Zohran Mamdani’s win wasn’t the only race last week or even in the past few years where pro-Israel money and arguments failed. The Israel lobby’s power rests on appearing more fearsome than it actually is.
F1 Is a Big, Stupid Hit
Brad Pitt’s F1 is the big, dumb racing movie America’s been waiting for. If you can stomach the sports movie clichés, you’ll probably have a good time.
Victoria’s Public Sector Union Is Facing a Reform Challenge
For 32 years, the same faction has held leadership in the Victorian branch of Australia’s public service union. The rank-and-file reform group A Voice for Members is now mounting a challenge, saying it wants a more democratic and militant union.
Philadelphia’s Blue-Collar Municipal Workforce Is on Strike
AFSCME District Council 33 represents the blue-collar city workers who make Philadelphia run. After sacrificing through the pandemic and years of bruising inflation, they say they’re on strike so they can afford to live in the city they serve.
In Memphis, Elon Musk Pilots a Corporate Takeover Strategy
To build Colossus, Elon Musk’s pollution-spewing AI data center in Memphis, Musk used gag orders to silence city officials and bypass input from residents, whose asthma rates have since soared. Now Musk wants to take this strategy national.
John Maynard Keynes warned that when real investment becomes the by-product of speculation, the result is often disaster. But it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
How Zohran Mamdani Can Succeed as Mayor
Assembling a successful electoral coalition is difficult, but forging a governing coalition to run the city is even harder. Longtime social movements scholar Peter Dreier offers some advice for the potential next mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani.
Jacobin’s Summer Reads Guide
We asked our editors and contributors what you should read this summer. They answered with everything from romances set in the former East Germany to thrillers about Russian mercenaries.
The National Guard’s History of Violent Labor Repression
Donald Trump recently commandeered California’s National Guard to repress anti-ICE protests in LA. The National Guard has a long history of being deployed to break up protests and strikes, including violent repression of strikes by immigrant workers.
The Palestinian Left Is a Vital Part of Its Nation’s History
From the diaspora to the occupied territories and the Palestinian minority in Israel, left-wing forces have played a major role in organizing popular struggles for democratic rights in Palestine. A new Jacobin podcast series looks at their impact and legacy.
George Smiley’s Second Life
In Karla’s Choice, Nick Harkaway takes up his father John le Carré’s most enduring creation, returning George Smiley back to the Cold War’s morally gray trenches. The novel reminds us that clever tradecraft can’t fix what cowardly leaders break.
Israel and Iran Have Set the Stage for the Next War
Iran has long held that conflict with Israel can be managed by limiting its retaliation within clearly defined parameters. But through its preemptive attack, Israel has revealed that it is not a rational actor and upended the rules of war.
Financial Capitalism Is More Dangerous Than Ever Today
The crash of 2008 was supposed to augur the end of ultraspeculative financial capitalism. But financial actors have actually gone from strength to strength since then, and fictitious capital is a bigger menace to global economic stability than ever.
Emma Tenayuca Championed Class Struggle and Migrant Rights
Almost a century ago, labor activist Emma Tenayuca led Mexican American women in San Antonio’s legendary pecan shellers’ strike, facing down bosses, police, and the Klan. Today amid renewed nativist hate, we can learn from her example.