More Highlights
Without Compromise by Wayne Barrett – Book Trailer
In an era of unprecedented corruption, the work of Village Voice muckracker Wayne Barrett has never been more important.
Amy Coney Barrett Is an Extremist—Just Not the Kind You Think
The problem with Trump’s Supreme Court nominee has nothing to do with her strongly held religious beliefs and everything to do with her right-wing Republican ones.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
There Is Only One Way Out of This Crisis: Expand the Court
Expanding the Supreme Court may not be easy, but it’s the only constitutional way to address the Republicans’ cynical theft of at least two seats.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Risk Makers
Viral hate, election interference, and hacked accounts: inside the tech industry’s decades-long failure to reckon with risk.
By Catherine Buni and Soraya Chemaly in OneZero.
In Defense of Letting Go of Black Icons (For Now)
I have no interest in being a patriot. I am not concerned with the viability of “America.”
By Mychal Denzel Smith in Esquire.
Is Bill Barr Trump’s Most Dangerous Sidekick?
The attorney general has been chipping away at the rule of law for 18 months. Last night, he made another big claim to unfettered power.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Melania Trump Really Doesn’t Care
A new book by her ex–best friend shows how the first lady sold her soul.
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
Confinement and Contagion
In February, Tomiekia Johnson’s mother, father, sister, and daughter came to Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF).
By Justine van der Leun in The New York Review of Books.
The Police Are Lying in LA and the Media Is Falling for It—Again
In the wake of the brutal shooting of two police officers, the sheriff’s department is trying to fabricate a case against Black Lives Matter, and journalists are playing along.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Immokalee Way: Protecting Farmworkers Amid a Pandemic
While some companies do everything to escape accountability, the Fair Food Program proves there’s an alternative.
By John Bowe in The Nation.
How to Talk to Kids About Racism and Police
Schools do students a disservice when they fail to teach them about difficult issues.
By Dani McClain in The Atlantic.
For The Generals, A Duty To Speak Up Now
So far nobody in the United States military has expressed great surprise over President Trump’s alleged remarks about soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
By Joe Conason in The National Memo.
The Empty Cases
A look at how things might change in British museums as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement.
By Gary Younge in BBC Radio 4.
We Need to Talk About the GOP’s ‘Black Friends’
The Republican National Convention has been all about using Black people to convince white people it’s OK to vote for a bigot.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Abolition Movement
What we talk about when we talk about addressing the savage roots of policing: justice and safety for everyone.
By Josie Duffy Rice in Vanity Fair.
At the RNC, Republicans Go All In on Police Impunity
As Jacob Blake lay in his hospital bed, Republicans began their convention by defending “the Blue” and refusing to say Black lives matter.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Local Economies Have Been Decimated by the Coronavirus—But This Is Just a Preview of What Climate Change Could Do
This summer has been a cruel one in the American Sunbelt.
By Mario Alejandro Ariza in Time.
How Yale Became the Latest Target in the Plot to Kill Affirmative Action
In the coming days, the DOJ will borrow a page from the conservative playbook and likely sue Yale for violating the rights of white and Asian students.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
DeJoy Says USPS Won’t Reinstall More Than 600 Removed Mail Sorting Machines
“There’s no intention to do that,” DeJoy testified. “They’re not needed.”
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
A Co-op for Black and Multiracial Families ‘De-schools’ Children
Nine families shared with us why they chose to educate their children outside the traditional school system.
By Dani McClain in New York Times Parenting.
The Trump Administration’s Air Strikes in Somalia Are On the Rise Again—and Civilians Are Paying the Price
In the first seven months of 2020, the Trump administration conducted more air strikes in Somalia than the previous two administrations combined.
By Nick Turse in Time.
The Democratic Convention Is Shaping Up to Be a Centrist Hoedown
The recently released list of speakers at next week’s convention shows just how scared Democrats are to make a serious policy argument.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Exclusive: Inside the secret world of US commandos in Africa
Investigation reveals the scale of operations of America’s elite combat troops in Africa.
By Nick Turse in Atavist.
Cold as ICE
How local sheriffs are driving Trump’s deportation agenda.
By Seth Freed Wessler in Mother Jones.
Could Wonder Woman Save Us From Covid-19?
Our leaders are as bad as any comic book villain. But even they might be no match for Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth—or Spider-man’s web shooters or Shuri’s brain.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Man Determined to Deliver Trump’s Alaskan Oil Promise
A political appointee at the Department of Interior has played a key, and sometimes controversial, role in opening a pristine wildlife refuge to drilling.
By Adam Federman in Politico.
Incremental Change Is a Moral Failure
More reform won’t fix policing.
By Mychal Denzel Smith in The Atlantic.
