Joe Biden Is Trying to Block a Student Debt Victory
Joe Biden ran for president promising student debt relief. His administration now appears to be doing the opposite, trying to overturn a recent ruling that helps those bankrupted by student loans.
19276 Articles by: William G. Martin
William G. Martin teaches at SUNY-Binghamton and is co-author of After Prisons? Freedom, Decarceration, and Justice Disinvestment (2016) and a founding member of Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier; he covers local justice matters at www.justtalk.blog
A Hero Puts the Struggles of the Working Class Back on the Silver Screen
Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s brilliant drama A Hero is about a young man trying to buy his freedom from debtors’ prison — the kind of depiction of working-class struggle that’s at the heart of some of the greatest cinema.
In Ukraine, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin Are Playing with Fire
The current Ukraine-Russia standoff is the most dangerous European war crisis in decades. Rhetorical grandstanding and the buildup of weaponry risk setting off a devastating explosion. Progressive movements must urgently organize for peace and de-escalation.
Britain’s Anti-BDS Law Is an Attack on Democracy
Amnesty International has denounced Israeli rule over the Palestinians as a form of apartheid. But the British government is trying to outlaw the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign and stop it from using the same tactics that helped liberate South Africa.
How France’s Intellectuals Became Reactionaries
France has always had right-wing thinkers — but they are more prominent now than any time since World War II. A decades-long counterrevolution against the Left has led to reactionary provocateurs reshaping French intellectual life.
“My Goal for 2022 Is to See the Return of Democracy in Myanmar”
One year ago today, Myanmar’s military generals seized power in a bloody coup that wiped out workers’ rights. We spoke with a union leader and three garment workers, who for months launched general strikes against the coup.
The Army’s New Vaccine Could Help Poor Countries End COVID-19
Joe Biden’s refusal to lift COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property restrictions has protected Big Pharma profits and worsened the pandemic. But a new army-developed vaccine isn’t covered by such restrictions — making it easily shareable with the entire world.
Expanding Remote Work Won’t Inherently Empower Workers. It Could Do the Opposite.
Working from home has obvious benefits, which is why so many people want to keep doing it after the pandemic is over. But the outward appeal of remote work masks serious downsides for workers. We ignore them at our peril.
It’s Undeniable: Israel Is an Apartheid State
A new Amnesty International report terms Israel an apartheid state. Israel’s defenders have replied by smearing the authors — but there’s no denying that this is a state built on the systematic brutalization of Palestinians.
How the Left Lost the Constitution
Since the Progressive Era, liberals have been convinced that the courts and the Constitution are somehow autonomous from politics, setting its boundaries. The Right, in the meantime, has engaged in a concerted effort to refashion the federal bench in its image.
The Supreme Court Is an Antidemocratic Monstrosity. We Should Break Its Power.
Instead of celebrating Stephen Breyer’s retirement, we should be weakening the Supreme Court’s power. Popular majorities should determine the course of our society — not nine unelected lawyers.
The Gilded Age Somehow Makes Class War a Bore
HBO hired Julian Fellowes to make a Downton Abbey out of 1880s NYC. But all the fussy costumes and jewelry in the world can’t bring The Gilded Age’s story of old vs. new money to life.
Mike Parker Was a Political and Moral Compass for the Left and Labor
Over many years, when the labor movement and socialism were at their weakest in decades, Mike Parker helped train a new generation of rigorous thinkers and activists in management’s latest schemes and how to fight back.
Honduras’s First Woman President Is a Socialist With a Vision
Honduras inaugurated socialist Xiomara Castro as president last week, ending the nightmare of the 2009 US-backed coup in the country. The challenges she faces are immense, but her presidency could be a key piece of a new left-wing surge throughout Latin America.
Oil Is Killing the Planet — And Driving Inflation
Today’s inflation isn’t just caused by a post-pandemic rebound in fuel prices, but a long-term exhaustion of oil production. We need to end our dependency on fossil fuels without it becoming the pretext for another wave of austerity.
Football Is Sinking in Crypto Snake Oil
Some of the world’s biggest football clubs are using their supporters’ loyalty to sell them blockchain assets, “fan tokens,” and NFTs. The crypto takeover of football promises to empower supporters — but in truth, it’s just marketing fluff for a web of pyramid schemes.
We’re in a Climate Crisis — But the Pipelines Keep Coming
Federal officials are approving fossil fuel projects that enrich shareholders, fleece customers, and exacerbate the climate crisis.
For Chobani’s Fair Trade Certification to Live Up to Its Promises, We’ll Need Organized Labor
Greek yogurt juggernaut Chobani touts its fair trade certification as proof that it treats its workers well. But fair trade certification glosses over the fundamentally unequal and exploitative power dynamics of bosses over workers, at Chobani and workplaces everywhere.
The Palestinian Novel After the Era of Mass Revolt
The history of the Palestinian novel cannot be separated from the broader political context of the struggle for liberation. As the emancipatory horizon in Palestine has diminished since the early 1980s, literature has shared in the sense of defeat.
Twenty Years of Horror at Guantánamo Bay
Twenty years since its opening, the United States continues to hold prisoners, most without charge, at Guantánamo Bay. The facility is an abomination that must be closed and its land returned to Cuba.