The Joyous Blast of Pee-wee Herman Will Be Deeply Missed
Paul Reubens and his brilliant character Pee-wee Herman offered viewers a kind of weird, joyful, hilarious television and film that we aren’t lucky enough to get very often.
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Georgia Became the “Hollywood of the South” Through Massive Corporate Tax Breaks
The state of Georgia is subsidizing Hollywood CEOs to the tune of $1 billion a year. That money could go to schools, roads, health care, and good public jobs. But sure, a little peach logo in the credit sequence is cool too.
Beef Is a Portrait of Our All-American Rage
Beef tells the story of a chance road-rage encounter that blossoms into a modern feud. Director Lee Sung Jin says it’s about “how hard it is to be alive,” but the show’s cross-class fantasy logic points at the powder keg of growing alienation in our society.
American Truckers Are Getting Squeezed. Hard.
Long-haul trucking used to be a stable, high-paying job. But thanks to decades of deregulation and pressure from bosses, truckers now have to work grueling hours for little pay, in conditions that put them and everyone else on the road in serious danger.
The American Political Science Association’s Profile in Cowardice
In declining to cancel its annual conference at Southern California hotels where workers are on strike, the American Political Science Association is refusing to sacrifice for workers whose cause is just. There’s a word for that: “cowardice.”
Hollywood Writers and Actors Are Striking to Make Globalization Work for Them
Globalization has upended film and TV, creating more jobs, but ones that are worse-paid and more precarious. Like UPS Teamsters did with their strike threat, striking Hollywood workers are seeking to make their industry's global reach work for them.
How University of California Workers Won the Biggest Higher-Ed Strike in US History
Two University of California union organizers argue the keys to their union pulling off the largest strike of 2022 were simple: an emphasis on majority participation, democratic decision-making, and building a representative structure across the UC system.
Young Workers Can Provide the Organizing Energy That Unions Desperately Need
Gen Z and Millennial workers overwhelmingly support unions, and they’re at the forefront of the current organizing upsurge. Labor can take advantage of this opening — if union leaders get off the sidelines and devote massive resources to new organizing.
Fossil Fuel Lobbyists in California Are Playing Both Sides of the Climate Crisis
According to data reviewed by a new climate group in California, the same fossil fuel lobbyists trying to sink climate legislation are also representing the state’s cities and counties being pummeled hardest by the climate crisis.
The Empire Calls Back
India’s phone scam industry targets the elderly to the tune of billions each year. Its secret weapon? The loss of communal public life and family support.
Party Down Is Back and Starkly Funny About Our Terrible Times
The first two seasons of Party Down were both honest and affectionate as the series satirized the lives of Hollywood aspirants working dead-end jobs. The show’s long-delayed third season retains that winning formula.
The Great Amazon Heist Takes the Piss Out of a Terrible Company
In his new special taking on Amazon, prankster Oobah Butler gets a job at a fulfillment center, films the brutal working conditions, and sells a drink made of Amazon drivers’ pee on the company’s platform. Amazon isn’t happy with his work.
Raoul Peck’s New Doc, Silver Dollar Road, Chronicles the Dispossession of Black Americans
Oscar-nominated documentarian Raoul Peck is back with Silver Dollar Road, the true story of black dispossession in America.
Seymour Hersh on Daniel Ellsberg, the Man Who Exposed the Pentagon Papers
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh writes about his 50-year relationship with Daniel Ellsberg, the man who released the Pentagon Papers and exposed the scope of US crimes in Southeast Asia.
NFL Players’ Injuries Aren’t the Only Terrible Aspect of Their Working Conditions
The National Football League Players Association just released team report cards. From petty payroll deductions to rat infestations, conditions for NFL players are surprisingly bad — an indictment on the greed and incompetence of billionaire team owners.
Don’t Bring Back Mental Asylums. Instead, Build the Welfare State.
Liberals are starting to join conservatives in calling for a return to the era of mass involuntary hospitalization for mentally ill homeless people. That’s a failure of imagination. Instead we need public provision of health care, housing, and employment.
Georgia Prosecutor Fani Willis Cares More About Optics Than Democracy
Known for prosecuting Donald Trump on election subversion charges, Atlanta DA Fani Willis is using another high-profile RICO case involving rapper Young Thug to boost her image. But critics say her popularity is obscuring the wrongful nature of the case.
The Blues Brothers Is a Wild Ride Through 1970s Chicago
The Blues Brothers is still a rollicking good time more than 40 years later, offering an exuberant look at 1970s Chicago in all its rough, working-class charm.
After an Impressive Campaign, Flight Attendants Might Strike for the First Time Since 1993
Union flight attendants at American Airlines recently delivered a strike authorization vote of 99%, with 93% turnout. The staggering total was the result of not only a membership itching to walk out but a campaign that engaged rank-and-file members.
Chris Christie’s Presidential Campaign Is a Train Wreck
Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie is polling in the low single digits for the Republican presidential primary. Despite his lack of popularity with actual GOP voters, he continues to endear himself to liberal pundits.