Politics

Rahm Emanuel Agrees to $5.5 Million in Reparations for Police Torture Survivors

After a decades-long battle by survivors and advocates, Chicago is poised to finally address a dark legacy.

Keisa Reynolds

Ready for a Woman, But Not Hillary Clinton

She may be a feminist, but Hillary Clinton's policies and demeanor fit nicely with the old boys' club on Capitol Hill.

Susan J. Douglas

From Moral Victories to Tangible Ones

Jesus "Chuy" Garcia’s defeat was crushing. But Chicago progressives won, at the very least, a moral victory. Or maybe much more.

Rick Perlstein

The Appeal of the UK’s Radical Right

UKIP is reaching the 'left behind' white working class.

Jane Miller

BREAKING: In Chicago, Reports of Voters Receiving Ballots Already Marked for Emanuel

After a Facebook post suggested voting irregularities blew up, similar reports are emerging.

Rick Perlstein

Is Chicago Finally Tired of Rahm Emanuel?

Emanuel might conceivably lose—a previously unthinkable notion—in his bid for a second term of Chicago's mayor.

John R. MacArthur

Darth Rahm vs. The Chuy Rebellion

Jesús "Chuy" Garcia's meteoric rise could land him the mayorship if only he can channel the force—record voter turnout among Chicago's disenfranchised.

Ethan Michaeli

Whither Argumentation?: A Response to Louis Nayman

Every direct reference to the exclusive right of one group, based on its mythic and historical past, is a precursor to a justification of brutal power, a version of “might is right.”

Slavoj Žižek

Europe’s Revolt Against Austerity

Syriza is part of a wave of anti-austerity leftism in Europe, much of it led by young people.

Bhaskar Sunkara

“He Sold Us Out”: Activists Fuming Over Bob Fioretti’s “Come to Rahm” Moment Endorsing Mayor Emanuel

The former progressive mayoral critic has come out in support of Rahm Emanuel, which some former allies see as a gross betrayal.

Miles Kampf-Lassin

To Catch a Torturer: One Attorney’s 28-Year Pursuit of Racist Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge

A human rights attorney looks back at his nearly three decades going after Chicago's notorious torturer of African-American men.

Flint Taylor

The SEC’s Danger of Regulatory Capture

How the "cozying up" at the SEC is just another example of regulatory capture.

David Sirota

South Side Man Who Posed Stone-faced with Mayor on Instagram: Rahm Emanuel is a Horrible Tipper

The health food store employee and a coworker say Mayor Emanuel is a notoriously bad tipper, and once left a 37-cent tip on a seven-dollar shake.

Micah Uetricht

Obamacare and Its Discontents

Steven Brill's new book outlines the shortcomings, as well as the accomplishments, of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.

Adam Gaffney

When the War on Drugs in Mexico Comes Back Home to the U.S.

Like the Islamic State, the Mexican drug cartels' power has increased as the result of disastrous U.S. policies.

Rebecca Gordon

Obama’s Drone Policy Crashes and Burns

Yemen, the poster child for drone-based foreign policy, has collapsed on itself.

Leonard C. Goodman

On David Brooks and the “Moral Failures” of the Poor

We aren’t bereft of morals, as Brooks argues—we are plagued with bad ones that blame the poor for their own condition.

Emmett Rensin

When Good Political Arguments Go Bad: On “Critique Drift”

It’s time to recognize that the injunction against criticizing those who self-identify as activists for social justice is a dead-end for our movement.

Freddie deBoer