Keir Starmer Is Labour’s Weakest Leader in Generations
Keir Starmer is a modern-day Neil Kinnock: a myopic and embattled leader who is far more focused on destroying his enemies than uniting the Labour Party behind a pro-worker agenda.
19087 Articles by: Karl Leffme
Karl Leffme is a socialist in New York CIty.
College Athletes Can Finally Unionize
In a landmark memo this week, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that athletes at private colleges are workers with the right to negotiate and unionize. Maybe the tide is finally turning against the NCAA’s feudal-like conditions.
Pro-Refugee Mayor Mimmo Lucano Is Being Jailed, But He Has Justice on His Side
Mimmo Lucano is famous as the Italian mayor who rejuvenated his long-abandoned town by allowing refugees to live in empty homes. Yesterday, he was sentenced to thirteen years in jail for the crime of helping human beings in need.
Joe Manchin: Bailouts for Me, But Not for Thee
Joe Manchin is threatening to kill the reconciliation bill for promoting an “entitlement mentality,” almost exactly 13 years after he pushed for a Wall Street bailout. It would be nice if bankers ever had to show a little “personal responsibility.”
After Palestinians Buried Their Martyrs, Western Media Buried Israel’s Crimes
Hammam Chott is famed in UK media as the Tunis cemetery where Jeremy Corbyn supposedly laid a wreath to terrorists. But “wreathgate” was a lie — and it erased the real crime that happened here on October 1, 1985, when Israeli jets murdered 60 people.
Australian Universities Are Finance Investors With a Side Hustle in Education
Thanks to neoliberalism, Australia’s universities have become profit-seeking businesses. But they don’t just sell education: University executives are increasingly transforming their institutions into financial speculators and real estate investors.
The US Considered Kidnapping and Even Assassinating Julian Assange
As the US government fights to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a bombshell new report has revealed just how far the CIA contemplated going in its war on the Australian journalist. It weighed not just kidnapping but assassinating Assange.
US Empire Is Lining the Pockets of Defense Contractors
Since the start of the Afghanistan War in 2001, Pentagon spending has totaled a staggering $14 trillion. And half of it has gone directly to the biggest beneficiaries of US empire: defense contractors.
COVID Paid Sick Leave Is Expiring. Corporate Dems are Stonewalling.
The federal government’s program incentivizing employers to provide workers paid sick leave — the absolute least they can do amid a still-raging pandemic — is set to expire. And corporate Democrats are threatening to block a replacement.
When Malcolm Met Ali
A new Netflix documentary, Blood Brothers, offers a moving look at the friendship between Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, two of the 20th century’s most dynamic figures. When black-and-white photos of the pair grace the screen, it practically vibrates with energy.
The EU Stands for Capital, Not Internationalism
The auto parts firm GKN is laying off thousands of workers across Europe, sparking a series of strikes and protests. And rather than helping workers, the European Union is helping the company offshore their jobs.
Meet Josh Gottheimer, the Billionaires’ Democratic Bag Man
Democratic representative Josh Gottheimer is the House’s top recipient of private equity cash — and lo and behold, he’s helping Wall Street undermine the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
Indonesia Still Hasn’t Escaped Suharto’s Genocidal Legacy
The US-backed Indonesian dictator Suharto was responsible for some of the twentieth century’s worst crimes. More than two decades after Suharto’s death, his regime’s brutal legacy is still holding back democracy in Indonesia.
Organizing Amazon Is Do-or-Die for the Labor Movement
Failing to unionize Amazon would hasten the US labor movement’s decline. But that doesn’t have to happen. We have a fleeting opportunity to organize Amazon — if labor and the Left make it an urgent priority.
The United Farm Workers Was More Than Cesar Chavez
The United Farm Workers is often seen as a simple extension of labor giant Cesar Chavez. But the UFW’s rank-and-file workers were a militant, organized core that won inspiring strikes and formed the true heart of the union.
Ryan Grim on the Budget Reconciliation Bill: “Progressives Have Leverage”
In the byzantine parliamentary politics surrounding the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, progressives have more cards to play than in past policy fights. But corporate-backed Democrats like Kyrsten Sinema are still standing in the way.
Respect Is a Weak Portrait of the Hellaciously Strong Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin was a legend. But the new Franklin biopic, Respect, is a forgettable film that avoids the darker and more difficult parts of her life.
Bernie to House Progressives: Don’t Back Down
It’s do-or-die time for the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. So Bernie Sanders is rightly insisting that House progressives reject the bipartisan infrastructure bill until it’s linked to the reconciliation bill’s passage.
Things Can’t Go on Like This for the German Left
After a catastrophic defeat in last Sunday’s general election, Germany’s socialist party Die Linke faces a choice: return to its working-class roots or face political irrelevance.
The Road to Climate Action Might Run Through Labor Law Reform
Democratic Socialists of America is pushing for the PRO Act as part of its climate strategy — because it realizes that rebuilding working-class power is crucial to confronting the climate crisis.