The OG Fake News
Long before disinformation became a moral panic, respectable media outlets like the New York Times trafficked in false information that led to decades of war in Iraq.
242 Articles by: Liza Featherstone
Liza Featherstone is a columnist for Jacobin, a freelance journalist, and the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart.
Artist Dora García Considers Alexandra Kollontai and Mexican Feminism
The newest of artist Dora Garcia’s films on feminist revolution, Amor Rojo’s simultaneous exploration of Soviet feminist Alexandra Kollontai and today’s Mexican feminism is the most compelling yet, but it misses the politics of the contemporary moment.
Why Did Democrats Embrace the Far-Right Narendra Modi?
During an official state visit, the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has been feted and praised despite his Hindu nationalism and right-wing policies — even by Democrats.
McCarthyite Laws Targeting Leftists Are Still on the Books Across the Country
Communists were excluded from an Oklahoma Pride festival recently based on an old McCarthyite state law. The incident is a reminder of how easily the Red Scare’s mechanisms for state repression can be revived in 21st-century America.
Don’t Be Afraid to Embrace the Utopian Spirit
There’s no substitute for building worker power and winning state power to change the world. But we also shouldn’t reject the utopian spirit that has long driven many to create egalitarian living and working arrangements.
Pablo Picasso Was a Communist. Why Don’t We Ever Talk About This?
In the imbroglio over Pablo Picasso’s misogyny and many personal flaws, the memory of his unabashed leftist politics has been lost — and with it our ability to fully consider his place in history.
Socialists Want to Crack Down on Israeli War Crimes
A law proposed by New York socialist legislators would prohibit charitable organizations in New York from funding Israel’s illegal settlements — and pick a fight with the powerful pro-Israel organizations that regularly try to destroy progressive candidates.
Put Washington Square Park’s “Piano Guy” on the City Payroll
If you’ve ever visited New York City’s Washington Square Park, chances are good you’ve seen and heard Colin Huggins playing classical music on his piano. Huggins is incredibly talented — and he’s also homeless. Why not make him a city employee?
Havana Syndrome Can’t Be Cured
Even the CIA has debunked “Havana syndrome” — the belief that hypersonic weapons are making American diplomats sick — but diehards in the media and Congress won’t let it go.
New York’s Left Eked Out a Few Victories in an Otherwise Dismal Austerity Budget
Socialists and progressives won a few key demands in the New York state budget battles. But overall, Gov. Kathy Hochul rammed through an awful budget that will make life much worse for the state of New York’s working class.
Calling for Dianne Feinstein’s Retirement Is Stating the Obvious, Not Ageism or Sexism
The California senator Dianne Feinstein is losing her capacity to engage in basic Senate business, yet she refuses to step down. It’s a disgraceful finale to Feinstein’s career, which has been spent faithfully serving the rich.
Marianne Williamson Is Serious About Running a Progressive Campaign for President
Enough with the dumb jokes about crystals. You should take Marianne Williamson and her politics seriously.
Electing Union Members to Office Is Good, Actually
Some fear Brandon Johnson, Chicago’s new mayor-elect, as a longtime union organizer, can’t serve the public. That’s exactly wrong: the public is served by electing workers and trade unionists to office.
Democrats Are Trying to Smother New Yorkers with Methane Gas
An effort to weaken New York’s climate law was defeated last week by the environmental left. That weakening was backed by State Sen. Kevin Parker, one of the fossil fuel industry’s favorite Democrats.
Bernie Sanders’s Interrogation of Howard Schultz Made Democrats Pick a Side
Bernie Sanders’s grilling of Starbucks’s union-busting billionaire Howard Schultz put a CEO in the hot seat on a national stage. It also forced Senate Democrats who might rather stay on the Democratic donor’s good side to denounce his flagrantly illegal behavior.
Want to Reduce Crime? Stop Evictions.
Contrary to the New York real estate industry’s propaganda, reducing evictions and strengthening affordable housing protections actually reduces crime and violence.
Finding Solidarity in a Mexican Immigration Detention Center
Belén Fernández didn’t plan on ending up in a notorious detention center for immigrants in Mexico. But when an unfortunate series of events led her to Siglo XXI prison, she discovered a tremendous sense of human solidarity and collective resilience.
Bernie Sanders Is About to Publicly Roast Capitalists in Front of the Nation
Bernie Sanders will soon use his new role as chair of a key Senate committee to put CEOs in the hot seat. Progressive elected officials should look to Sanders for how to keep public attention laser-focused on the crimes of the executive class.
The New York Left Is Continuing to Make Gains at the State Level
Last week brought signs that the balance of power in New York state politics is shifting left.
The Jesus of Tonight’s Super Bowl Ads Can’t Be Found in Right-Wing Churches
During tonight’s Super Bowl, ads funded by pillars of conservative Christianity will promote a compassionate Jesus aligned with young people’s left-wing values. They’re compelling — but those values can’t be found in conservative churches.