3 d. ago KEVIN MAGUIRE: 'Keir Starmer suddenly has fight in his belly with brutal two

Keir Starmer's Labour needs to climb out of that hole, closing the poll gap and overtaking a Farage and Reform who either have peaked too soon or could seize power

Politics

3 d. ago Unions are handing Democrats a golden opportunity amid the shutdown battle | Judith Levine

Federal workers’ move offers Democrats a chance to win the budget battle – and their identityThe Federal Unionists Network (FUN) and 35 national, state and local unions have written a letter to the Democratic congressional leadership – Chuck Schumer in the Senate and Hakeem Jeffries in the House, urging them to hold out against Republicans in the budget negotiations, even if it means a government shutdown and halted paychecks. The signatories represent “tens of thousands of federal workers”, according to an FUN press release.The Democrats’ demands, the letter says, should include “adequate funding for critical public services” and a “guarantee” that funds appropriated by the Congress are spent.Judith Levine is a Brooklyn-based journalist, essayist and author of five books. Her Substack is Today in Fascism Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Transgender Americans are seeing a wave of hate unleashed by Charlie Kirk’s killing | Erin Reed

In the aftermath of Kirk’s death, the far-right and Trump administration have turned up attacks on transgender peopleOn the day anti-LGBTQ+ activist Charlie Kirk was shot, fear rippled through the left that the far right would seize the moment to consolidate power. Nowhere was that fear more acute than in the transgender community.Within hours, Republicans were already blaming trans people; one commentator even claimed the bullets carried “transgender symbols”, a claim investigators quickly debunked. But the deeper fear wasn’t misinformation – it was the crackdown that would follow. With fragile rights hanging by the thread of court rulings and blue-state protections, trans people braced for the worst. And they were right: The right has seized on the shooting as its own Reichstag fire, accelerating a campaign to target transgender existence – now with the full weight of the Trump administration behind it.Erin Reed is a transgender journalist based in Washington DC. She tracks LGBTQ+...

Events

1 week ago History teaches us that authoritarians use any excuse to seize power | Judith Levine

Nazis used the 1933 Reichstag blaze to justify snuffing out civil liberties. In the US, the calls for a crackdown have already begunOn the night of 27 February 1933, six days before national elections, the German Reichstag was set on fire. Firefighters and police discovered a Dutch communist named Marinus van der Lubbe at the scene, who confessed to being the arsonist. The Nazi Reichstag president, Hermann Göring, soon arrived, followed by the future propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler, who had been dining together.Two competing, still unresolved, conspiracy theories would circulate about the real culprit: the Nazis, with van der Lubbe as front; or a communist cabal. But the three men had no doubts. Göring pronounced the crime a communist plot. Hitler called it “a God-given signal”, adding: “If this fire, as I believe, is the work of the communists, then we must crush out this murderous pest with an iron fist.”Judith Levine is Brooklyn-based journalist, essayist and...

Culture

3 w. ago Brazilians take to the streets to celebrate Bolsonaro conviction

Indigenous groups and other minorities praise verdict while US officials issue warnings of possible sanctions• Operation World Cup: the murder plot at the heart of Brazil’s trial of the century• Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for plotting military coup in BrazilThousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets to rejoice at Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction for plotting a coup, as progressive politicians celebrated the historic move and rightwing figures linked to Donald Trump responded with anger and threats.Chile’s leftwing president, Gabriel Boric, led regional congratulations of the decision to jail Bolsonaro for 27 years for leading a criminal organisation that sought to seize power after the far-right populist lost the 2022 election. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Donald Trump’s ‘Department of War’ will just deliver bloodshed and destruction | Judith Levine

The agency celebrates the US and the president as aggressor, conqueror and unrestrained international lawbreakerOn Friday, Donald Trump signed an executive order restoring the Department of Defense to its original name, the Department of War.That name “had a stronger sound”, Trump told reporters in August. “As Department of War we won everything,” he added, “and I think we’re going to have to go back to that.” In June, at the Nato summit, he called Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, his “secretary of war”.Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago White House's review of Smithsonian content could reach into classrooms nationwide

Some history teachers are concerned about what may come of a White House review of the Smithsonian's public-facing content

Events

4 w. ago AP visit to Myanmar highlights its struggle to rebuild after an earthquake while a civil war rages

An earthquake that killed more than 3,800 people in Myanmar in March unfolded as the country was already mired in a civil war, in which armed militias and pro-democracy forces are fighting the military-led government that seized power from a democratically elected government

Events