scientist Marie Gottschalk about how corporate criminals have been let off the hook as prisons have exploded and what the path to ending mass incarceration might look like.