CURRENT AFFAIRS

YESTERDAY

“TACO Trump” Is Terrible Messaging

The latest substitute for real resistance shows that the Democratic Party still refuses to learn.

JUNE 4. 2025

Andor Shows Us What Popular Culture Could Be

In an era of banal, homogenous mass media, Andor refuses easy optimism and shows us that building a better world is a hard, necessary task. It’s exactly the imaginative pop culture we need.

JUNE 3. 2025

The Brainless Propaganda of Stephen Miller

Even by the standards of right-wing rhetoric, Miller’s public statements are uncommonly shameless. He treats his audience as stupid and gullible.

JUNE 2. 2025

How the Right Abuses Tolkien

For Peter Thiel, JD Vance, and other figures on today’s far right, the works of J. R. R. Tolkien have become a cultural touchstone. Pity they don’t understand the first thing about them.

MAY 30. 2025

Seven More People They Never Told You Were Socialists

The media and education system have tried to erase their legacies, but some of the world’s greatest artists, leaders, and thinkers were—and are—firmly on the Left.

MAY 29. 2025

A Lack of U. S. Diplomacy Is Destroying the World's Security

Ambassador Chas Freeman on U. S. failures to pursue mutually beneficial diplomatic resolutions in China, Ukraine, and the Middle East.

MAY 28. 2025

Andrew Cuomo Is Worse Than You Even Know

The former governor is a corrupt sexual harasser with a pro-corporate agenda and a proven track record of deadly negligence. He will do nothing to improve New Yorkers’ lives. Why on Earth is he a contender for mayor?

MAY 27. 2025

Against All Violence

The killing of civilians is wrong. It fuels a cycle of hatred and trauma. It has no justification. So why don’t we apply that lesson consistently? Why are some mourned more than others?

MAY 26. 2025

Don’t Expect Art To Save Us

When we feel politically helpless, we turn to 'subversive' entertainment. But winning within the realm of pop culture is a poor substitute for political power.

MAY 23. 2025

Why 'Saturday Night Live' Has Endured 50 Years

In her new book, the New Yorker’s Susan Morrison delves into the life and work of Lorne Michaels—one of the most influential, but least understood figures in American popular culture.

MAY 22. 2025

The Problem Goes Well Beyond Biden

The Democratic Party is sclerotic. It’s easy to heap blame on Joe Biden now that he is weak and powerless. But that’s a convenient way of avoiding a major reckoning.

MAY 21. 2025

Why You Should Fix Your Own Stuff

Companies like Apple and Microsoft don’t want you to repair your own tech, because they make a fortune from planned obsolescence. But learning to do it yourself brings empowerment.

MAY 20. 2025

You Shouldn’t Have To Work To Get Healthcare

MAGA millionaires RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz want to throw poor people off Medicaid. But healthcare is a human right.

MAY 19. 2025

We Still Need to Defund and Abolish the Police

"Defund the Police" came into the spotlight during the 2020 George Floyd uprisings. Despite what conservatives and pro-police propagandists say, "defund" never happened. But it should—because the police aren't here to keep you safe.