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How Propaganda and False Information Are Undermining Humanitarian Work
From vaccine hesitancy to conflict-zone rumors, false information is making it harder for humanitarian organizations to build trust, protect civilians, and save lives. mikemacmarketing, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Chloe Bruce In today’s post-truth era, where “objective truth” has lost influence in the public sphere, it is becoming increasingly difficult for humanitarians, who seek to preserve human life, to carry out their work. “The post-truth era has dramatic reper

The Left Chapter
5 days ago17 min read


The Conservative ‘Plan’ to Dismantle Public Schools in the US Is Entering the Home Stretch
The Republican Party’s crusade to cap or abolish local property taxes is the latest tactic in their effort to drain funding from public education. By Jeff Bryant In what is being touted as the “Golden Age of School Choice,” the option that is most popular with American families—to fund and attend their local public schools—is gradually being made less viable. Take North Carolina, for instance. For years, the Republican-dominated state legislature has chosen to cut the state’s

The Left Chapter
May 2911 min read


As Americans Struggle, Trump’s Wealth Soars
Trump is flouting regulations to reap billions for himself, as ordinary Americans teeter on the edge of economic ruin. Trump on May 19 -- public domain image By Sonali Kolhatkar President Donald Trump has brazenly engaged in what appears to be insider trading. A bombshell story published in Bloomberg on May 14, 2026, revealed that Trump made thousands of stock trades in the first quarter of this year with companies connected to the government. This isn’t fake news. Bloomberg

The Left Chapter
May 276 min read


Much More Than Just an Election: Colombia on the Verge of Finally Launching a Revolution for Life
Rally for Iván Cepeda and Aida Quilcué on May 15 -- image via X By Laura Capote This May, which began with International Workers’ Day, has seen us navigate one of the most defining moments in the regional landscape: the presidential elections in Colombia have entered their final phase. With four intense weeks shaping the scenario that will be fully unveiled on 31 May, when the elections take place, we will find out what the balance of power will really be in a country that t

The Left Chapter
May 199 min read


The Environmental and Social Impacts of Fish Farming and Industrial Aquaculture
Often promoted as sustainable, fish farming can increase pressure on wild fisheries, deepen global food inequities, and damage marine ecosystems. Asc1733, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Laura Lee Cascada Fish farming, a form of aquaculture, is now the fastest-growing form of factory farming worldwide. This rapid expansion can be attributed to the industry’s emphasis on buzzwords such as “climate,” “conservation,” and “sustainability.” While discussions about land-base

The Left Chapter
May 129 min read


How Human Ecology Shapes Social Democracy
Human ecology offers a framework for understanding how social systems in Nordic countries and New York shape participation, trust, and collective well-being. Skogn folkehøgskole folk high school, Norway -- Ragnhild Lovli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Sandra Ericson The United States is a nation of extraordinary wealth and extraordinary contradiction. Tens of millions of Americans live in material insecurity, while aggregate wealth continues to expand. Institutional

The Left Chapter
May 59 min read


We can't solve homelessness in the US when the rent is just too damn high
A dangerous right-wing solution to homelessness is to hide the unhoused in out-of-sight detention camps. Image via X By Sonali Kolhatkar A 2024 Treasury Department report articulated the leading cause of homelessness in the United States: “For the past two decades, rents and house prices have been rising faster than incomes across most regions of the United States.” The logic of this claim—based on documented evidence—is straightforward. People aren’t earning enough to pay re

The Left Chapter
Apr 255 min read


Argentina, 50 Years After Its Darkest Night
Coup president Jorge Rafael Videla assuming power in 1976 -- public domain image By Julián Bokser It has been fifty years since the coup d’état of 24 March 1976, one of the most tragic chapters in Argentina’s recent history: a dictatorship that combined state terrorism with a structural transformation of its economy. Throughout the 20th century, the country experienced six interruptions of its democratic order—in 1930, 1943, 1955, 1962, 1966, and 1976—but the last coup ushere

The Left Chapter
Apr 14 min read


How Accent Discrimination Reinforces America’s Deepest Divides
The American Southern accent reveals how linguistic prejudice reinforces classism, regionalism, and subconscious bias across generations. Plate with a quote from the film Forrest Gump at Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant in Hollywood, California, USA. -- Prayitno, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Madeline VanArsdale [Author’s note: IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet. It is an alphabet of symbols, not entirely unlike the Latin alphabet, which is used to guide pronunc

The Left Chapter
Mar 1410 min read


How Informal Caregivers Use Storytelling to Build Community and Influence Policy
Sharing caregiving experiences helps people feel less alone, builds community, and strengthens the movement for better support and policy. Caregiver Seth Rogan testifies Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in 2014 -- image via video screenshot By Birgitta Vaivai-Soderberg Caregiving is often a silent act of devotion—unseen, unacknowledged, and isolating. Millions of informal caregivers in the United States spend their time and energy