Speech: John Lewis Accepts the 2012 Ridenhour Courage Prize
Often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” John Lewis dedicated his life to protecting human rights.
U.S. Capitalism Is in Total Meltdown
The COVID-19 pandemic is like Hurricane Katrina, but for the entire country. And things are only going to get worse.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
Seriously? John Kasich? What Is the Biden Camp Thinking?
The former Ohio governor may convince a handful of disgruntled Trumpers to vote for Biden, but there is no evidence he can win the state for the Democrats.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Where Did a U.S. General Put the Ceremonial Gifts He Got From Foreign Leaders? In the trash.
Military documents show that former AFRICOM chief Gen. Thomas Waldhauser regularly put gifts he received from African leaders into the trash.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
There Are Literally No Good Options for Educating Our Kids This Fall
But the real scandal is that we shouldn’t be in this position in the first place.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Evictions Aren’t Inevitable When Tenants Fight Back
As the housing crisis deepens, renters find strength in solidarity.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
Neglected in Care
Long before the coronavirus devastated nursing homes, inadequate staffing in for-profit Texas facilities endangered residents, leading to injuries and deaths.
By Elena Mejía Lutz in The Texas Observer.
The Standing Rock Generation Is Changing the World
A young man from Standing Rock reflects on the Dakota Access Pipeline court decision.
By Julian Brave NoiseCat in Rolling Stone.
Prisoners Face ‘Undue Punishment’ as the IRS Claws Back Their Stimulus Checks
Legal experts say the IRS is illegally denying CARES Act payments to incarcerated people.
By Jordan Michael Smith in The Appeal.
What No Patriot Would Ever Do
“Performative patriotism” is a fancy way of describing what my father called “jelly-bellied flag flappers.”
By Joe Conason in The National Memo.
A Small Victory for Reproductive Rights
Trump’s Supreme Court appointees lost this battle, but the war on abortion is far from over.
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
U.S. Commandos at Risk for Suicide: Is the Military Doing Enough?
An unreleased report commissioned by U.S. Special Operations Command found deficiencies in the military’s suicide-prevention programs for its elite troops.
By Nick Turse in The New York Times.
Trump’s Rally at Mount Rushmore Will Move Forward Despite Risks
NPS cuts “health and human safety” section from environmental analysis.
By Adam Federman in Sierra.
Before Stonewall, There Was Julius’, NYC’s Oldest Gay Bar
In the heart of the West Village, steps from the Christopher Street train station, stands a historic gay bar.
By Naomi Gordon-Loebl in Wine Enthusiast.
The Rule of Law Is Being Gutted Because ‘Moderate’ Republicans Stayed Silent
Never-Trumpers and other GOPers could have stopped the rise of people like William Barr, Michael Flynn, and Neomi Rao—but they didn’t.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
How to Fight Coronavirus and Climate Change at Once
While millions of Americans all across the country are sick and out of work, there is no question low-income communities of color are being hit harder than others.
By Julian Brave NoiseCat in Crooked Media.
Thought COVID Wreaked Havoc on the Primaries? Just Wait Until November.
The primary debacles show just how much could go wrong in the presidential election.
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
Minority Exclusion at the Makeshift Morgue
Across the U.S., temporary facilities built in response to COVID-19 went up quickly and minority contractors were left out.
By Rebecca Rivas in The St. Louis American.
“Injury to All” at Rutgers University
A coalition of unions representing 20,000 workers is organizing to reject the university’s austerity response to the pandemic.
By Sarah Jaffe in Dissent.
Ah Toy, Pioneering Prostitute of Gold Rush California
On January 24, 1848, miners found gold in Coloma, fifty miles east of Sacramento.
By May Jeong in The New York Review of Books.
The US Needs to Be Treated Like the Racist Pariah State It Is
Will the international community finally rise in solidarity with black people against the white American regime of oppression and violence?
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Roberts’s DACA Ruling Had Nothing to Do With His Own Moral Awakening
Instead, it had everything to do with Trump’s incompetence.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
As States Struggle With Vote-by-Mail, “Many Thousands, If Not Millions” of Ballots Could Go Uncounted in November
The coronavirus pandemic has spurred states to boost vote-by-mail, raising worries that inconsistent policies could lead to problems counting mailed ballots.
By Richard Salame in The Intercept.
7 Candidates You Should Know on New York and Kentucky’s Primary Ballots
From Jamaal Bowman in New York to Nima Kulkarni in Kentucky, voters have a robust class of progressive candidates on their June 23 ballots.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
How the New York City School System Failed the Test of Covid-19
The city’s leaders bungled the closing of the schools when the coronavirus struck. Can they be trusted to reopen them safely?
By Sarah Jaffe in The Nation.
Will the Death of George Floyd Mark the Rebirth of America?
