To Fight or Not to Fight
As the Democratic Party clings to a message of compromise and conflict aversion, the GOP has adopted a fighting posture that seems to be resonating with working-class Americans.
308 Article(s) by: David Sirota
David Sirota is editor-at-large at Jacobin. He edits the Lever and previously served as a senior adviser and speechwriter on Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Biden’s Departure Presents an Opportunity for the Democrats
Joe Biden and his political machine damaged the Democratic Party by delaying his withdrawal. The Democrats can still recover from this crisis — but only if they don’t repeat their past mistakes.
Cargo Giant in Baltimore Crash Silenced Whistleblowers
The company responsible for the Baltimore bridge collapse blocked its employees from reporting safety concerns to the US Coast Guard. It is now being sanctioned by federal regulators for violating a whistleblower protection law.
Workers at a Boeing Supplier Raised Issues About Defects. The Company Didn’t Listen.
Weeks before the door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight over Portland, Oregon, on January 5, grounding more than 150 Boeing aircraft, workers at the part’s reported manufacturer had been warning of safety concerns — but management ignored them.
The “Happiness Industry” Is Anti-Political by Design
Happiness guru Arthur C. Brooks has found fertile ground in the self-help industry to disseminate his right-wing agenda, making a pretty penny convincing liberals that welfare programs and universal benefits have nothing to do with Americans’ well-being.
Senator Bob Menendez Is Corrupt. So Is the Court That Will Judge Him.
Democratic senator Bob Menendez has been indicted for performing favors in exchange for lavish gifts. The Supreme Court justices who will hear his case are guilty of much of the same.
Joe Biden’s DOJ Is Claiming “There Is No Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate”
In the same week large swaths of the US were under extreme heat warnings, Joe Biden’s Justice Department filed its most recent motion to dismiss a landmark climate case by arguing that nothing in the Constitution guarantees the right to a secure climate.
The GOP Is Quietly Adding Climate Denial to Government Spending Bills
Beholden to fossil fuel industry donors, congressional Republicans are quietly inserting provisions into government spending bills that undermine the US government’s ability to respond to the worsening climate crisis.
Striking Hollywood Workers Are Demanding a Cut of Streaming Revenue. They Can Look to Michael Jordan for Precedent.
In Air, Amazon valorizes Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris, for demanding a continuous cut of Nike’s Air Jordan sales. Now, that same studio is balking at very similar demands of ongoing compensation from its workers.
Samuel Alito Could Go Up to Bat for His Billionaire Friend Again
The hedge fund Elliott Management, whose owner has lavishly entertained Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito, has argued that recent anti-fraud rules from the SEC are unconstitutional — and could try to bring a case before Alito to strike them down.
Even NBA Players Like Bruce Brown Are Constrained By Economic Precarity
In a society with almost no social safety net or guarantee of economic stability, even professional athletes like Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown are forced to choose between job satisfaction and economic security.
Banks Are Using High Interest Rates to Rip Off Depositors
The spread between loan interest rates and deposit rates is at a record high, allowing big banks to make out like bandits while consumers miss out on hundreds of billions of dollars in potential savings.
The Florida GOP Wants to Give More State Pension Money to Ron DeSantis’s Prospective Donors
Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature just sent Gov. Ron DeSantis a bill that would put more state pension money in the hands of his prospective Wall Street donors. The bill could put DeSantis on the wrong side of a long-standing anti-corruption rule.
Corruption Has Turned the Supreme Court Into a Weapon of the Right
Supreme Court justices often change their ideological position over time, usually becoming more liberal in their rulings as they age. The goal of right-wing billionaires and activists injecting dark money into the court is to prevent this “ideological drift.”
The Pundits Were Wrong: Corporate Greed Stoked Inflation
For the last year, media pundits have insisted that today’s inflation has nothing to do with corporate profiteering, much to the delight of the capitalist class. It is more than clear now that they were wrong.
Big Tech Is Taking Cues From Big Tobacco’s Playbook
Alongside tireless political lobbying, Big Tech has infiltrated the academic institutions studying and often promoting AI — with little regard for the potentially catastrophic downsides.
Clarence Thomas Helped Kill Eviction Bans That Threatened Harlan Crow’s Business
While billionaire real estate mogul Harlan Crow was lavishing Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas with luxury gifts, Thomas voted to strike down federal tenant protections that might hurt the profits of Crow’s company.
Joe Manchin Increased Taxes on the Working Class
In 2021, Sen. Joe Manchin didn’t just block an expanded child and anti-poverty tax credits that had lifted millions out of poverty. A new study shows it also resulted in a massive regressive tax increase on the working class.
Clarence Thomas Has Long Fought to Kill Laws Requiring Transparency in Political Spending
While receiving lavish gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow and then failing to disclose them, Clarence Thomas pushed to invalidate all disclosure laws, insisting that donors have a right to anonymously influence politics with unlimited amounts of cash.
The Biden Administration Is Letting Big Pharma Profiteer Off a Cancer Drug
Under existing law, Joe Biden and his health secretary have the power to lower the price of medicines developed with taxpayer funds. They’re refusing to do so for the $180,000-a-year cancer drug Xtandi — after a furious lobbying campaign by Big Pharma.