More Highlights
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.
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.
Trump’s Obsession with Reopening the Economy Ignores Public Health Experts
Almost since the moment he issued guidelines for combatting COVID-19 through social distancing, Trump has been pressing to reopen the country.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
Georgia Lawsuit Raises Concerns About Voters’ Language Access During Primary Season — And Come November
As states move to increase access to mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, a lawsuit in Georgia highlights a potential obstacle.
By Richard Salame in Type Investigations.
Evangelical Pastors Seize Political Opportunity in Coronavirus Crisis
The real reason some parishioners are being encouraged to hug in church.
By Sarah Posner in HuffPost.
Republicans Are Trying to Kick Thousands of Voters Off the Rolls During a Pandemic
In November, many swing state voters won’t get to cast a ballot. That’s by design.
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
Immigrant Detainees Stage Protest For More COVID-19 Protections: ‘WE ARE NOT SAFE’
People being held at a center in Georgia want vulnerable individuals released and better safeguards against infection.
By Seth Freed Wessler in HuffPost.
Workers Should Shape the COVID-19 Recovery
Giving workers control over what they produce will not only save lives but create a more humane economy.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
The Lesson of the Coronavirus? There’s No One Left to Trust.
Almost all our leaders failed to act quickly enough to stave off the Covid catastrophe. So how can we trust them to tell us when the crisis has passed?
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
How Much Is an Unkosher Torah Worth?
Inside the murky world of Torah appraisal and a prominent evangelical’s gift to the Museum of the Bible of thousands of unusable scrolls.
By Hella Winston in The Jewish Week.
Doulas Are Going Virtual
As the novel coronavirus continues to ravage New York City, doulas have had to adapt their methods.
By Collier Meyerson in the Intelligencer.
‘I Can’t Do Anything’: Doctor Detained By ICE Waits For Coronavirus Outbreak To Hit
Neysi Salvador-Aguiar, a physician from Cuba, says that the Irwin County detention center wasn’t taking enough measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
By Seth Freed Wessler in HuffPost.
As Coronavirus Spreads to Africa, Health Experts Warn of Catastrophe
Public health officials are raising the alarm that infection rates in Africa could soon boom.
By Nick Turse in Yahoo News.
I Never Felt Like a ‘Single’ Parent. Then the Coronavirus Hit.
Unpartnered parents like me rely on support from other adults in our children’s lives. We need public health guidance that works for us.
By Dani McClain in The Nation.
Trump’s Coronavirus ‘Experts’: A Field Guide
Here are the brave men who aren’t letting a lack of relevant training stop them from weighing in on how to solve the crisis.
By Collier Meyerson in Wired.
Welfare for Wall Street
As in 2008, the financial relief package leaves most Americans behind. It’s only a matter of time before it leads to an even bigger crisis.
By Nomi Prins in The Nation.
Lessons from Hurricane Katrina for the COVID-19 Recovery to Come
Most people in the midst of a disaster can barely see beyond today, let alone tomorrow.
By Gary Rivlin in The Appeal.
“My Father Was the First Federal Prisoner to Die of COVID-19. He’d Been Trying to Get Out for Years.”
Christopher Walker’s father, Patrick Jones, died on March 28—the first federal prisoner to die from the coronavirus.
By Seth Freed Wessler in Mother Jones.
I Moved Into a Domestic Violence Shelter and Haven’t Seen My Son In Weeks
Nathalie K. is a 32-year-old mother living in a domestic violence shelter in Benton, Arkansas.
By Sylvia Harvey in Gen.
As Coronavirus Spread, Financial Services Contractor Told Warehouse Workers They Aren’t Allowed to Get Sick
In a Long Island warehouse, immigrants work long hours doing mailings for a multibillion-dollar financial services company. Now they’re getting sick.
By Gabriel Thompson in The Intercept.
Misinformation Hampered Ebola Response. The Same Thing Could Happen With Coronavirus.
In Congo, wild rumors and misinformation about Ebola led to attacks on hospitals and health care workers.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
Renters In Turmoil As Federal And State Relief Measures Fall Short
“I can’t be out on the street right now,” a woman in Jackson, Mississippi, said.
By Rebecca Burns in HuffPost.