A man forced to die with his face pressed to the ground may yet shift the Earth under your feet.
By Nick Turse in TomDispatch.
Neil Gorsuch Stuns the Nation, Does the Right Thing
In a forceful decision, the Supreme Court grants an emphatic victory to LGBTQ rights.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Union Drive at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
“Amplifying our concerns about going back to work,” says museum educator Sarah Shaw, “is also a way of amplifying the concerns of other frontline workers.”
By Sarah Jaffe in Dissent.
Reflections on Rage and Reform
I was stunned into hand-over-mouth silence as I sat on my couch watching the murder of George Floyd.
By Sylvia A. Harvey in Type Investigations.
Essential Business
Keeping the Bronx fed in the midst of a pandemic
By Rozina Ali in Harper’s.
What Does It Mean to Defund or Abolish the Police?
Trevor Noah speaks with panelists about the recent progress of the Black Lives Matter movement, the call to defund the police, and community-based alternatives.
Featuring Mychal Denzel Smith and Josie Duffy Rice on The Daily Show.
Provincetown, Long A Haven For Outsiders, Debates How Wide To Open Its Doors
A surge of COVID-19 cases could be especially risky for this LGBTQ destination. But shutting down the summer season would be devastating, too.
By Naomi Gordon-Loebl in HuffPost.
Plague Poem
Perhaps it is best that we go away now, bundle up our tyrants, lies and balloons, our screams.
By Kata Pollitt in Lit Hub.
Pentagon War Game Includes Scenario for Military Response to Domestic Gen Z Rebellion
The presence of America’s military on the streets of major cities has been a controversial development.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
When Shelter Comes Down to the Luck of the Draw
As eviction moratoriums expire, lotteries determine who gets rent relief.
By Rebecca Burns in The Nation.
Fear, Illness and Death in ICE Detention: How a Protest Grew on the Inside
Detained men and women held at a facility in Georgia are trying desperately to raise the alarm.
By Seth Freed Wessler in The New York Times Magazine.
To the White People Who Keep Asking How to ‘Help’
Spare me the sympathy. It’s outrage that matters.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Bill de Blasio Has Failed the Test of This Moment
New York’s mayor has floundered in the face of stunning police violence—just like so many other mayors who aren’t prepared to rein in the cops.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
EIC of Type Investigations Comments on Floyd Protests
Type Investigations condemns attacks by law enforcement against members of the press and protesters.
By Mark Rochester in Type Investigations.
A Letter to My White Male Friends of a Certain Age
On Friday afternoon I got a call with a buddy I hadn’t spoken to in a couple of years.
By Dax-Devlon Ross in Third Settlements.
People Can Only Bear So Much Injustice Before Lashing Out
As the media denounces the Minneapolis protesters, it’s worth remembering that it takes incredible strength to practice nonviolence in the face of murder and oppression.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
There’s Only One Possible Conclusion: White America Likes Its Killer Cops
There’s a straight line connecting Derek Chauvin to Amy Cooper—and that line is white support of police violence.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
An NFL player says United ignored his reports of sexual assault. The problem’s bigger than him.
Stereotypes about black men as hypersexual and uniquely violent means that, when they are abused, they regularly face scorn and disbelief.
By Mychal Denzel Smith in NBC Think.
‘Inundated and Overwhelmed’: Black Undertakers Struggle Amid Pandemic
Black-owned funeral homes were already in decline. Can they survive Covid-19?
By Dax-Devlon Ross in The Guardian.
‘I’m pretty sure I should be going home’
As COVID-19 deaths mount in Michigan prisons, the review of questionable convictions has slowed, leaving prisoners vulnerable to the disease.
By Aaron Miguel Cantú in The Appeal.
We Should Take Women’s Accusations Seriously. But Tara Reade’s Fall Short.
I would vote for Joe Biden even if I believed Reade’s account. Fortunately, I don’t have to sacrifice morality to political necessity.
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
Building Service Workers Strike
Workers at 75 Wall Street in New York are demanding management return to the bargaining table.
By Sarah Jaffe in Dissent.
Can Britain Survive Boris Johnson?
After Corbyn, after Covid, the Labour Party struggles to break through.
By Gary Younge in The Nation.
The Growing Power of West Virginia’s Teachers
When the Mountain State’s teachers went on strike in 2018, they inspired a movement—now they’re showing us how to build a better union.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
The Supreme Court Has Given Its Blessing to Public Corruption
With its Bridgegate decision, the Supreme Court put another nail in the coffin of our corruption laws.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
What Happened to Kroger’s “Hero Pay”?
Workers at the grocery chain are being asked to return emergency pay, even as company revenue and stock prices climb upward.
By Sarah Jaffe in Dissent.
