Politics

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

ISIS: Managers of Savagery

The sectarian brutality of ISIS has allowed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to disingenuously play the victim: the arsonist masquerading as a firefighter.

Muhammad Idrees Ahmad

Mental Health Activists Say Rahm Emanuel Exploded at Them: “You’re going to respect me!”

The incident came almost three years to the day that another activist died after her mental health clinic was closed by Mayor Emanuel.

Yana Kunichoff

Rahm Emanuel’s New Campaign Ad Shows a Mayor Who’s Terrified He’s About to Lose

His reelection bid was supposed to be a cakewalk, but Rahm is clearly starting to get nervous.

Micah Uetricht

Why Chuy Garcia Needs To Condemn Rahm Emanuel’s Secret Police Interrogation Site (Updated)

By any other name, it still smells like torture.

Flint Taylor

Why One Community Voted to Tax Itself

Public mental healthcare has been gutted in the past 50 years. An innovative Illinois law may provide an answer.

Anne-Marie Cusac

The FCC Just Adopted Strong Net Neutrality Rules—Thanks to Activists

The victory wouldn't have been possible without agitation from the grassroots.

Jay Cassano

With Chicago Tired of “Mayor 1%,” Chuy García Could Actually Win His Runoff with Rahm Emanuel

While money poured into the recent mayoral and aldermanic elections, voters showed that they are tired of business as usual.

Kari Lydersen

Who’s Afraid of Chicago’s Progressive Aldermen? Rahm Emanuel, That’s Who.

The Chicago mayor's super PAC has spent large amounts of money to protect his allies on City Council—and take down those who oppose him.

Yana Kunichoff

Do Chicago’s Mayoral Candidates Care About Queer and Trans Chicagoans?

Only one candidate has staked out a strong position in favor of LGBTQ rights—and it isn't Rahm Emanuel.

H. Melt

As Germany Stands Firm Against Attempts to Scale Back Austerity in Greece, What’s Next for Syriza?

Germany's unwillingness to budge on the strict cuts demanded of Greece are bad news for rolling back austerity throughout the rest of Europe.

Alexandros Orphanides

Just Taxing the 1 Percent as Much as We Tax the Poor Would Yield Billions for Cash-Strapped States

A new report shows that states and cities effectively tax the 1 percent at only 5.4 percent—half what they tax the poor (10.9 percent).

David Sirota

Pablo Iglesias Takes Podemos’s Bottom-Up, Anti-Austerity Politics to New York

The general secretary of the leftist Spanish party paid homage to American radicals while denouncing "the party of Wall Street."

Alexandros Orphanides

Why Syriza Hasn’t Threatened to Leave the European Union—Yet

Greece's newly elected radical left coalition is playing the long game.

Alexandros Orphanides