California Planted Trees to Fight Climate Change. Those Trees Are Now on Fire.
California’s emissions reduction program is going up in smoke because regulators severely underestimated the impact of climate change–fueled wildfires.
21103 Article(s) by: Julia Goodman
Meet Scott Seiss, TikTok’s “Angry Retail Guy”
Comedian Scott Seiss on how his viral TikTok character “Angry Retail Guy” gave voice to the rage of the 21st-century chain store worker.
Andrew Cuomo Was Bad at Being Governor
Disgraced New York governor Andrew Cuomo has finally left office. We look back at his emperor-has-no-clothes record, in which flashy infrastructure projects took the place of real improvements to the lives of working-class New Yorkers.
Socialists Are Winning in Astoria, Queens
Since Bernie Sanders’s 2016 campaign, the diverse working-class neighborhood of Astoria in Queens, New York has been the epicenter of the US revival of socialist electoral politics.
The Supreme Court Is a Threat to Democracy
Last week’s Supreme Court decision striking down the national eviction moratorium was a lawless power grab by an increasingly out-of-control institution.
Canadian Workers Are Unwittingly Funding Bolsonaro’s Water Privatization
Bolsonaro’s right-wing government has auctioned off Rio de Janeiro’s water system to the private sector. Canadian pension funds used millions of dollars of workers’ savings to take over the formerly state-run utility.
The British Establishment Is Losing Its Mind Over Afghanistan
From “war on terror” praise to a Tony Blair lovefest, Britain’s political and media class can’t seem to quit its addiction to militarism and war.
Does Candyman Haunt Capitalists in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green?
We’re just asking questions.
Iceland’s 35-Hour Working Week Worked. It Could Here, Too.
Between 2015 and 2019, Iceland embarked on two massive trials to test the idea of a shorter workweek. The result was an astounding success for its workers — and a model that deserves to be replicated elsewhere.
In Australia, the Far Right Is Pushing COVID-19 Conspiracies
Last weekend, thousands of anti-vaxxers and COVID denialists marched across Australia to protest pandemic restrictions. A core of far-right activists were at the center of the action.
Louis Proyect: I Have Always Identified with People Trying to Change Things
Louis Proyect, who died this week, spent the 1980s organizing international delegations of technical workers to support the Nicaraguan revolution. In this previously unpublished interview, he reflects on Central American solidarity efforts and a life lived on the Left.
How Richmond Steered Public Money Away From Police to Human Needs
Shifting police budgets to social programs was the key demand after the George Floyd protests. Progressives in Richmond, California, have actually done it. Two organizers explain how.
No Surprise, Uber and Lyft Lied About Helping Workers
Uber and Lyft said that California’s Proposition 22 would help their drivers. We now have proof they were lying.
Brazil Has Just Experienced Another “Lost Decade”
In Brazil’s worst decade in more than a century, unemployment, precarious and informal work, poverty, and inequality are all sharply on the rise. In a crisis stoked by a far-right government, fixing the country’s economy can only happen with a political reckoning from the Left.
Europe’s Far Right Stands for Business Owners, Not Workers
Far-right parties like Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National claim to protect working people. But for all their populist rhetoric, their economic proposals would slash public services and demolish workers’ rights.
A Portrait of the Val as a Young Kilmer
Sourced from decades of the Hollywood star’s private home videos, the new documentary Val depicts the rise and fall of infamously “difficult” actor Val Kilmer with charm and intimacy — even if it’s a self-serving portrait.
What Draws Us to the Reactionary Darkness of Dune?
The latest film adaptation of Dune, Frank Herbert’s cult sci-fi novel series, is out next month. With its often-reactionary mix of political cynicism, ecological catastrophism, and lurid orientalism, Dune remains oddly attractive to left-wing audiences.
I Fought in Afghanistan — And Want to Stop Similar Wars Before They Start
I served two deployments with the Second Army Ranger Battalion in Afghanistan. What I saw and did there disgusted me. Now I spend my life trying to convince kids not to join the military and not to fight these wars for the ruling class.
The Whitewashing of Franco’s Regime in Spain Must End
Spain’s new “memory law” attempts to grapple with military dictator’s Francisco Franco crimes. But without acknowledging the continuity between his regime and the current system, there can be no real justice.
Some of Canada’s Biggest Capitalists Are Plotting an Attack on Canadian Workers
Founded by Canada’s most powerful business lobbyists, bankers, and oil companies, the Coalition for a Better Future is crafting a plan to attack workers and reorganize the post-pandemic economy in the interests of the rich.