Poems / September 30, 2023

No Scrubs

Hanif Abdurraqib

Support independent journalism that exposes oligarchs and profiteers


Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.

Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.

Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.

The Nation has seen unprecedented times before. We draw strength and guidance from our history of principled progressive journalism in times of crisis, and we are committed to continuing this legacy today.

We’re aiming to raise $25,000 during our Spring Fundraising Campaign to ensure that we have the resources to expose the oligarchs and profiteers attempting to loot our republic. Stand for bold independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Hanif Abdurraqib

Hanif Abdurraqib is a writer from the east side of Columbus, Ohio.

More from The Nation

Tony Hinchcliffe panders for MAGA laughs at last fall’s Madison Square Garden rally.

The Not-So-Golden Age of MAGA Troll Comedy The Not-So-Golden Age of MAGA Troll Comedy

In a blind rush to appease a phantom Trump demographic, media executives and billionaire owners are granting influential platforms to bigots, hacks, and panderers. 

Ben Schwartz

A young boy peers out from a hole in a fence as his friends play basketball in a court where police officers are gathering for a patrol in East New York, 1966.

How White-Collar Criminals Plundered a Brooklyn Neighborhood How White-Collar Criminals Plundered a Brooklyn Neighborhood

Stacy Horn’s Killing Fields documents how East New York was ransacked by the real estate industry and abandoned by the city in the process.

Books & the Arts / Kristen Martin

When They Came for Columbia University

When They Came for Columbia University When They Came for Columbia University

The university has become the Trump administration’s test case for the largest assault on higher education since the McCarthy era. Sadly, it has notably failed to defend itself.

Column / David Klion

Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy

Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy

Our last best hope for sharing, shaping, and wrangling over independent ideas may turn out to be America’s scrappy and disparate arts spaces—if they can hang on financially.

Alisa Solomon

A scene from “Severance.”

The Workplace Nightmares of “Severance” The Workplace Nightmares of “Severance”

The appeal of the Apple TV+ series is how it dramatizes our alienation from labor.

Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

A restaurant on Atlanta’s BeltLine trail.

How Atlanta Became a Walkable City How Atlanta Became a Walkable City

The Beltline and Georgia's experiment in pedestrian spaces.

Books & the Arts / Karrie Jacobs