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.
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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.