Big Pharma’s Favorite Democrats Saved the Drug Industry Half a Trillion Dollars
Corporate Democrats like Senator Kyrsten Sinema saved Big Pharma $450 billion by watering down the party’s drug pricing plan.
20395 Article(s) by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Puerto Rico Is Facing Down Another Undemocratic, Austerity-Obsessed Bankruptcy Deal
Financial vultures are pushing a new round of bankruptcy and austerity in Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans themselves, meanwhile, continue to fight for pensions, basic services, and a democratic say in their lives that has been denied them so long.
The US Is Blocking Climate Reparations
At COP26, the US and its rich allies refused to consider how to pay for the damage their emissions are wreaking on developing nations.
Portugal’s Election Is About Whether Austerity Is Really Over
Portuguese premier António Costa has called a snap general election in a bid to end his dependency on left-wing parties’ votes in parliament. The split owes to his refusal to roll back attacks on labor rights imposed by the previous right-wing government.
Young People Don’t Need Climate Lectures From Barack Obama
Barack Obama’s trademark schtick — soaring rhetoric about transformational change while cynically catering to the status quo — was on display at COP26 in his address to young people. But young people already learned the hard way that Obama’s act is hollow.
Facebook’s “Metaverse” Must Be Stopped
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse is no utopian vision — it’s another opportunity for Big Tech to colonize our lives in the name of profit.
Cubans Don’t Want Regime Change
The US hoped the protests in Cuba would overthrow Cuba’s government. That didn’t happen. Talking to average Cubans on the island reveals why: Despite criticisms of the government, many Cubans want to further the revolution, not scrap it.
Ontario’s Government Is Transferring Billions From Workers’ Compensation Funds to Bosses
Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is planning to transfer billions of dollars from workers’ injury compensation to employers. The board has claimed the funds are excess savings — but they were made through neoliberal cost-cutting.
By Backing a Huge Tax Giveaway to the Rich, Democrats Are Giving the GOP a Perfect Midterm Gift
By demanding new tax breaks for the rich, Democrats are helping Republicans portray them as hypocritical elitists just before a midterm election.
Spencer Is an Early Christmas Gift for Gothic Melodrama Fans
If you, like me, despise the British monarchy, you may expect Spencer, the new Princess Diana movie, to be insufferable. But the film is so bonkers, you may put aside all desire to watch the House of Windsor drown in the River Thames and actually enjoy the show.
Elizabeth Holmes Swindled Henry Kissinger, and We’re Not Complaining
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is a living embodiment of what’s wrong with the Silicon Valley venture capital sinkhole. But we can’t get too mad at her for defrauding some of the worst rich people in the world.
Even in Solidly Blue States, Democrats Aren’t Pursuing Serious Progressive Change
Is it really true that if the Democrats had big majorities in Congress, we’d see the sweeping change party stalwarts promise in election campaigns? Here’s a good test: look at the blue states, where Democrats govern virtually alone. It’s not a pretty picture.
The Belarus Migrant Crisis Shows the Hollowness of European Humanitarianism
European authorities accuse Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko of mounting “hybrid warfare” by letting thousands of migrants amass at the Polish border. But Poland’s nationalist government is also using the crisis to crack down on migrants — with the EU’s blessing.
The IATSE Contract Vote Is a Worst-Case Scenario
The film and TV workers’ union IATSE ratified a pair of contracts on Monday, despite a majority of ballots being cast against the larger of the two deals. Thanks to the union’s Electoral College–style voting system, that contract passed anyway.
Panama’s Elites Denounce “Corruption” — But It’s Rooted in Their Economic Model
This fall, Panama has seen large “pro-democracy” and “anti-corruption” protests, backed by mainstream media and much of the country’s business elite. But corruption isn’t owed to a few “bad apple” politicians — it’s rooted in Panama’s ultra-privatized economy.
How the Exploitation of Africa Helps Fuel Global Capitalism
The political and economic crises roiling countries like Sudan and Tunisia right now cannot be separated from the global institutions of capital and the cycles of indebtedness that they impose.
The Architecture of Prisons Is Everywhere We Look
Buildings’ design communicates the values of a society. In contemporary American architecture, those values appear closer to control and surveillance than openness and enjoyment for all.
We Can’t Blame the South Alone for Anti-Tax Austerity Politics
The South of slavery and Jim Crow is often cast as the major historical reason for the US’s stunted welfare state. But the most fanatical resistance to taxation and redistribution came from the Northern ruling class.
A Brazilian Bloodbath
When Lula and the Workers’ Party took power in Brazil, they had a plan to take on crime and the power of the police. Their failure helped undermine their entire program.
Unions Are Inadvertently Propping Up Fossil Fuels
Workers’ retirement savings are being used to bankroll oil and gas companies’ climate destruction.