Rest in Power, John Lewis
With the death of John Lewis, we’ve lost another giant of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s up to us to carry on the struggle for the “beautiful community” he spent his whole life fighting for.
19079 Articles by: Alex Press
Mass Uprisings and Their Aftermath in the United States and Chile
Both Chile and the United States have seen massive social upheavals over the past year. The two countries have much to teach each other about how such unrest can translate into substantive political change.
Assessing AMLO
Mexican scholar, columnist, and television host Gibrán Ramírez Reyes reflects on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s first year and a half in office.
How Madrid Became the Laboratory for Spanish Thatcherism
Over its 25-year rule in Madrid, the right-wing Partido Popular has given rise to vast webs of corruption, widespread privatizations, and a disastrous mishandling of COVID-19. But its Thatcherite revolution has also forged a new voter base loyal to the ruling party — meaning predictions of imminent collapse are likely premature.
Unemployed Workers Can Fight Back
In the Depression-era United Kingdom, the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement mobilized thousands to resist the indignities of unemployment. We’re entering another period of massive economic crisis — and just like workers then, unemployed workers today can fight back.
Portland Is on Its Way to Winning Universal Preschool
In Portland, Oregon, a coalition of parents, childcare workers, socialists, unions, and progressive organizations has collected tens of thousands of signatures to put a universal preschool measure on the ballot — all in five weeks, and in the middle of a pandemic.
Defend Ilhan Omar
Even compared to other recently elected left-wingers, Ilhan Omar stands out for her political courage and determination. It’s no wonder she now finds herself the target of a phenomenally well-financed primary challenge backed by private equity interests. Helping her fend off that challenge should be a priority for the Left.
The Rise of Italy’s Populist Right Is a Bleak Warning From the Recent Past
In early 1990s Italy, the retreat of the Left and mounting popular cynicism toward politics allowed a new radical right to begin building its hegemony. For all its idiosyncrasies, the Italy of those years looks increasingly like a mirror of our own future — a country where fascist talking points became normalized and even mild reformism was decreed illegitimate.
The Murder of Malcolm X
There was nothing J. Edgar Hoover feared more than a charismatic black radical who could inspire the oppressed to fight back. And that’s why, according to a compelling new series, the FBI had its fingerprints all over Malcolm X’s murder.
Werner Scholem, a Jewish Communist Murdered by the Nazis
This day in 1940, the Jewish communist Werner Scholem was murdered at Buchenwald concentration camp. A champion of socialism and democracy, his life was intimately tied up with the dramatic defeat of the interwar German left.
New York Is Riding a Wave of Progressive and Socialist Electoral Wins
The past four years have seen a political sea change in New York, with progressives and socialists remaking the state’s politics and establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. We spoke with Luke Hayes, campaign manager for three recent electoral insurgencies and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, on the recent political upheavals in New York.
Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Got a Big Boost From a Mysterious Individual Donation of $15.9 Million
When Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court was under fire, a dark money group called Judicial Crisis Network came to his aid. According to recently obtained documents, more than half of JCN’s funding came from one mysterious, unnamed donor who gave $15.9 million towards the effort.
In Chile, a Murderous Police Claim to Be “Just Following Orders”
The massive protests that rocked Chile last October insisted that we don’t have to obey an unending austerity regime. The government response was a wave of police repression, killing at least 36 civilians — the bloody expression of the dogma that “there is no alternative.”
Imperial Japan and the Russian Revolution
Strangely enough, Japan’s ruling elites initially viewed the Russian Revolution favorably — until radical ideas started spreading to their colonies.
Now Is the Perfect Time to Crack Down on Airbnb
Airbnb bookings have completely collapsed during coronavirus, creating huge numbers of empty properties in the very cities that are suffering the worst housing crises. It’s a perfect time to crack down on Airbnb — including by public seizing of Airbnb units.
Wall Street Is Deeply Grateful for the Supreme Court’s Recent Little-Noticed Ruling
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts has been praised recently as a heroic force for moderation. But his court’s recent ruling just helped Wall Street giants stomp on thousands of public-sector workers and retirees in one of America’s poorest states.
In the 1970s, a Soft Coup Removed Australia’s Left-Wing Prime Minister
The 1975 “dismissal” of Gough Whitlam by the Queen’s representative, Sir John Kerr, is one of the defining moments in Australia’s modern history. It also forms part of a Cold War history that saw left-wing governments around the globe punished for daring to break with US hegemony.
Liberals Still Think Fact-Checking Will Stop the Right. They’re Wrong.
For today’s liberals, the default approach to combating the Right is to fact-check the Right. But conservatives aren’t contestants in a debating contest: they’re waging a political struggle and playing to win. Fact-checking won’t save us.
Poland’s Far Right Is Distorting the Debate on Welfare — and Winning
Ahead of his reelection on Sunday, Polish president Andrzej Duda claimed that “LGBT ideology” was a threat “worse than Soviet communism.” Together with his homophobic offensive, Duda successfully played on Poles’ fears over the economy — fusing a reactionary culture war with the promise to defend families’ benefits.
The Right Is Trying to Make the Kitchen-Table Economy Scream
Republicans would have a tough time convincing the country that reopening the economy is safe when it’s actually extremely dangerous. But as bills pile up and fears of eviction grow, desperate Americans may come to see a premature reopening as the least bad option and head back to work — the outcome that the Right wanted all along.