Paying Off Your Paid Leave
Many workers who need more sick time than they’ve accrued end up having to pay back their employers and go into ‘PTO debt.’
By Sarah Jaffe in The American Prospect.
SCOTUS May Have Just Decided to Exempt Trump From the Rule of Law
During landmark oral arguments on Trump’s tax returns, conservative justices made clear they think the president is above the law.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Voters Support Native American Healthcare and Treaty Rights
Voters support five proposals aimed at improving healthcare in Native American communities.
By Julian Brave NoiseCat and Ethan Winter in Data for Progress.
The Long, Strange History of Bill Gates Population Control Conspiracy Theories
How the billionaire philanthropist displaced George Soros as the chief bogeyman of the right.
By Kathryn Joyce in HuffPost.
Chicago Intercepts Tax Refunds to Collect Unpaid Debt, Hitting Poor Black Areas the Hardest
A little known program extracts millions annually from unpaid tickets, court fees and other debt from thousands of taxpayers without regard for ability to pay.
By Simon Davis-Cohen in The Chicago Reporter.
Sephora Makes Plans to Reopen
“They have very unrealistic expectations of workers sacrificing their health so that people can buy makeup.”
By Sarah Jaffe in Dissent.
Death of a Survivor
In April, Darlene “Lulu” Benson-Seay became the first woman incarcerated by New York State to die from Covid-19. Should she have been in prison in the first place?
By Justine van der Leun in The New Republic.
Why Did the ERA Die? FX’s ‘Mrs. America’ Has Some Answers.
Phyllis Schlafly, the subject of a new nine-part mini-series, teaches feminists never to underestimate their political enemies.
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
The Men Pushing to Open the Economy Clearly Don’t Need Child Care
There’s no way to send people back to work without providing safe, affordable child care, but the men in charge don’t seem to care.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
They Were Warned Not to Take Sick Days — Then Six Workers at Their Warehouse Died of Coronavirus
The workers also expressed concerns that delays in the provision of personal protective equipment like masks and gloves made an outbreak inevitable.
By Gabriel Thompson in The Intercept.
What It’s Like To Have Cancer In The Middle Of A Pandemic
Many cancer patients have had surgeries delayed and treatment procedures changed as the country battles COVID-19.
By Patricia Anstett in HuffPost.
Retail COVID-19 Testing Is a Massive Failure for Black Communities
Since the White House announced this “historic public-private partnership,” 63 sites have opened nationwide. Just eight are in black neighborhoods.
By Aaron Ross Coleman in Vox.
In Just Months, the Coronavirus Has Killed More Americans Than 20 Years of War in Vietnam
Born in controversy, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is now the most poignant monument on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
He Sewed Masks In His Prison Cell. 30 Miles Away, His Mother Was Dying Of COVID-19.
Francisco Hernandez just wanted to say goodbye.
By Lisa Armstrong in HuffPost.
SCOTUS Just Found a Way to Inflict More Terror on Immigrants
A new decision written by Kavanaugh reaffirms the idea that the government can reach into a black or brown person’s life—and destroy it—at any time.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Iraq War Paved the Way for Coronavirus Catastrophe
In early April, a video of an elderly woman in what looks to be a makeshift isolation ward in Iraq circulated widely on WhatsApp.
By Rozina Ali in Foreign Affairs.
U.S. Airstrikes Hit All-Time High As Coronavirus Spreads In Somalia
In the first four months of this year, U.S. Africa Command has conducted more airstrikes in Somalia than it did during all of Barack Obama’s eight years in office.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
The Last 16 Days Of Robert Beaupre’s Life
“Beau” is one of about 2,400 people who have died of COVID-19 in Michigan. Texts, diaries and photos detailed his last days in remarkable detail.
By Patricia Anstett in HuffPost.
FEMA’s Coronavirus Rumor Control Webpage Sidesteps Trump’s Lies
There are no medications approved by the FDA specifically for the treatment of Covid-19. But if you tune into President Trump’s daily press conferences, you could be forgiven for coming away with a different take.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
My days have been spent inside mostly. But when I’m out for my daily walk, I delight in seeing flowers in the park by my apartment.
By Collier Meyerson in the Intelligencer.
Detroit’s Health Care Workers Ask: ‘How Many Lives Can We Save?’
Doctors and nurses in one of the nation’s poorest, blackest big cities are fighting a raging coronavirus outbreak and a flawed health care system. Here’s what life is like for them right now.
By Patricia Anstett, Jonathan Cohn, Tom Perkins and Anna Clark in HuffPost.
Joe Biden Needs to Start Acting Like a Presidential Candidate
Advice for the apparent Democratic nominee on how to behave like a leader—and defeat Donald Trump—in the middle of a pandemic.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.