Politics

Democrats Are Wasting Precious Time with a Measly "Bipartisan" Infrastructure Deal

The bipartisan plan is a drop in the bucket. Democrats need to forget Republicans and pass a bold package that makes massive public investments.

Max B. Sawicky

How To Murder a Good Idea With Conventional Wisdom

"Defund the police" is a completely rational policy prescription. Political pundits don't care.

Hamilton Nolan

India Walton, Buffalo's Black Socialist Mayor to Be, Is About to Make History

Walton, a longtime community organizer, won a stunning primary victory over the Democratic incumbent in Buffalo, New York where she’s poised to usher in a new era of municipal socialism.

Nick Vachon

One Way to Boost Workers and the Labor Movement? Give Unions Power Over Unemployment Insurance.

A reform from Belgium in the early 1900s would both increase unemployment insurance benefits and decrease the cost of labor organizing. It’s time for the U.S. to embrace it.

Francisco Diez

Don't Just Send People Money During a Pandemic—Do It All the Time

The evidence is in: Sending out direct cash payments has been a full-blown success—and we can’t afford to stop.

Jim Pugh

Joe Biden’s Progressive Economic Turn Was Shaped By Social Movements

Years of grassroots organizing helped create the conditions for Biden to embrace bold policies on government spending.

Mark Engler and Paul Engler

Biden Says He Backs a Just Transition for the Climate Crisis. Advocates Say, “Prove It.”

While the administration has taken some early steps to provide support for energy workers and frontline communities in the transition away from fossil fuels, experts and activists say the crisis demands a more transformative approach.

Rachel M. Cohen

Words That Mean Nothing

Our political discourse is dominated by issues that don't exist

Hamilton Nolan

House Progressives Are Urging Democrats to Ditch the GOP and Pass a Bold Infrastructure Plan

Facing obstruction from Mitch McConnell and Republicans, a group of nearly 60 Democratic lawmakers are pushing for an investment "that truly meets this historic moment."

Kenny Stancil

Lies, Damn Lies, and Inflation

Austerity is about to make its political comeback.

Hamilton Nolan

Ethnic Cleansing Campaigns Like Sheikh Jarrah Are Nothing New for Israel

An In These Times feature from 1977 examining the proliferation of illegal settlements across the occupied territories has proved distressingly prescient.

Maryum Elnasseh

The Real "Big Lie" Is That Billionaires Are Tolerable

Great wealth should be seen as deranged hoarding.

Hamilton Nolan

U.S. Labor Shortage? No, We Have a Crisis of Low Wages.

Don't easily believe claims that there's a lack of people to fill jobs. What's really going on is that employers aren't offering workers a living wage.

Heidi Shierholz

Biden’s Infrastructure Plans Are a Good Start—But We Must Ensure Democratic Control

President Biden has laid out an ambitious agenda for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. To succeed, the projects should be put under public ownership.

Thomas M. Hanna

Biden's First 100 Days Have Been a Tale of Two Presidencies

When it comes to economic issues, the Biden administration has shown some surprising progressivism. On foreign policy, not so much.

Max B. Sawicky

The Numbers Show We Need Action to Stop Anti-Asian Violence

The Senate passed a bill to combat hate crimes in response to the rise in anti-Asian violence. It's a first step—but there's much more work to be done.

Clara Liang

Just 3 Democrats Stand in the Way of the PRO Act Coming to the Senate Floor for a Vote

Facing pressure, Sens. Joe Manchin and Angus King have signed on to the landmark labor bill, leaving just three Democratic holdouts: Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly and Mark Warner.

Jeff Schuhrke

This Republican "Working Class Party" Thing Is a Clown Show of the Highest Order

Try harder, Ivy League scum.

Hamilton Nolan