New Future

Up against a far worse assault on government and the basic components of democracy than in 2017, an opposition force to Donald Trump and Elon Musk may be cohering.

France’s Parti Socialiste abstained in a confidence vote this week, allowing Emmanuel Macron’s allies to push through an austerity budget. Even as the president’s popularity flounders, the establishment center-left chose to prop up his rule.

Donald Trump has at times pitched himself as a supporter of a weaker dollar. But he is too wedded to economic interests like Wall Street and tech that benefit from a system of dollar dominance that does little good for the average American.

A new book explores how the radical right has reshaped political conflict, challenging the Left’s anemic response. The book’s provocations urge the Left to reconsider its strategic approach in the face of an increasingly successful global movement.

Population growth has been slowing and even reversing in many countries, a trend with far-reaching social implications that looks certain to continue.

Jorell Meléndez-Badillo worked with trap superstar Bad Bunny on his new album to inform fans about Puerto Rico’s history of popular struggle. His work as a historian is part of an important political moment that Puerto Ricans are now going through.

Amazon helped fund Donald Trump’s inauguration. The retail giant and the insurer UnitedHealth waited less than a day to start begging the new administration to shut down their shareholders’ calls for transparency.

Morocco is increasingly a focus of European alliance-building and investment, including in illegally occupied Western Sahara. French president Emmanuel Macron is leading moves to normalize the colony, despite rulings by the EU’s own courts.

Drugmakers offer “copay assistance programs” to help people afford expensive medicines. But health insurers are milking these programs for billions of dollars in extra profits while denying patients the benefits they were designed to provide.

From a Russian prison, Boris Kagarlitsky writes about the uncharted waters of a second Donald Trump presidency.

Economics departments across the United States slavishly adhere to the mainstream consensus on austerity and the free market. The Center for Heterodox Economics thinks there’s a better way.

During its genocidal campaign in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly flouted the rulings of international courts. While Western states indulge Israeli impunity, a coalition of states backed by left-wing parties is spearheading action to hold Israel to account.

On immigration policy, Donald Trump isn’t as radically different from Barack Obama and Joe Biden as his inflammatory rhetoric suggests. Each has built upon his predecessor’s efforts to make border militarization and mass deportations the norm.

In Spain, rents have risen 74% over the last decade, with even steeper rises in the main cities. The Socialist-led government’s Housing Act has failed to rein in speculation, leaving many working-class Spaniards struggling to pay the bills.