Tanner Howard is a freelance journalist and In These Times editorial intern. They’re also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Mental health activists in Michigan are fighting for legislative change to help families pay for desperately needed care. Insurance firm Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is shelling out exorbitant amounts of money on lobbyists to stop them.
Celebrated spy novelist John Le Carré is the subject of Errol Morris’s new documentary The Pigeon Tunnel. While it claims to reveal secrets about his famously strange life, you get the sense Le Carré told as much as he ever meant to and no more.
As UK prime minister, David Cameron unleashed disastrous austerity policies, and his subsequent career in the private sector was plagued by scandal in his dealings with the state. Now he has a cabinet position: yet another example of the elite failing up.
AIPAC is funneling mounds of money to pro-Israel candidates, including in Democratic primaries. Now, all Democrats likely know that expressing anything short of unwavering support of Israel’s siege on Gaza means they might be outspent in the next election.
The United States’ 20-plus-year War on Terror has led to disasters throughout the Middle East. But the greatest failure of US counterterrorism operations may be in Africa, where they have destabilized multiple governments and led to a huge spike in violence.
Israel is meting out lethal collective punishment in Gaza and floating plans of ethnic cleansing to try to restore its security. But peace will not be won without democracy for Palestinians.
After securing historic deals with the Big Three automakers, the UAW is continuing to go on the offensive. It has set its sights on nonunion automakers, from Toyota and Hyundai in the South to Tesla in California.
Britain’s Conservative government has scrapped policies to reduce carbon emissions while the Labour opposition is also rolling back its own climate commitments. Trade unions are stepping into the political vacuum to demand a working-class ecological agenda.
Increased productivity has failed to translate into fair compensation, and we’re all working ourselves to death. Not having time to rest or think is not just terrible for human beings — it’s terrible for democracy.
The dearth of public health resources in the US means police function as de facto mental health workers — with deadly consequences. Mayor Brandon Johnson is giving Chicago organizers a chance to remake the city’s approach to community mental health.
The potential for progressive change is very much alive in American states and cities. Socialists had a strong showing at the state and local levels across the country last week, winning four of six ballot measures and gaining eleven seats overall.
Last month the UAW reached historic agreements with the Big Three automakers after several weeks on strike. Now workers on the shop floor are weighing in on these deals as they go up for ratification votes.
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.