This week, the Supreme Court ripped apart unions, held up the Muslim ban, and endorsed deeply gerrymandered congressional districts. These are all deeply undemocratic rulings, upheld by a deeply undemocratic system, I argue this week — and it’s about to get worse with the retirement of swing justice Anthony Kennedy. But I also argue that there are inspiring movements underway to make sure that system’s days are numbered.
Also this week, a judge has ordered a halt to the Trump administration’s family separations on the border. This week in OtherWords, Jeremiah Jaynes shares a personal story of what being forcibly separated from your child feels like. Khalil Bendib skewers the White House for holding kids hostage to a border wall. And Jill Richardson reports on some of the other things the administration was doing while the rest of us watched this story play out.
Meanwhile, Olivia Alperstein rounds out Pride Month with a personal reflection of what the celebration means. Sam Pizzigati reports on the rise of corporate wage theft. And Todd Larsen shares how local communities are fighting back against business-friendly regulators that let companies steamroll pipelines through private property.
New This Week
- The Supreme Court is a Slurring, Undemocratic Mess | Peter Certo
The court’s been popping off far-right proclamations like a drunk uncle at Thanksgiving. - Being Separated from My Child Nearly Destroyed Me | Jeremiah Jaynes
Lives need to come before law, especially when a law is unjust. - Family Separations: One Fire Out, Several Others Started | Jill Richardson
If setting fires that need urgent putting out is a conscious tactic to distract attention from all the other bad things the administration wants to do, it’s working. - Finding Pride and Fighting Prejudice | Olivia Alperstein
Pride Month is about fighting for the simple right to live as you are and love who you love without fear. - Corporate Wage Theft Is on the Rise | Sam Pizzigati
Executives have a powerful incentive to cheat their workers: to pad their own exorbitant paychecks. - The Public Has Been Ignored for Too Long on Pipelines | Todd Larsen
The government’s own watchdogs agree: Regulators have been ignoring local communities and siding with industry way too often. - Hostage Situation | Khalil Bendib
Zero tolerance for decency.
- We Subsidize the Wrong Kind of Agriculture | Brian Wakamo
We should be supporting the small farmers who sell at farmers markets, not the corporate giants that hurt our health and environment. - Why We Still Need Pride Parades | Robin Carver
Pride parades are safe spaces in a country where LGBTQ people can be harassed, fired, and denied housing or even medical care. - Big Pay Gaps Are Bad for Business | Sarah Anderson
Would you do your best work for a CEO who pulls in 5,000 times your own salary? - Other Countries Expect More from Their Leaders. So Should We. | Mona Younis
We’re the wealthiest country on earth, but over 40 percent of us live in or near poverty.
