7 Democratic Senators Just Did Their Wall Street Donors a Huge Favor
For a group of Democratic senators, blocking an expansion of the child tax credit wasn’t enough — they also had to do a huge favor for their big-money donors in private equity.
19728 Articles by: Frances Abele
Frances Abele CM is Distinguished Research Professor and Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy Emerita at Carleton University. She is a research fellow at the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation and the Broadbent Institute. Much of her work focuses on indigenous-Canada relations.
How Striking Auto Workers Showed Italy the Way Out of Decline
The battle against layoffs at Florence’s GKN auto parts plant may seem like a dispute from a past era. Yet the workers’ plan for the green reconversion of the factory shows how labor can point the way to the future.
Archaeologists in Quebec Are About to Sign Their First-Ever Collective Bargaining Agreement
Quebecois archeologists will soon ink their very first collective bargaining agreement. We don’t associate archaeological workers with unions, but there’s no reason archaeologists can’t organize, too.
Vladimir Sorokin’s Telluria Is a Dystopian Novel for Our Dangerous Times
In Russian novelist Vladimir Sorokin’s Telluria, inhabitants of a war-ravaged Europe can find solace only by hammering nails made of a hallucinogenic substance into their skulls. It’s a postapocalyptic world that isn’t quite like our own — yet.
US Interference in Somalia Has Been a Disaster for Somalis
Joe Biden has announced the return of US ground troops to Somalia. Far from helping Somalis, the long, destructive history of US intervention since the 1970s has merely worsened their country’s deep crisis and fueled the rise of the terrorist group al-Shabaab.
Mario Fiorentini (1918–2022): The Last Partisan
Mario Fiorentini was the last surviving militant of Rome’s Communist-led Gruppi d’Azione Patriottica partisan units. With his passing last night, we lost a powerful witness to the fight against Italian Fascism and German occupation.
Colombia’s Left Government Will Be Watched Closely by All of Latin America
Colombia’s new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, took office Sunday. His government will face massive challenges in carrying out its promised progressive agenda — but success could help spark similar left insurgents throughout Latin America.
Chuck Schumer’s Family Is Getting Nice Work on Wall Street
Blackstone, the world’s largest private equity fund, just hired Senator Chuck Schumer’s son-in-law as a lobbyist — at the same time the Wall Street firm is lobbying the Senate on major financial legislation.
Pablo Iglesias: There Were Illegal Moves to Stop Podemos Reaching Office
Pablo Iglesias, cofounder of Spain’s leftist party Podemos, tells Jacobin that antidemocratic forces in the Spanish police and secret services plotted to stop his party from taking power.
Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train Is a Train Wreck
Don’t let the glossy trailers fool you — Brad Pitt’s new action comedy, Bullet Train, is a strenuous and leaden film that never takes off.
The Inflation Reduction Act Should Be Cause for Relief, Not Celebration
The Inflation Reduction Act that just passed the Senate is a deeply flawed bill, but one that gives us a fighting chance to avert climate catastrophe — if the public urgently mobilizes to undo its worst features.
Democrats Have Delivered for Wall Street Yet Again
Democrats pretended they were cracking down on private equity moguls. The truth: Dems were actually protecting them — perhaps because private equity firms are major Democratic donors.
Kenyans Are Being Violently Evicted From Their Homes to Make Room for Developers
Kenya’s outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over the worst wave of evictions in the country’s history. On the eve of the country’s general election, nothing seems set to change.
We Have the Tools to Defeat the Supreme Court. All We Need Is the Will.
The Supreme Court’s ultraconservative majority is determined to block progressive reforms. Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt both faced a similar problem, and the way they tackled it shows that there’s no reason to let judges strangle democracy.
Chuck Schumer Loves Doing Big Pharma’s Bidding
Chuck Schumer has received more money from Big Pharma than any other Senator save one. The investment appears to be paying off, as Schumer just allowed an aide to kill a proposed cap on prescription drug prices.
Canada’s Carbon Tax Is Hurting Working People
Canada’s carbon tax isn’t achieving much for the environment, and because the tax falls heavily on working people, it is more unpopular than ever. Without a redesign, the carbon tax is a gift to right-wing populists.
The Greens’ Surrender Over Labor’s Climate Bill Is a Mistake
Australia’s Greens just gave their backing to the government’s woefully inadequate climate bill. In order to rebuild a movement that can force real action on climate change, the Greens must use their leverage to rally opposition to Labor’s hollow symbolism.
The Psychedelic Renaissance Is on the Verge of an Uneasy Enlightenment
Pharma companies and shrewd investors are poised to make massive profits off the medical legalization of psychedelics. For now, they’re united with the psychedelic movement’s true believers — an uneasy truce that must break in one party’s favor.
A Nationwide Bargaining Unit to Fight Starbucks Is a Moon Shot Worth Trying
By preventing centralized bargaining, existing labor laws make Starbucks organizing an uphill battle. A short-lived law from 1990s Ontario points to how incremental store-by-store wins could be transformed into more powerful, broader-based bargaining.
Three Years After His Žižek Debate, Jordan Peterson Somehow Knows Even Less About Marx
Jordan Peterson keeps running his mouth on Marx and Marxism, but a new conversation with Kyle Kulinski shows that the Canadian neo-reactionary has forgotten what little he ever knew about the subject.