This year’s Olympic games, which wrapped up this past Sunday, spawned many memorable moments — including stunning gymnastics performances, high octane basketball games, and countless breakdancing memes. But the most poignant moment, Phyllis Bennis writes this week, may have been the arrival of the Refugee Olympic Team, made up entirely of athletes who’ve been displaced from their home countries by war, poverty, natural disasters, or rights abuses.
If the world’s 107 million displaced people were a country, Phyllis notes, “it would be the 15th most populous in the world.” And the 37 members of this year’s team “had something else in common: all of their home countries are facing U.S. economic sanctions.”
“For all the triumph and beauty of the Refugee Team,” she concludes, “the need for such a team speaks to our failure to reverse the conditions that displace people in the first place — including by ending U.S. economic sanctions.” If the U.S. can do its part to help these athletes return home safely, that would beat any medal.
Also this weeks, Susan Harley explains how a tiny sales tax on Wall Street trades could fund big social improvements for the rest of us. Niharika Sen highlights the damage of the global fashion industry and calls on back to school shoppers to shop mindfully. And Jim Hightower exposes a donor-driven attack on a courageous antitrust fighter in Washington.
New This Week…
The Olympic Refugee Team Was an Inspiration — And a Tragedy | Phyllis Bennis
If the U.S. can do its part to help these athletes return home safely, that would beat any medal.
The U.S. Needs a “Robin Hood Tax” | Susan Harley
A tiny Wall Street sales tax could fund huge improvements for the rest of us.
Some Back to School Fashion Advice: Buy Less | Niharika Sen
The global fashion industry is a massive polluter and notorious for poverty wages. So let’s be conscious about our choices.
High-End Donors Target an Antitrust Champion | Jim Hightower
A few top donors want Kamala Harris to ditch Lina Khan, the first real antitrust champion Americans have had in years. Harris should reject them.
Cartoon: Kameleon Harris | Khalil Bendib
Since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Harris has abandoned some of her past progressive positions.
In Case You Missed It…
Mass Deportations Would Be a Nightmare | Alliyah Lusuegro
The popular GOP slogan would tear millions of families apart, including mine. It would also be a moral, logistical, and economic disaster.
A False Accusation Put Me in Prison. A Safety Net Could Have Kept Me Out. | Leon Bensen
With a modest guaranteed income or child allowance, millions of families like mine could provide for themselves without turning to crime.
Feeling Subscription Fatigue? You’re Not Alone | Chisom Okorafor
In the digital era, companies use subscriptions to make you rent things you used to be able to buy. Federal regulations — and public libraries — can help.
Anti-Abortion Centers Deceive Patients. Here’s How We Fight Back. | Rebecca Hart Holder
“Crisis pregnancy centers” deceive patients, putting their health at risk. Education can help patients avoid these dangerous centers.
