Archive
What Happened to All Those Foreclosed Houses?
We know that millions of American families lost their homes after Wall Street's 2007 financial crash. But where did all those houses go? It turns out that Wall Streeters themselves formed profiteering investment groups that rushed out to scoop up tens of thousands of...
Arsonist in Chief
Racists Look Emboldened. They’re Actually Terrified.
The act of terrorism that killed one person and injured others in Charlottesville, Virginia was horrific. There will be more days like these. Angry, cowardly, fear-mongering white supremacists have been emboldened by a president they see as the last great hope for the...
In OtherWords: August 9, 2017
This week, in the sweltering month of August, Sarah Anderson explores the surprisingly short history of a treasured luxury: air conditioning. Most Americans now have it at home. But at work, it's another story. Moreover, as the technology spreads to developing...
Trump’s ‘Election Integrity’ Commission Harkens Back to Jim Crow
One October morning in Richmond, Virginia, 32-year old Joseph Cox watched his friends and neighbors go to the polls for the first time. The fight to get to that moment had been long, bloody, and vicious. But as a black man newly eligible to vote after a lifetime of...
Talking About a Revolution
It’s long been clear that if we want to avoid catastrophic climate disruption on a scale that threatens human civilization, we need to leave vast amounts of fossil fuels in the ground. Environmental writer Bill McKibben pointed out the math in a crucial 2012...
How Air Conditioning Unites — And Divides
Before air conditioning, even presidents had to suffer. In the summer months, Abraham Lincoln used to ride a horse every evening from the White House to a cottage at a higher elevation four miles away. There he'd join his family in an attempt to escape the muggiest...
Soda Doesn’t ‘Feed the World’
Coca-Cola has a new ad in which a young girl wishes to grow a garden for the whole world. Then, as a grown woman who works for Coca-Cola, she says that she's fulfilling that dream. The phrase "feed the world" is one that should always be questioned, because it's often...
Turning Churches into Super PACs
You know what's wrong with American politics? It's that there just aren't enough ways for giant corporations and mega-rich political donors to funnel their big bucks into our elections and buy our government. At least that's what Donald Trump, the Republican Party,...