It’s Time for Australia to Demand Julian Assange’s Release
As Australian journalist Julian Assange faces the hell of extradition, it is more urgent and necessary than ever for the Australian government to intervene on his behalf.
20417 Article(s) by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Undergraduate Student Workers: We Unionized. You Can, Too.
This spring, undergraduate student workers at Wesleyan University in Connecticut became the US’s first known undergrad labor union to win voluntary recognition. With sustained organizing, student workers on campuses across the country can follow suit.
Joe Manchin Is Ignoring the Health Care Crisis in His Own Backyard
Last year, corporate Democrat Joe Manchin blocked a plan to expand Medicare, arguing it would be too expensive. A free medical and dental clinic just a few miles from his home in West Virginia makes clear just how badly people need such care.
Justin Trudeau’s Promise of a Greener Future Is Crashing Against His Climate Inaction
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have long promised aggressive action on climate change, but a recent report suggests that Canada is falling way short. The country needs a pro-worker, green transition now.
Jurassic World: Dominion Is a New Low for a Never-Ending Franchise
The latest Jurassic Park sequel is exhausted and running on fumes. Big, loud, annoying fumes.
Britain Is in the Midst of a Massive Household Debt Crisis
In Britain, the cost of living is soaring. Millions have been forced to use credit cards just to survive — and have taken on crushing debt in the process. We need blanket forgiveness of that unjust debt.
What Is the Second Amendment for, Exactly?
The Second Amendment is killing us so the gun industry can rake in massive profits — we can’t keep interpreting it as an absolute right for every single citizen to own a gun.
Only New York’s Socialist City Councilors Voted Against an Austerity Budget
In last week’s New York City budget vote, “progressive” city council members who won office claiming to share the priorities of the city’s socialist movement turned around and voted for an austerity budget. Only socialist representatives stood against it.
Britain Is Reinforcing Israeli Apartheid
Britain is doubling down on backing Israeli apartheid through a new trade agreement and the import of goods made in illegal Israeli settlements. The UK has chosen to be an active supporter of the brutal oppression of Palestinians.
American Exceptionalism Off the Rails
Why the United States spends so much but gets so little public transit.
We Would Never Tolerate Julian Assange’s Persecution If Any Other Country Carried It Out
If Russia were persecuting a whistleblower like Julian Assange, the US would rightly condemn it as authoritarian abuse. But because that persecution is backed by the US, the mainstream media and American politicians are fine with it.
High-End Art Fairs Give Capitalism a Glow Up
Art is an essential expression of human creativity. But today’s high-end art fairs are a carnival of consumerism for the ultra-wealthy rather than a celebration of creative expression.
Revolutions Look Different According to Authoritarian or Democratic Conditions
The Russian Revolution led to revolutionary upheaval in countries far beyond Russia. Looking at Russia’s imperial borderlands like Finland suggests that socialist struggle can look wildly different in autocratic versus parliamentary conditions.
When Harriet Tubman Met John Brown
Happy Juneteenth! To celebrate, we’re looking back at the short but deep friendship of John Brown and Harriet Tubman, who gave their lives to the abolitionist cause.
A New Bill Would Redirect $100 Billion from the Military Budget to Pro-Worker Programs
Every year the US military budget grows ever larger, sucking up resources that we could use to improve the lives of workers. A new bill seeks to do just that, immediately cutting $100 billion from the military budget and putting it in social programs.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon Is Popular Because He Confronts the Powerful
For years, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has faced endless accusations of “divisiveness” and “extremism.” Today, his left-wing movement is more popular than ever — and it’s because it didn’t shy away from taking on French elites.
Organized Labor Has to Challenge the Criminalization of Immigration
In recent decades, most of the labor movement has taken strong stances in favor of immigrant rights. But unions could do more to stop the ongoing criminalization of immigration that Democrats are doing little to halt.
No, Rising Prices Are Not Being Driven by Rising Wages
It’s not rising workers’ wages that are causing spiraling inflation — it’s corporate profiteering.
To Beat Emmanuel Macron, France’s Left Needs to Drive Up Working-Class Turnout
In Sunday’s elections, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s left-wing coalition has a historic chance to break Emmanuel Macron’s grip on Parliament. Newly reelected MP Danièle Obono tells Jacobin that to win, the Left will have to mobilize habitual nonvoters.
What’s Behind the Antiabortion Crackdown?
Since the turn of the 19th century, crackdowns on women’s reproductive rights have come in cycles. The attack isn’t only about controlling women but about pushing up the birth rate to suit capital’s needs.