Abolish the Military-Entertainment Complex

For every one of the few anti-militarist screenplays that are made into films, far more are reflexively spiked because their defiant content raises objections from military leaders.

On Taiwan, the US Is Recklessly Escalating Potential Military Conflict With China

US policy on Taiwan is simultaneously escalatory and muddled, with Joe Biden making belligerent statements that are then contradicted by his own aides. Enough horseplay: the US must stop behaving recklessly and seek a diplomatic solution to the Taiwan crisis.

David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future Has Me Missing His Early Stuff

David Cronenberg’s latest film, Crimes of the Future, is a return to the “body horror” genre. It brings back the gross-out gore that first made his career in the 1970s — but without the thrills.

Throughout Europe, New Laws Are Criminalizing Desperate Refugees

Under the pretense of stopping smugglers, governments across the EU are criminalizing refugees attempting to settle in a safe country. These laws violate basic human rights and set a dangerous precedent for the treatment of asylum seekers.

Joe Biden Hasn’t Delivered the Competent Foreign Policy He Promised

With Joe Biden in the White House, the adults were meant to be back in charge, running a well-managed foreign policy. Instead, it’s been a series of embarrassments and growing tensions with the rest of the world.

San Francisco Elites Scapegoated Chesa Boudin for the City’s Problems. It Worked.

A billionaire-funded recall campaign pinned San Francisco’s myriad problems on progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin. That recall succeeded on Tuesday, but the city’s problems aren’t going anywhere as long as inequality remains meaningfully unaddressed.

Keep Your Guns and Batons Away From My Pride Parade

The queer left should loudly and proudly reject the participation of armed and uniformed cops marching at Pride. The world we envision won’t be achieved with more LGBTQ police officers.

Lower-Caste Life in India Is Illustrated in a New Short-Story Collection

Dalit activist and writer Gogu Shyamala’s debut collection of short stories, Father May Be an Elephant and Mother Only a Small Basket, But . . . , explores caste, tradition, and exploitation in contemporary India without romanticism.

Oil Companies Around the World Are Suing to Block Climate Action

Fossil fuel companies are suing countries that enact climate change policies, arguing that they are illegally cutting into their profits — and they’re winning 72 percent of the time. Now governments risk being sued for billions when enacting climate policies.

Corporate Landlords Are Taking Over — But Tenants Can Use Their Monopolies Against Them

Since the 2008 housing crisis, huge corporate landlords have taken over an alarmingly large share of the rental market. But the more tenants share the same landlord, the greater the number of potential organized tenants that landlord has to face down.

Bernie Sanders Should Run for President a Third Time

Multiple reports say Bernie Sanders hasn’t ruled out another presidential campaign. He should go for it.

If the US Values Free Speech, It Will Investigate the Murder of Shireen Abu Akleh

From the persecution of Chevron opponent Steven Donziger to the murder of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the US government disregards free speech in situations where corporate allies stand to benefit.

The Cease-Fire in Yemen Is Unambiguously Good News

Here’s some great news: the horrific war in Yemen is showing signs of de-escalating as a new cease-fire takes effect. The best thing the US can do now is refuse to side with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the Yemeni people.

The CEO-to-Worker Pay Gap Is Climbing to Truly Obscene Levels

A new report finds that the gap between worker pay and CEO compensation continues to grow at some of the United States’ lowest-paying firms. At dozens of companies, the ratio exceeds one thousand to one.

Ricardo Lara Is the Insurance Industry’s Favorite Democrat

Democrat Ricardo Lara is running for reelection as California state insurance commissioner in today’s primary. A new complaint alleges that he’s secretly accepting insurance industry donations after swearing them off — and it’s not the first time.

A Police Murder in Western Massachusetts Shows How Economic Inequality Kills

In the deindustrialized town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, police recently killed a man having a mental health episode. Now residents are organizing to attack the deep social and economic ills that led to his death.

Denmark’s Social Democrats Want to Move Even Further to the Right

Social Democratic prime minister Mette Frederiksen has called on the Danish right to join her government and end her reliance on the Red-Green Alliance. The center-left in Denmark is rejecting socialism and embracing allies of big business instead.

The Uvalde Massacre Has Exposed the Lies That Once Justified Police Militarization

For years, the ever-increasing militarization of US police forces has been cast by its defenders as an indispensable tool for dealing with large-scale violence and mass-casualty events. Since the Uvalde massacre last month, that rationale lies in tatters.

Issue 45: Misery Index

Crunching the numbers on the class war.

“A Senator Has a Unilateral Right to Be Annoying”: The Fall, and Further Fall, of Build Back Better