This week, presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump met for their first — and potentially only — debate. Along the way, in a moment that’s already been memed to death online, Trump desperately repeated a ridiculous, racist, and dangerous lie about Haitian American migrants in Springfield, Ohio.
I grew up not far from Springfield and still live in the state. What’s happened in the city, where thousands of Haitian immigrants have reversed decades of population decline in a few short years, is a stunning success story — “a textbook case of how immigration can change a region’s luck for the better,” as I write this week in OtherWords. But “when powerful people don’t want to share prosperity, they lie.” Hence a cavalcade of corporate-backed politicians, cynical elected officials, and open neo-Nazis have peddled ridiculous new lies from a tired old playbook. Don’t fall prey to it!
Another debate topic this week was Project 2025, a radical plan for a future Trump administration developed by a conservative think tank. In a must read piece this week, Karen Dolan lists six ways the plan would be really, really bad for children, families, and our communities. Meanwhile, Paul Armentano notes one subject where debate has all but vanished: marijuana. In a major change from past elections, now neither major party candidate thinks people should be arrested for using cannabis.
Finally, Keara Sosa offers a hopeful take on the progress young people are making fighting against climate change.
New This Week…
Why the Far Right Lies About Immigrants | Peter Certo
Springfield, Ohio’s immigrant influx is a success story, not a scandal. But when powerful people don’t want to share prosperity, they lie.
Project 2025 Is a Blueprint to End the American Dream | Karen Dolan
Six ways the right-wing playbook hurts children, families, and our communities — all to make the wealthy a little wealthier.
Young People Will Save the World Because We’re the Last Generation That Can | Keara Sosa
From university campuses to the halls of power, young climate heroes are leading — and winning — the fight for a more sustainable future.
Both Presidential Candidates Agree: We Need to Stop Arresting People for Marijuana | Paul Armentano
Further proof that an issue once considered a political hot button has gone mainstream.
Cartoon: Another Country in Need of a Ceasefire | Khalil Bendib
The recent mass shooting in Georgia is yet another tragedy in America’s long-running, toxic entanglement with guns.
In Case You Missed It…
The Big Rip: Low Wage Corporations Spent Half a Trillion Inflating CEO Pay | Sarah Anderson
Why don’t low wage workers earn more? Because their bosses plowed $522 million into manipulating their stock price — and CEO paychecks — instead.
Low Wage Work Isn’t Just Bad for Employees — It Hurts Customers, Too | Emily Guerra
When companies cut corners on wages and safety, executives cash in while putting workers and customers at risk. I saw it first hand at Dollar General.
Workers Need Protection from Record-Breaking Heat | Farrah Hassen
2,000 workers die from extreme heat every year. As temperatures rise, we need federal standards for water breaks, shade, and other basic protections.
The Paradox of Progress for Black Americans | Algernon Austin and Dedrick Asante-Muhammad
This is the best economy for Black Americans in generations, but that’s not enough to close the racial wealth divide on its own.
