RIP to David Lynch, Mysterious, Bizarre, and All-American
Director David Lynch, who died this week at 78, brought an avant-garde sensibility into the American mainstream when we needed it most. There will never be another like him.
20424 Article(s) by: Karl Leffme
Karl Leffme is a socialist in New York CIty.
At Home, Joe Biden Squandered Countless Opportunities
After nearly half a century as a key figurehead in the Democratic Party’s rightward turn on domestic politics, Joe Biden had a chance to undo some of that damage as president. Time after time, he blew it.
The Media Covered LA’s Climate Disaster Like an Action Movie
TV networks turned the Los Angeles fires into a sensationalist spectacle, repeating words like “inferno” on a loop while almost completely avoiding any mention of climate change. Their coverage treated the disaster as entertainment rather than a warning.
Assessing AMLO: The Path to Power
Mexico’s staunchly left-populist former president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, just spent six years in power. But his road to the National Palace was anything but a straight line.
Better Man Is a Standard Biopic, Slightly Monkeyed With
A CGI simian twist isn’t enough to turn Better Man into anything more than a by-the-numbers Robbie Williams biopic.
Biden Is Ignoring Environmental Concerns to Boost AI
Joe Biden’s own Energy Department is warning that data centers’ energy consumption, water use, and emissions are already skyrocketing amid droughts and climate disasters. Biden just signed an executive order to accelerate an AI build-out anyway.
The LA Fires Show Why Schools Must Prepare for Climate Change
The Los Angeles fires threw schools into chaos, revealing their unpreparedness for the escalating challenges of the climate crisis. Schools need comprehensive disaster preparedness systems — not last-minute plans that put students and staff at risk.
Defend Immigrants From Scapegoat Politics
While opposing guest-worker programs like H-1B, socialists must clearly reject the Right’s blanket opposition to immigration.
It Was Always in the US’s Power to Force a Cease-Fire
After 15 months of bloodshed, news has emerged of a cease-fire deal in Gaza. The US always had the power to restrain Israel but refused to use it.
A Cease-Fire in Gaza Is Far From Enough
The announcement of a cease-fire deal in Gaza is a welcome reprieve after over a year of genocide. But it does nothing to remedy Israel’s numerous violations of international law that produced untold misery among Palestinians and led to the war in the first place.
The US Already Has Too Much Influence Over Greenland
Even without owning it as a territory, the US already has massive influence over Greenland’s future, from blocking Chinese investment to controlling military installations. As climate change transforms the Arctic, this American influence will only grow stronger.
Who Will Pay for LA’s Wildfires?
With record-high damages from climate disasters like the LA wildfires, a deregulated insurance industry is posting record profits.
Is Joe Biden’s Cuba Move Too Little, Too Late?
Yesterday Joe Biden announced Cuba’s removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and eased sanctions against the country. Donald Trump may soon undo the progress.
Fifty Years Ago, Angola Looked Forward to a False Dawn
January 15 marks 50 years since the Alvor Agreement promised Angola’s independence from Portugal. Yet the new state was doomed to be a Cold War battleground, with Washington planners seeking to avenge their defeat in Vietnam.
Drug Ads Misinform Patients and Raise Health Care Costs
Direct-to-consumer drug ads are prohibited in almost all countries besides the US. By leading doctors to prescribe unnecessary and more expensive treatments at the request of their patients, they also raise health care costs across the board.
Why Elites Love Identity Politics
The Democratic Party at every level spent years embracing identity politics that mostly served the interests of professionals, argues Catalyst editor Vivek Chibber. We need a return to class.
In France, Ordinary Consumers Fund Tax Breaks for the Wealthy
Emmanuel Macron’s government gave tax breaks for France’s wealthiest while counting on purchase taxes paid by ordinary consumers. Now saying it has a budget hole to fill, his administration is again expecting working-class people to pick up the bill.
Will Trump Go After Google?
Google is now awaiting a decision in a second antitrust case brought by the federal government and a number of US states. If the company is found guilty, the case will test the sincerity of the Trump administration’s anti–Big Tech rhetoric.
McCarthyism Is Alive and Well With the “Nonprofit Killer” Bill
Today’s legislative efforts against the Palestine solidarity movement bear a striking resemblance to McCarthyism in both tactics and ideology.
The Damned Settlers Have Got to Pay
With a modest budget but plenty of thrills involving spooky 19th-century ships, frozen wastelands, and ghouls from Nordic folktales, The Damned proudly carries on our Gothic horror revival.