President Biden says, “Join the union!”
by Wade Rathke March 2, 2021 New Orleans John Lewis of the United Mineworkers Union and one of the founders of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the CIO behind the hyphen in the AFL-CIO, famously…
No venues, no sales, no money
by Wade Rathke March 1, 2021 New Orleans One week, we have the southern end of the polar vortex. The next week, it’s spring, while I’m still hacking away at freeze-damaged night-blooming jasmine, bougainvillea, and the…
A huge, huge deal’: Biden issues public statement of support for unionizing Alabama Amazon workers
“We haven’t had this aggressive and positive of a statement from a president of the United States on behalf of workers in decades.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Monday, March 1, 2021 Declaring that all…
The Gift of Ecological Humility
These Afro-Indigenous practices challenge ideas of human supremacy. “I love to think of nature as unlimited broadcasting stations, through which God speaks to us every day, every hour.” —George Washington Carver, Tuskegee University, 1930 by Leah Penniman…
FCC approves program to help poor families overcome digital divide during pandemic
‘Life-Changer for Millions’ “As the pandemic nears its one-year mark, it’s only gotten harder for many people to afford essential internet connections to the remote learning, work, and healthcare services they need.” by Jessica Corbett, staff…
Trump-appointed judge strikes down pandemic eviction moratorium
‘The CDC Must Appeal Immediately’ The pause on evictions was put in place to help stem the spread of Covid-19. by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Friday, February 26, 2021 A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas on…
Republican resistance, state by state
by Wade Rathke February 26, 2021 Little Rock After four years of Twitter torture, I understand how people seem to be following every little cough and sneeze in Washington these days, crossing their fingers for…
There was a time reparations were actually paid out – just not to formerly enslaved people
by Thomas Craemer, University of Connecticut Friday, February 26, 2021 No guessing who in this 1864 depiction may have been compensated after slavery ended. API/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images The cost of slavery and its legacy of…
Lawsuit Reveals New Allegations Against PG&E Contractor Accused of fraud
Former PG&E employees are accused of taking bribes to funnel business to a waste-hauling company. by Scott Morris, Bay City News Foundation Co-published with Bay City News Foundation. Feb. 26, 5 a.m. EST Utility giant Pacific…
Nevada lithium mine kicks off a new era of Western extraction
The hastily approved project went forward without comment from the Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Tribe. by Maya L. Kapoor, High Country News February 18, 2021 the Great Basin Desert of northern Nevada and southern Oregon, Thacker…
Congress must fight for a better democracy and pass the For the People Act
Republicans and Democratic voters agree: We need to make sure leaders actually represent “we the people.” by Ben Jealous Thursday, February 25, 2021 More than 230 years ago, the founders of the United States enshrined their…
Wilbur Mills sunk in the Tidal Basin
by Wade Rathke February 25, 2021 Little Rock. Wilbur Mills moved me to Arkansas in 1970. He didn’t reach out and offer me a job to work for him or anything like that. Quite the opposite….
Sanders rips Netanyahu for sending Covid vaccines to foreign allies as Palestinians denied access
‘Outrageous’ The U.S. senator from Vermont denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for sending spare vaccines overseas “while so many Palestinians in the occupied territories are still waiting.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Thursday, February 25,…
John Thune’s childhood $6 wage—$24 adjusted for inflation—sure helps make the case for at least $15
“The worst thing is that these people aren’t dumb. They know about inflation… They just don’t think people who make their food and clean their bathrooms deserve the same things they got.” by Kenny Stancil, staff…
Georgia reveals the Trump Tribute
by Wade Rathke February 24, 2021 Atlanta Big news in Atlanta was the seeming flipflop by former Senator David Perdue on his commitment to run in two years to reclaim the seat he recently lost…
Tribes revive traditional hemp economies
A post-petroleum transition plan. by Winona LaDuke February 16, 2021 More than 20 years ago, Alex White Plume, a leader of the Oglala Lakota, planted his first hemp crop on Wounded Knee Creek, on the Pine…
Majority of US voters want government to invest more in healthcare, education, and fighting poverty
57% of the electorate thinks the government doesn’t spend enough on anti-poverty initiatives, while 56% want to see more investment in education and healthcare. by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Wednesday, February 24, 2021 Lawmakers…
As US mourns 500,000 lives lost, report shows billionaires added $1.3 trillion to their fortunes during pandemic
“It is unseemly that billionaires have experienced such gains as we mark a half a million lives lost and millions more who have lost their health, wealth, and jobs.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Wednesday, February…
From ‘aliens’ to ‘noncitizens’ – the Biden administration is proposing to change a legal term to recognize the humanity of non-Americans
by Kevin Johnson, University of California, Davis Wednesday, February 24, 2021 If a proposed law passes, this group of immigrants apprehended at the U.S. border near Mission, Texas, would be called ‘noncitizens,’ not ‘aliens.’ Sergio Flores…
Amazing Grace for 500,000 Covid dead
by Wade Rathke February 23, 2021 Atlanta I was driving in what I hoped was post-rush hour traffic in Atlanta after 6pm. I had the local public radio station on, which was interrupted by an…
After Trump was allowed to let lobbyist run Interior Dept., Manchin called to ‘Do what’s right’ and confirm Haaland
“The opposition to Congresswoman Haaland’s confirmation is narrow and guided by money, not the qualifications or historic importance of what the nomination of Deb Haaland will do for this country.” by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Tuesday,…
“Power companies get exactly what they want”: How Texas repeatedly failed to protect its power grid against extreme weather
Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers. by Jeremy Schwartz, Kiah Collier and Vianna Davila, ProPublica/Tx Tribune Tuesday, February 23,…
One Hundred Years
by Wade Rathke February 22, 2021 Atlanta In my family we always knew when George Washington’s birthday hit the calendar. It would be February 22nd. Before Abraham Lincoln on February 12th and Washington on the…
How the Texas electricity system produced low-cost power but left residents out in the cold
by Theodore J. Kury, University of Florida Sunday, February 21, 2021 Americans often take electricity for granted – until the lights go out. The recent cold wave and storm in Texas have placed considerable focus on…
