It’s a Wonderful Life vs. the FBI
Amid Cold War paranoia, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI set its sights on a potential source of communist subversion: Frank Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life.
19462 Articles by: Julia Goodman
Oliver Stone’s JFK Assassination Documentary Shouldn’t Be Dismissed
Oliver Stone’s new JFK assassination documentary struggled to reach US screens, only to meet with media ridicule when it did. But if there’s nothing to see here, why is the government still blocking the release of records 60 years later?
We Should All Dream of a World With No Scrooges
The Muppet Christmas Carol story rightly insists that greed is a sin and charity a virtue, and trumpets a future where there are no more Scrooges around.
Éric Zemmour Is Another Right-Wing Fake Populist Created by Corporate Media
Far-right pundit Éric Zemmour says he is running for the French presidency in order to stand up to elites. Yet far from a grassroots endeavor, his campaign has been driven by some of France’s biggest corporate media.
Edward Said’s Orientalism and Its Afterlives
Edward Said’s Orientalism instilled an anti-imperial sensibility into an entire generation of Western scholars. But even while it castigated the imperial project, its actual analysis didn’t give us the intellectual resources to overturn it.
Teachers in Buenos Aires Are Striking Against Neoliberalism
Buenos Aires’s neoliberal government has used the pandemic to impose austerity on the city’s primary and secondary school teachers. Argentine teachers are fighting back with a campaign of rolling strikes.
The Secret to the Weston Family’s Wealth Is Exploitation, Not Hard Work
Canada’s ruling class is fond of praising the Westons for representing an ethical form of capitalism. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Westons made their fortunes by ruthlessly exploiting workers.
The Equality That Socialists Care About Most Is Equality of Power
When socialists talk about creating a more equal society, we don’t mean a society where everyone has an exactly equal share of everything. We mean a society where power has been equalized by extending democracy into the economy.
Failure to Prioritize Vaccinating Incarcerated People Will Harm Everyone, Again
Omicron is coming for America’s overcrowded jails and prisons. Prioritizing vaccines for incarcerated people and rolling back our massive prison-industrial complex is good public health for everyone.
How Chile’s Left Won
Gabriel Boric’s victory in Chile is a vindication of the mass movement that took to the streets in 2019 — and points toward a country ready to bury Pinochet’s legacy and neoliberalism for good.
The Problem With Joe Manchin Is the Problem of American Democracy
Joe Manchin’s blocking of the Build Back Better Act is maddening. But it was only possible because we live under a deeply undemocratic political system and are stuck with a Democratic Party still dominated by corporate interests.
When Debts Become Unpayable, They Should Be Forgiven
For centuries, debt and indebtedness have had profoundly destabilizing effects on human societies. In the ancient world, rulers and their subjects had a solution: known as a debt jubilee, it involved a periodic, unconditional wiping out of debt. We need such a jubilee today.
Joe Biden and the Democrats Will Pay a Heavy Price for Betraying Young Voters
The Biden administration has reneged on key promises that candidate Biden used to entice younger voters to turn out for him in 2020. Surprise: his approval ratings with the young are now in free fall.
We Don’t Need More Brinkmanship With Russia
With threats of sanctions and military aid, US saber-rattling over Ukraine is escalating an already tense confrontation with Russia. It’s a dangerous game that the United States should stop playing.
Today’s Supreme Court Reformers Should Learn from the Popular Politics of FDR’s Court-Packing
There are few fights as urgent in American politics as the one to reduce the reactionary, undemocratic power of the Supreme Court. To win that fight, reformers should examine how FDR took his case for court reform to the masses.
Carbon Capture Can Be Part of the Climate Solution
Fossil fuel companies tout carbon capture as a way to shore up their own profits. But the technology holds the potential for good — helping us to save the planet, and ourselves, from ecological catastrophe.
How the Koch Network Is Spreading COVID Misinformation
As the Omicron variant surges, an institute funded by the Koch network may be undermining government attempts to stop the pandemic.
Don’t Listen to Centrists When They Say Good Things Are “Politically Impossible”
The Biden administration’s U-turn on distributing millions of COVID tests free of charge — after White House spokesperson Jen Psaki ridiculed the idea two weeks ago — is a case study in how meaningless claims of “political impossibility” often are.
Powershop’s Sellout Shows the Free Market Won’t Stop Climate Change
The Australian green energy provider Powershop launched in 2012 with the support of a range of environmental NGOs. Last month, Shell bought the company and took over its clients.
Eric Adams Just Racked Up a Surprising Political Loss
New York City’s incoming mayor, Eric Adams, was dealt an early defeat last week when his hand-picked candidate for council speaker was rejected in favor of Adrienne Adams. It’s a sign that Mayor Adams will not have a rubber-stamp council at his disposal.