![Campaign signs for Democratic congressional candidate Tony Vargas, Vice President Kamala Harris, and a blue-dot campaign sign are planted in front of a house in Omaha, Nebraska.](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/bluedot.jpg)
Here in Nebraska, Independents, Abortion Activists, and Even Former Felons May Determine the Result Here in Nebraska, Independents, Abortion Activists, and Even Former Felons May Determine the Result
With the presidential election this close, Omaha’s CD-2 could be decisive. Given the state’s long heritage of nonpartisan politics, that makes the race even harder to call.
Nov 4, 2024 / Paige Oamek
![A homeless man and woman quickly pick up their belongings as Urban Alchemy crews begin their daily cleaning of the streets in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco on January 26, 2022.](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/urban-alchemy-homelessness-getty.jpg)
How an Investigation Into a Homelessness Nonprofit Turned Into a LA Power Struggle How an Investigation Into a Homelessness Nonprofit Turned Into a LA Power Struggle
By promising to clamp down on corruption, City Controller Kenneth Mejia received more votes than any citywide elected official in Los Angeles history. He’s already making enemies....
Jul 24, 2024 / Paige Oamek and Rohan Montgomery
![A Kentucky state police cruiser.](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kentucky-trooper-getty.jpg)
Kentucky Is About to Pass the Cruelest Criminal-Justice Bill in America Kentucky Is About to Pass the Cruelest Criminal-Justice Bill in America
The state is making it easier to kill homeless people on private property—and that’s just one part of one of the most draconian crime bills in recent history.
Mar 15, 2024 / Paige Oamek and Rohan Montgomery
![An Urban Alchemy ambassador patrols an encampment in front of San Francisco’s City Hall.](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OamekMontgomery-Golden_homelessness-getty.jpg)
How Urban Alchemy Turns Homelessness Into Gold How Urban Alchemy Turns Homelessness Into Gold
Cities are pouring money into the nonprofit to manage encampments and patrol the streets where unhoused residents congregate. Not everyone is happy about it.
Jul 19, 2023 / Feature / Paige Oamek and Rohan Montgomery
![Striking Starbucks coffee shop worker](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GettyImages-1442289349-img.jpg)
Why Are So Many Young People Joining Labor Unions? Why Are So Many Young People Joining Labor Unions?
For May Day, we talked to young workers—in tech, retail, food service, and more—about what brought them to the labor movement.
May 1, 2023 / StudentNation / Paige Oamek
![AmeriCorps Public Service Program](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AmeriCorps-Public-Service-Student-Debt-Biden.jpg)
Biden Should Invest in Communities, Not More Community Service Biden Should Invest in Communities, Not More Community Service
AmeriCorps pays less than minimum wage for anti-poverty work. With a million unfilled public sector jobs, why not create a program that actually addresses our needs?
Oct 20, 2022 / StudentNation / Paige Oamek