Texts From Politicians Could Be More Dangerous Than Ever
With rallies and canvassing on ice, 2020 election campaigns are rapidly turning to peer-to-peer texting, which isn’t the panacea it appears to be.
By Collier Meyerson in Wired.
Perry Rosenstein – In Memoriam
We warmly remember Perry Rosenstein, Founder and President of the Puffin Foundation, Ltd.
Man Who Died In Sing Sing Prison Tested Positive For COVID-19
The medical examiner hasn’t announced the cause of death for a 58-year-old man who died Monday, but confirmed to HuffPost that he tested positive for COVID-19.
By Lisa Armstrong in HuffPost.
The Abortion Provider Who Was Forced to Turn Away Women Halfway Through the Process
Kathy Kleinfeld is the administrator of Houston Women’s Reproductive Services, a small clinic that specializes exclusively in medication abortions.
By Lindsay Beyerstein in Gen.
The Coronavirus Has Spread to the US Marshals’ Detention Empire
Exclusive reporting reveals five people in federal detention have tested positive for COVID-19.
By Seth Freed Wessler in Mother Jones.
In the Pandemic, Iowans Can Have Guns but They Can’t Have Abortions
Welcome to Iowa, where in the middle of a global pandemic you can still walk into a Hobby Lobby, but you can’t access constitutionally protected health care.
By Lyz Lenz in The Gazette.
Police Are Trying To Free Inmates At Risk Of Coronavirus. Why Are Judges Blocking Them?
Judges are dangerously behind the curve in supporting compassionate release and other plans to reduce the jail population.
By Dax Devlon-Ross in HuffPost.
A Preventable Cancer Is on the Rise in Alabama
The state’s refusal to expand Medicaid is causing poor women to miss out on lifesaving screenings.
By Eyal Press in The New Yorker.
The Coronavirus Will Test Whether We’ve Learned Anything From 9/11
Many of us would be happy to exchange some basic rights for safety right now, but we have to be vigilant about protecting our liberties.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
How Black Expectant Mothers Can Prepare for Birth
Changes at doctor’s offices and hospitals are forcing Black moms-to-be to seek alternative ways to welcome their newborns.
By Dani McClain in Zora.
Darling, Let’s Do Coronavirus in the Hamptons This Year
The rich continue their tradition of escapist virtue signaling.
By Kate Aronoff in The New Republic.
The Home Health Aide Who’s Scared Their Elderly Clients Won’t Survive
An anonymous home health aide in the Buffalo, New York, area talks about losing work due to the pandemic and the toll it’s taken on her clients.
By Nina Zweig in Gen.
The Stimulus Halts a Corporate Trick That Gouges Workers. But it Comes Too Late.
Stock buybacks enriched companies and their leaders — at everyone else’s expense.
By Gary Rivlin in The Washington Post.
Millions of Americans are About to Lose Their Health Insurance in a Pandemic
Americans are about to learn something horrifying: how irrational it is for health insurance to be linked to your employment status.
By Wendell Potter in The Guardian.
Congratulations, Your Kids Are Now Your Coworkers
Tips on how to survive the lockdown with your children and sanity intact—by a veteran of working from home.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
In West African Coronavirus Hotspot, War has Left 700,000 Homeless and Exposed
Burkina Faso has endured poverty, drought, hunger, and coups. Now experts fear that COVID-19 could decimate entire settlements.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
‘Horror Story After Horror Story’: A Frontline Nurse Discusses the Crisis
Zenei Cortez, a nurse and union leader, says not giving medical workers protective gear is like giving a firefighter a squirt gun.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Nation.
Abortion Foes Use the Pandemic as an Excuse
Officials hope to achieve their goal of effectively banning the procedure.
By Katha Pollitt in The Atlantic.
Why ICE’s Coronavirus Response Is So Dangerous
As the world braces for the worsening coronavirus pandemic, is ICE really protecting public safety?
By Alina Das in QZ.
Public Access to Information Suffers Under Coronavirus
The pandemic has dealt a blow to transparency.
By Richard Salame and Nina Zweig in Type Investigations.
Donald Trump Says America’s Ventilator Shortage was “Unforeseen.” Nothing Coule be Further from the Truth
In recent days, Trump has defended his administration against the suggestion that the government is failing to secure enough ventilators.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
The Skies Are Emptying Out
Mourning the world I thought I grew up in, and the birds I thought I knew.
