JACOBIN

JUNE 9. 2025

Flotilla Member Rima Hassan: Israel Is Breaking the Law, Not Us

This morning, Israeli authorities captured the aid boat Madleen, halting its mission to Gaza. Just hours before it was intercepted we spoke to Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who was aboard the vessel.

Alexa Avilés: “I Am Deeply Committed to the Working Class”

Socialist New York City Council member Alexa Avilés is running for reelection against a Democratic primary candidate backed by big real estate and pro-Israel money. We spoke to her about her record and the forces that want her out of office.

French Dockers Block Weapons to Israel

On Wednesday, workers at a port in southern France searched a cargo ship headed for Haifa — and found it carried 19 pallets of machine gun parts. They blocked the shipment, refusing to be complicit in Israel’s war crimes.

JUNE 8. 2025

The Past, Present, and Future of Left Jewish Identity

The kind of Jewish identity on display in Jewish-led Palestine solidarity demonstrations organized by groups like Jewish Voice for Peace is part of a long history of Jewish identity being bound up in leftist politics.

Trump’s War on the Administrative State Is a Class War

Donald Trump’s attacks on environmental regulation and the administrative state are part of a right-wing class war — one that pits patriotic citizens against perceived liberal experts defending what’s left of the New Deal order.

JUNE 7. 2025

Zohran Mamdani’s Canvassing Operation Is What Democracy Looks Like

The kind of mass volunteer door-knocking operation that New York City mayoral campaign for Zohran Mamdani has built is the way to fight rising authoritarianism and the erosion of democracy.

With Trump vs. Musk, Capitalist Democracy Reaches a New Low

Two billionaires, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, are squabbling over the federal government’s spoils. It seems almost quaint to worry about a revolving door between the public and private sectors now that the whole facade’s been blown off.

The Muslims Who Are Leaving France

The murder of mosque-goer Aboubakar Cissé in April again highlighted the prevalence of Islamophobia in France, discrimination that is driving increasing numbers of Muslim immigrants to leave the country.

JUNE 6. 2025

We Should Immediately Nationalize SpaceX and Starlink

The slap fight between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has highlighted the absurdity of keeping so much of our space program and satellite internet infrastructure in the hands of a single oligarch.

The True Cost of Trump’s Golden Dome

Donald Trump’s federal budget includes massive increases in military spending, including funding for a Star Wars–esque missile defense system known as the “Golden Dome. ” Both Trump and the media are likely underestimating the cost of this boondoggle.

Why Couldn’t John Sweeney’s AFL-CIO Revive US Labor?

In 1995, new AFL-CIO director John Sweeney had an ambitious plan to organize millions of new union members. As labor’s fortunes continue to decline 30 years later, understanding what went wrong in the Sweeney years may offer clues as to the path forward.

The Crime of Treating Housing as a Commodity

In New York City, working-class tenants are often victimized by predatory landlords. Their horror stories show the need for radical housing reform inside and outside the city.

South Korea’s New President Won’t End Its Political Crisis

Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung won a comfortable victory in South Korea’s snap presidential election. But far-right forces are still gaining strength, especially among young men attracted by misogynist scapegoating of women.

Trump Mania Has Turned Democrats Into Confused Flip-Floppers

The irony of Democrats reducing their entire politics to reflexive opposition to Donald Trump is that, as a result, Trump now faces no credible opposition.