Opal Lee is a writer.
In Ohio, where the state legislature is solidly Republican, people voted directly to protect abortion rights and legalize marijuana last week. Once again, ballot initiatives have shown voters to be far more progressive than their lawmakers.
A newly translated best-selling Japanese crime novel set in the 1990s fictionalizes the real-life kidnapping of a candy company CEO. It’s as comprehensive a critique of postwar Japanese society as can fit in a mystery-genre story.
Since the 1993 Railways Act was passed, the privatization of British railways has resulted in rising costs, service reductions, and staff cuts. On the act’s 30th anniversary, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch is calling for a renationalization of the railways.
Bolivia has severed diplomatic relations with Israel, and Colombia, Chile, and Honduras have all recalled their ambassadors. Latin America is leading the way in opposing Israel’s war on Gaza.
Capitalism’s proponents often defend it by pointing to the virtues of markets. But capitalism isn’t defined by the presence of markets — it’s defined by capitalists’ domination of workers.
Memes that trade on a longing for bygone eras are retrobait, racking up likes and shares in the name of cozy nostalgia. But behind the warm, fuzzy feeling is a digital corporation extracting your data and making bank off your longing.
Historian Mike Davis was appalled by the horrors California had inflicted on itself, while Kevin Starr was awed by the Golden State’s spirit of optimism. In this interview right before his death, Davis reflects on their mutual admiration and tender friendship.
When Britain’s miners went on strike from 1984 to 1985, women joined the picket lines in unprecedented numbers. These women refused to be intimidated by the police or stay at home, and they left a lasting mark on the British labor movement.
Months ago, the Biden administration issued a directive prohibiting arms transfer deals to countries that would likely use the weapons to target civilians. Yet the White House is still approving military aid for Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta — home to Canada’s tar sands — is fiercely contesting the world’s shift to cleaner energy sources. The fossil fuel industry reigns supreme in the province, and Smith is doing her best to prevent a just transition.
The US labor movement has a decades-long history of supporting Israel wholeheartedly, punctuated by moments of pro-Palestine actions by rank-and-file activists. As Israel wages its war on Gaza, those pro-Palestine moments are becoming increasingly common.
Aaron Benanav argues that deindustrialization and the growth of services are key to the instability of global capitalism and the decline of working-class living standards. But neoliberal assaults on the bargaining power of workers are the real culprit.
On Friday, November 10, over 400 trade unionists and Palestine solidarity activists blockaded a British factory that provides components for military aircraft used in the bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. They write in Jacobin about what motivated them.
Paris’s flashy new venues for the 2024 Olympics depend on the rather less glamorous labor of undocumented migrant workers. Their recent strike action showed how much the Games depend on them — and won them the right to regular migration status.
The Australian labor movement is hampered by draconian restrictions on strikes and union organizing. But solidarity bargaining — which times industrial action to coincide across many industries — could enable the breakthrough workers need.
The war in Gaza has split Kurdish opinion, marked by often strong hostility to Islamism as well as Zionism. But Kurds’ responses also draw on their experience of statelessness — and point toward a democratic order not based on rival nation-states.
Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National claims to be a “shield for Jews,” even though the party promotes antisemitic theories. Dividing Jews into “good” Israeli nationalists and “bad” cosmopolitans produces a modern revival of an old antisemitism.
The new Apple TV+ sci-fi romance drama Fingernails has a preachy message about how love is inherently risky. With no emotional payoff, its inane and implausible plot points add up to a plodding, pompous film.
Following mounting criticism for its inaction, the Biden administration is claiming it is powerless to stop the Israeli onslaught against Gaza. This is a sick evasion, given how much military and diplomatic support the US unquestioningly provides Israel.
The IRS is trying to pilot a program that would allow taxpayers to file their taxes for free. Big tax preparation companies like Intuit are pushing back hard.