With an incarceration rate exceeding 700 people for every 100,000, Americans have built a prison monstrosity that has few parallels in history — destroying untold millions of lives and families in just a few decades. We need to study the economic origins of this mass incarceration system in order to dismantle it.
Authoritarianism Is on the Rise in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, have been implicated in egregious human rights violations against Tamils in the country, including accusations of crimes against humanity and genocide. Yet rather than being held accountable, the Rajapaksas are actually consolidating their ethno-nationalist agenda.
Nursing Homes That Were Unionized Saw Fewer COVID-19 Deaths
A new study finds that unionized nursing homes had 30 percent lower mortality rates than nonunion homes. Quite literally, unions save lives.
The “Scarlet Runners” Women Were at the Center of New Zealand’s Six-Month-Long Miners’ Strike
1912 saw one of the biggest battles in New Zealand labor history, a six-month-long miners’ strike that paved the way for the general strike a year later. But it couldn’t have lasted so long without the working-class women who organized to defend their community — the “Scarlet Runners” who fought the strikebreakers.
The US “War on Terror” Has Created at Least 37 Million Refugees
A new study finds that America’s “war on terror” has displaced at least 37 million people around the globe. The US left has a responsibility to push an internationalism that aids the victims of American imperialism — and acts in solidarity with workers no matter their country of origin.
Joe Biden Is Severely Hurting His Chances of Beating Donald Trump
As Joe Biden has ignored the Democratic base, polls now show he faces an enthusiasm gap. Progressive pressure is needed to force him to energize Democratic voters and defeat Donald Trump.
How Eastern Bloc Architects Shaped Cities Across the Third World
In the era of decolonization, even nonsocialist states in Africa and Asia drew heavily on architects and planners from Eastern Bloc countries. Experts from the “Second World” adapted their work to local cultures and expectations — and often brought “Third World” lessons back with them.
The Only Thing You Need to Read About the Inane Cuties Controversy
The controversy over the new Netflix movie Cuties is so stupid, you never should’ve heard about it. But it’s gotten so hysterically overblown by this point, it can’t be ignored anymore.
This Vermont Gubernatorial Nominee Is Showing How Successful Third Parties Are Possible
The rules are rigged against third parties in the United States, but that doesn’t mean successful third-party activism is impossible everywhere. David Zuckerman, the lieutenant governor of Vermont and current gubernatorial nominee for both the Democratic and Progressive parties, tells Jacobin how the Progressive Party has figured out how to push left-wing politics in the state.
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In South Dakota, a Young Labor Leader Wants to Rebuild a Culture of Solidarity
Kooper Caraway, the 29-year-old new president of South Dakota’s AFL-CIO, grew up in a working-class family and cut his teeth fighting ICE as a high schooler. Now his vision for labor includes union-run housing and childcare: “It’s all about building a working-class culture of solidarity.”
What Canada’s Social Democrats Must Do
When the Canadian parliament reconvenes this month, the Liberals will likely need the New Democratic Party to retain power. The center-left NDP’s support should not come from petty electoral calculation, but from an understanding that bold action is needed by both the country and the party.
Chris Coons Is Big Pharma’s Man in Washington
Senator Chris Coons is driven by the sincere belief that government and the people exist to serve the interests of Delaware’s big pharmaceutical companies.
Donald Trump Has Added Trillions to the US Military Budget. Joe Biden Wants to Spend Even More.
Joe Biden has made clear he would veto Medicare for All because it costs too much. But when it comes to the military, ballooning the budget by several trillion additional dollars isn’t enough for him — Biden wants more.