My Son Hunter Is a Total Waste of Hunter Biden’s Wild Story
Breitbart’s movie about Hunter Biden, My Son Hunter, is neither entertaining, informative, competently made, nor politically persuasive. How do you screw this one up?
19639 Articles by: Jonathan Sas
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labor movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, the Tyee, and Maisonneuve.
Putin’s War Is Exposing the Cracks in Russia’s Communist Party
For two decades, the Communist Party has been part of Vladimir Putin’s power system, while also integrating many protest movements from within Russian society. But since the invasion of Ukraine, the party’s balancing act has become ever more precarious.
The US’s Taiwan Policy Could Provoke Another Dumb and Dangerous War
The Taiwan Policy Act has advanced through a Senate committee by a bipartisan vote. It’s the latest instance of the US chipping away at the “One China” policy. The result could be the very war the bill is meant to deter.
Illinois Is Eliminating Cash Bail. To Hysterical Conservatives, It’s the End of the World.
Cash bail creates a two-tier justice system where freedom belongs to those who can afford it. For poor people, Illinois’s new bail reform bill is a step toward justice. For melodramatic conservatives drowning in propaganda, it’s right out of a horror film.
To Solve the Housing Crisis, We Have to Increase the Housing Supply
The persistent shortage of homes is a key driver of the housing crisis. The solution is social housing, but to halt the churn of displacement in the short term, we simply need to build more homes.
Democrats Aren’t Saying How Much Their Pipeline Deal Will Increase Emissions
The Inflation Reduction Act has been widely touted as a big step on climate. But to pass it, Democrats struck a deal with Joe Manchin to accelerate oil and gas pipeline construction — and no one is discussing how much it might increase emissions.
Trumpism Won’t Be Defeated by the Judicial System Alone
It’s good that Donald Trump and his cronies are facing increasing legal pressure. But the threat of Trump’s politics won’t go away until we change the conditions that gave rise to them.
To Stop the Far Right, Sweden’s Left Has to Rebuild a Working-Class Majority
The big winner in last weekend’s Swedish elections was the far-right Sweden Democrats, who came in second place nationally. To stop their advance, the Left needs to rebuild its roots in all sections of the working class.
Mark Twain’s Sympathies Lay With the Working Class
At the height of his fame, Mark Twain schmoozed with robber barons like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. But he remained sharply critical of the unequal system they presided over.
Railworkers May Not Share Joe Biden’s Belief That the Threat of a Rail Strike is Over
A rail system shutdown was averted by an eleventh-hour tentative agreement between rail companies and union negotiators. But union members may reject the deal — the details of which are still forthcoming — making future strikes a distinct possibility.
Employers — Not Workers — Are to Blame for the Labor Crisis
Mainstream Canadian pundits claim the country is in the midst of a “labor crisis” in which workers just don’t want to work. This is absurd: workers need unions and decent wages, and right now many don’t have either.
Socialists Should Watch the Films of Jean-Luc Godard
Director Jean-Luc Godard has died at the age of 91. Many of his films explore the struggles of the post-’68 period — but even his less explicitly political work provides a utopian message of creative freedom.
The Goal Shouldn’t Be Ending Poverty. The Goal Should Be Human Flourishing.
The poverty line is arbitrary, and many who clear the threshold are still suffering in ways no decent society should allow. The true goal of public policy shouldn’t be nudging people over the poverty line but enabling people to lead good lives.
Europe Isn’t Doing Nearly Enough to Fight the Cost-of-Living Crisis
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address this week marked a small step away from austerity dogmas. But the EU isn’t facing up to the vast fallout of the mounting energy crisis.
Secret Documents Have Exposed the CIA’s Julian Assange Obsession
New revelations show that the CIA secretly took control of the security company hired by Ecuador’s government to guard Julian Assange during his exile in London. The agency’s spying on Assange and his visitors constitutes a major breach of civil liberties.
Seattle Teachers’ Weeklong Strike Has Ended
Seattle teachers are back in the classroom this week after walking off the job on September 7. The union won some gains — but some members aren’t happy about how the strike ended.
There’s Never Been a Better Moment to Disempower the Supreme Court
For the first time in living memory, the Supreme Court is facing a crisis of popular legitimacy. Let’s make the most of it.
Ron DeSantis Should Be Prosecuted for His Treatment of Immigrants
Stop calling it a “political stunt.” Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s use of vulnerable immigrants as props is disgusting and criminal.
Ukraine Shouldn’t Become a Neoliberal Laboratory
Hundred of thousands of Ukrainian workers have mobilized to defend their country against the Russian invasion. Yet economic elites are using this moment to push through an unpopular liberalization agenda.
The Struggle Against the First King Charles Inspired the Republican Tradition
Sycophantic journalists and politicians make it seem as if deference to the British monarchy is the natural order of things. But the country over which Charles III now reigns rose up against his 17th-century namesake to challenge hereditary privilege.