Academic Climate Science Funding Has a Big Problem
To figure out how best to address climate change, federal climate funding is crucial. But government granting agencies are increasingly at the mercy of climate deniers.
19789 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Will the Labor Upsurge Find Its Political Voice?
In the United States and Canada, we’ve seen an increase in labor militancy. This upsurge is a chance to inject working-class politics into the political arena, which has so far been mostly unresponsive to workers’ demands.
In Defense of the Planned City
In 1960s New York, a new urbanist philosophy emerged that argued cities were best developed organically, without municipal planning. But cities like NYC today need a good dose of planned, large-scale public housing to address their housing crises.
Obsessing Over Climate Disinformation Is a Wrong Turn
Much of the climate movement is now pouring its energies into combating disinformation. But this focus fails to address real concerns about a green transition and obscures what is needed to win the public over to effective climate action.
In Russia, They Don’t Read Lenin Anymore
Soviet symbols are widespread in today’s Russia, including in propaganda for the war in Ukraine. But in the classroom, the Soviet legacy is reduced to a nationalist cult of World War II, while burying even the notional idea of a more equal society.
Why Do So Many Workers Love Trump?
Racism and xenophobia are a part of why so many ordinary workers were won over to Donald Trump, but that’s far from the whole story. A careful study breaks down how Trump spoke to economic grievances and personal experiences.
Burning Man’s Gentrification Was Inevitable
Burning Man wanted to escape capitalism’s ills. It ended up recreating them.
The 2024 Democratic Convention: More 1964 Than 1968
The media was obsessed with comparing this year’s DNC to Chicago 1968. But given the party’s rejection of the Uncommitted movement, Atlantic City 1964, when Democrats refused to seat Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, is more apt.
The Democratic Convention Failed the Palestine Movement
The Uncommitted movement made modest demands on the Democratic Party toward ending the agony in Gaza, and the party rejected them. But their demands cannot be ignored by Democratic power brokers forever.
Shawn Fain Has Been a Light in the Darkness
UAW president Shawn Fain’s speech was the best part of the DNC. It featured a direct focus on workers otherwise absent from party rhetoric, and sidestepped the culture wars to identify the “one true enemy” of corporate power.
Kamala Harris’s DNC Promises Depend on Filibuster Reform
At the DNC last night, Kamala Harris promised big change. But the only way to ensure her full agenda can be passed is by killing the filibuster.
Karl Marx the Moral Philosopher
Karl Marx is often understood to have dismissed morality as bourgeois ideology. But Vanessa Wills, author of the new book Marx’s Ethical Vision, argues that his account of class exploitation sought to explain injustice, not sideline it.
Google Has Been Convicted of Monopolization. Will It Matter?
In a landmark decision by a federal judge this month, Google was found guilty of illegal monopolistic conduct. What happens next — and will it be enough to rein in the search giant’s massive power?
Palestinians Received Both Harassment and Support at the DNC
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, “uncommitted” delegates faced intimidation, an excess of security, and attempts to silence them. But they also found widespread support for their views.
Let a Palestinian Speak at the DNC
The Democratic Party has refused the request of “uncommitted” delegates to let a Palestinian American speak at the DNC. Remember this moment if Kamala Harris loses Michigan this fall.
Shawn Fain’s DNC Speech Put Stellantis on Notice
Shawn Fain used his speech at the DNC to escalate pressure on Stellantis, which the UAW says is reneging on wins secured after last year’s auto strike. The union is preparing to strike the company once again if it doesn’t reverse course.
The 2024 DNC: All Vibes, Little Substance
The DNC revealed a Democratic Party still in love with the Obamas. The fantasy is that Kamala Harris will be a reboot. Brat summer is cooling — are you ready for an Obama autumn, heavy on feeling good and light on political substance?
Will Kamala Harris Finally Kill the Billionaire Tax Break?
Kamala Harris has signaled she supports closing the carried interest tax loophole, an enormous boon to rich investors looking to avoid higher taxes. But she’s also received $80 million this year from finance, insurance, and real-estate sectors.
Leonard Leo’s Plan to Suppress Voters in Swing-States
A cadre of lawyers tied to conservative activist Leonard Leo is spearheading a series of legal attacks on voting rights in critical swing states. The operation aims to suppress voters, with the potential to tip the scales during the election this fall.
The Harris-Walz Campaign’s Housing Agenda Is Subpar
We need bold measures like public housing and well-designed rent control programs. But Kamala Harris’s housing proposal doubles down on the existing paradigm: more public subsidies, more tax incentives, and more empty hopes that developers will solve the housing crisis.