The Left Chapter
Mar 1214 min read


An Ex Guerrilla Runs for the Senate
Griselda Lobo Silva -- image via news video interview screenshot By Taroa Zuñiga Silva and Vijay Prashad You must imagine what it must have been for Griselda Lobo Silva, who was born and raised in a farm in La Paz (Colombia), to have seen these young people walk through her land when she was a young girl. Her mother had fallen ill, and Griselda was the one who had to leave school to take her care of her seventeen brothers and sisters. The farm was modest and their lives were

The Left Chapter
Mar 75 min read


Will Mamdani Abolish Police, or Simply Make Them Obsolete?
Mamdani speaking on January 5, 2026 -- Metropolitan Transportation Authority, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Sonali Kolhatkar As part of his proposed city budget for 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani just canceled the NYPD’s plan to hire 5,000 more police officers, undoing a key component of his predecessor Eric Adams’s initiatives. The move aligns with Mamdani’s campaign promise to keep police budgets and hiring in check. The young mayor also promised to creat

The Left Chapter
Feb 245 min read


The War on Drugs or the War on the Poor?
Representational image By Laura Capote The constant insistence of the US discourse on the war on drugs seems to reflect a moral crusade by successive US administrations to rid their country of drug use. However, the truth is far removed from this simplistic idea that is often perpetuated by the mass media. In reality, what the so-called ‘War on Drugs’ seeks to achieve, as demonstrated by our region’s history, is a facade for the development of various mechanisms of imperialis

The Left Chapter
Feb 134 min read


$380 Million in Funding Cuts to One of the Most Successful US Public Education Programs
“Every day, there’s yet another abuse.” The wanton attack on public schools is one of America’s biggest tragedies. Image via video screenshot By Jeff Bryant Chicago schoolteacher Claudia Morales may have been reflecting the feelings of most Americans about life under the Trump presidential administration when she told Our Schools, “Every day, there’s yet another abuse. It’s scary. And it’s coming from our own government.” In her work as a bilingual program teacher and bilingu

The Left Chapter
Feb 57 min read


Why Won’t Newsom Tax Billionaires?
Not only are Californians struggling to make ends meet, they also have to contend with a governor who cares more about billionaires and his own presidential aspirations. Newsom at a press conference in May, 2025 -- Office of the Governor of California, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Sonali Kolhatkar California Governor Gavin Newsom has spent 2025 setting himself up as Donald Trump’s leading opponent and the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominee . While the Tru

The Left Chapter
Jan 276 min read


Greenland on the Chessboard of U.S. Imperialism
Greenland's flag -- Christoph Strässler, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Lotte Rørtoft-Madsen On 14 January, a few hours before the historic meeting in Washington between representatives from Greenland and Denmark and their U.S. counterparts, J. D. Vance and Marco Rubio, Denmark and several of its NATO allies reinforced their military presence in Greenland and announced that more reinforcements would follow. Some interpreted this move as pressure on the Trump Administr

The Left Chapter
Jan 164 min read


Crucial Hours in Venezuela and Across the Continent
Venezuelans march in Caracas demanding the release of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, January 9 -- image via X By Manuel Bertoldi 10 Points for debate and political orientation of the popular forces of Our America One. The recent military aggression by the United States and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro constitute the most serious and explicit attack that US imperialism has carried out in the entire history of the Venezuelan nation. At the same time, they repres

The Left Chapter
Jan 127 min read


Some Lessons About the Empire in These Days of January
Cubans at a mass rally in solidarity with Venezuela on January 3 -- image via the Communist Party of Cuba By Llanisca Lugo González In these early days of January, we have had to witness what hoped never to see, though it comes as no surprise: the kidnapping of a legitimate sitting president through a criminal act of aggression by the United States. The initial bewilderment that followed in the first hours after the US military operation has given way to actions of denunciati

The Left Chapter
Jan 125 min read


The Next Frontier of Climate Accountability: Making Big Food Pay Its Ecological Bill
The “polluter pays” principle transformed the energy industry half a century ago. Now, as industrial agriculture drives climate breakdown, deforestation, and water scarcity, experts say it’s time to apply the same rule to our food systems—and make corporations, not consumers, bear the cost of the damage. Representational image -- Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons By Alex Crisp The “ polluter pays ” principle is a cornerstone of environmental regulation. It raises

The Left Chapter
Jan 98 min read


Chronicle of a foretold coup: The Attack on Venezuela and the Narco-Terrorism Fairy Tale
Mass rally in Caracas January 7 demanding the release of Maduro -- image via X By Daniela Ortiz and Gisela Cernadas Current developments in Venezuela may appear to be unfathomable—until one recalls the long history of imperialist interference in Latin America and the Caribbean. The events of the first week of January constitute an escalation of a long-standing campaign to overthrow the Bolivarian Revolution and resume control on the country with the largest known oil reserve

The Left Chapter
Jan 95 min read
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