By Tom Engelhardt in The Nation.
We Can Build a Better World After COVID-19
When the crisis is over, the question should not be, “How do we get everyone back to work?” but “Why weren’t we valuing our workers to begin with?”
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
What The Pandemic Tells Us About Our Politics
When Americans are confronting the most threatening national crisis in a generation, it would be uplifting to offer a few encouraging words about the president.
By Joe Conason in The National Memo.
NYC’s School Closures Are a Crisis of Their Own for Disadvantaged Families
There are 1,100,000 students in New York City’s 1,722 public schools.
By Collier Meyerson in the Intelligencer.
Italy’s Coronavirus Nightmare Could Happen in U.S. Within Days or Weeks, Ex-CDC Chief Says
The Italian health care system is buckling under the weight of the pandemic.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
The Democrats Screwed Up
Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders have been outflanked by opponents embracing big spending ideas to address the coronavirus recession.
By Kate Aronoff in The New Republic.
The Media Is Helping Spread Trump’s Coronavirus Racism
It’s time for every major media outlet to stop disseminating Trump’s hate—and stop repeating his racist nicknames for the virus.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
A Tale of Two Plagues
Tips on self-isolation from Daniel Defoe and Giovanni Boccaccio
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
Amid a Pandemic, Target Employees Work in Fear
Target and many other big retailers have yet to provide paid sick leave, endangering workers and customers.
By P.E. Moskowitz in The Nation.
Last Chance at Justice
History tells us that, in a time of crisis, we have to be careful about how we respond.
By Seth Freed Wessler in WNYC’s United States of Anxiety.
America’s Commandos Deployed to 141 Countries
And “criminal misconduct” followed.
By Nick Turse in TomDispatch.
In Search of Promised Lands
Uprooted repeatedly by development projects, the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree wandered boreal Quebec for 70 years before finding a permanent home. For some, the journey continues.
By Julian Brave NoiseCate in Canadian Geographic.
U.S. Airstrike In Somalia Killed Two Civilians, Relatives Say
A U.S. airstrike targeting al-Shabab militants in Somalia last week killed a child and an elderly man, according to relatives of the dead and a Somali lawmaker.
By Nick Turse and Amanda Sperber in The Intercept.
The House on Magnolia Street
How a group of homeless mothers took on a housing crisis
By Julian Brave NoiseCat in The California Sunday Magazine.
Green Jobs Are the Answer to the Coronavirus Recession
The climate case for making the government the employer of last resort.
By Kate Aronoff in The New Republic.
Sara Nelson Says People Are Ready for Solidarity
The president of the Association of Flight Attendants tells Sarah Jaffe that the pandemic reveals what unions already know: “An injury to one is an injury to all.”
By Sarah Jaffe in The Nation.
Trump Won’t Steal the Election, but Your Governor Might
There are lots of ways to prevent people from voting besides canceling the election, and the coronavirus provides the perfect excuse.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Reality of American Denialism
This pandemic didn’t sneak up on us. It came with us watching and refusing to believe what we saw.
By Lyz Lenz in The Gazette.
Trump Isn’t In Charge—So Who the Hell Is?
In the absence of a serious federal response, it’s up to the 50 state governors, and numerous localities, to figure this out on their own.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Finally, a Useful Role for Bloomberg in 2020—Supporting Voting Rights
The failed presidential contender has begun backing critical voting rights efforts—and not a moment too soon.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
In Praise of Winter Running
The best runner’s high I’ve ever had was in the dead of winter
By Naomi Gordon-Loebl in The Nation.
Our Capitalist, Corporatist Country Is Drastically Unprepared for the Coronavirus
Stemming the tide of coronavirus may require lots of people to stay home from work. The problem is, that’s a luxury many workers can’t afford.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Here’s Why Texans Had to Wait Six Hours to Vote
The state closed a record 750 polling places from 2012 to 2018.
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
Is This the End of Oversharing?
The internet has been reshaped by a fresh anxiety over posting — and revealing — too much.
By Collier Meyerson in Wired.
The Abortion Doctor and His Accuser
What does it mean to take women’s claims of sexual assault seriously?
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
South Carolina Because They ‘Lack Information’
Black voters opted for Biden because they have no faith that white voters will do the right thing and vote for a true progressive.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.