
Capitalism Is Killing Summer
Everybody loves summertime. But from climate change to budget cuts on public spaces like parks and pools to a lack of vacation time, capitalism is increasingly robbing us of our summer fun.
Liza Featherstone is a columnist for Jacobin, a freelance journalist, and the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart.

Everybody loves summertime. But from climate change to budget cuts on public spaces like parks and pools to a lack of vacation time, capitalism is increasingly robbing us of our summer fun.

The current freak-out by Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller, and other right-wingers about democratic socialism is quite rational. In socialism, they see a formidable foe.

With a clean sweep of electoral wins for Zohran Mamdani’s endorsees and nine out of ten victories for NYC Democratic Socialists of America last night, it’s clear the socialist mayor and socialist movement are major political forces to be reckoned with.

Months after electing Zohran Mamdani as mayor, New York democratic socialists have an ambitious slate of candidates for this month’s Democratic primaries: one for the state legislature in Buffalo, seven in the city, and two for Congress.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s deputy mayor for economic justice, Julie Su, speaks to Jacobin about her plans: “For too long, city hall policies have benefited the few but not the many in New York City.”

Up against a governor who vowed not to tax the rich, Zohran Mamdani delivered a New York City budget that isn’t transformative but protects public goods and makes progress on his affordability agenda.

In New York City, a tax on superexpensive second homes is a victory for Zohran Mamdani and the socialist movement and should mark the beginning of a larger project of redistribution.

In his first one hundred days as mayor, Zohran Mamdani has realized that New Yorkers — and all Americans — need to see the government working for them.

Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to tax the superrich to fund universal childcare and other urgent working-class needs. The oligarchic city council Speaker Julie Menin is trying to block his agenda.

Chuck Schumer is not only failing to meet the moment by not opposing the war on Iran. He has long been a hawk on Iran among Democrats and Americans who are yearning for peace.

The Democratic base in New York State and some party leaders nationwide are charting a path toward a greener future. New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, is choosing billionaires and polluters.

Zohran Mamdani’s endorsement of Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn’t sit well with some on the Left. But Mamdani can’t succeed without delivering for working-class New Yorkers and can’t deliver without navigating difficult terrain with centrists like her.

The recent right-wing obsession with Cea Weaver, a longtime tenant organizer appointed to lead the Office to Protect Tenants, reveals how shaken New York City’s real estate elites are by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pro-renter agenda.

We’re less than two weeks into Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty, and he has already notched an impressive victory on one of his key campaign promises: universal childcare.

A democratic socialist will be inaugurated mayor tomorrow because he told New Yorkers they deserve it all — love, leisure, pleasure, sport.

A new study shows that socialist plans to take over the privately owned power utility in New York’s Hudson Valley would lower rates for users and improve its long-term health. Public ownership of power companies is better for everyone but the rich.

At an unusual event in Queens on Sunday, everyday New Yorkers lined up to offer their expertise and experience to democratic socialist mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

For New York City socialists, electing Zohran Mamdani as mayor was the first step. The second, enacting his agenda, requires a successful state-level campaign pressuring Gov. Kathy Hochul to raise taxes on the wealthy.

What does democratic socialism mean to Omar Fateh, Minneapolis mayoral candidate? “It’s pretty clear cut: you want to take care of everyone.”

Despite her anti-Trump posturing, New York governor Kathy Hochul is hardly a paragon of progressivism. But winning her over on at least some key issues is crucial for a socialist mayoralty’s success. Does the Left have any leverage over Hochul?