JACOBIN

FEBRUARY 15. 2025

Ahead of Workers’ Union Vote, “Amazon Mobilized an Army”

Today 4,000 Amazon workers at a North Carolina warehouse will finish voting on a union. Employees say the company “mobilized an army” ahead of the election, siccing local police on organizers and trying to pit black and Hispanic workers against each other.

What Is Xi Jinping Thought?

China has changed under Xi Jinping, with implications for the entire world. But few outsiders understand much about Xi’s ideas or the policies that seem to flow from them.

Trump’s Tariffs Are a Gift to Capital, Not Workers

Donald Trump has championed tariffs as a way to revive American manufacturing. But without a real industrial strategy, Catalyst editor Vivek Chibber argues, they’re little more than a handout to capital.

Christian Democrats Hand Golden Ticket to German Far Right

Germany’s Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Merz has broken a long-established “firewall” isolating the far right. A vote on hardening the borders has given Alternative für Deutschland a leg up just ahead of the federal election.

FEBRUARY 14. 2025

Australia’s Labor Party Must Return to Working-Class Values

Once the left of the Australian Labor Party was committed to working-class politics. To avoid collapse, Labor must return to that legacy — but today’s Labor Left is more committed to neoliberalism and serving US foreign policy.

Michael Burawoy Never Wavered

After his tragic death earlier this month, Marxist sociologist Michael Burawoy left behind not only a formidable body of scholarship, but also a model of how to pursue a form of sociology informed by and informing efforts for social change.

California Is a Warning for Progressive Ballot Initiatives

Progressive ballot measures in California have suffered crushing defeats, even as similar initiatives succeed in red states. These losses show that ballot initiatives can backfire on the Left — and sometimes leave movements worse off than before.

What the Democrats Refuse to Learn About Inflation

The best parts of the Biden administration’s response to the cost-of-living crisis are already being forgotten.

Dating App Giant Match Group Is Being Sued for Conning Users

Many of the major dating apps are owned by one company, Match Group. The corporation is now facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that it is unlawfully misleading app users, violating false advertising and deceptive trade practices laws.

Peter Mandelson Will Do Anything to Curry Favor With Trump

Peter Mandelson, the new British ambassador to Washington, has always been keen to suck up to the wealthy. He should have no problem groveling before the Trump administration on behalf of Keir Starmer’s government.

Socialism Is Love

Chocolate and flowers are cliché, and socialism is love. For Valentine's Day, print subscriptions are just $14.

FEBRUARY 13. 2025

Musk and His Rich Friends Are Looting the Federal Government

DOGE’s slashing and burning has nothing to do with “efficiency” and everything to do with further enriching Elon Musk and his fellow plutocrats.

Trump’s New Consumer Finance Regulator Loves Pleasing Banks

Donald Trump has announced the new chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Jonathan McKernan, a former banking regulator who’s pushed to approve bank megamergers that harm consumers and that the CFPB has previously fought to prevent.

A Labor Movement Beyond the NLRA?

With the National Labor Relations Act now in the crosshairs of the Right, organized labor needs to confront an uncomfortable truth: even at its best, this framework has severe limitations. It’s time to explore alternatives.