Sasha Abramsky

@AbramskySasha

Sasha Abramsky is The Nation's Western Correspondent. He is the author of several books, including The American Way of Poverty, The House of Twenty Thousand Books, Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World's First Female Sports Superstar, and most recently Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America.

A person holds drug paraphernalia near the Washington Center building on SW Washington St. in downtown Portland, Ore., on April 4, 2023.

We Need to Modify—Not Trash—Oregon’s Trailblazing Drug Decriminalization Law We Need to Modify—Not Trash—Oregon’s Trailblazing Drug Decriminalization Law

Measure 110 made Oregon the first in country to decriminalize all drugs. The law was poorly implemented and should be changed, not discarded.

Dec 22, 2023 / Column / Sasha Abramsky

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the late Senator John McCain at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Thursday, September 28, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz.

Biden Is Struggling to Gain Ground in the West Biden Is Struggling to Gain Ground in the West

In key swing states like Arizona, the president’s prospects in 2024 are hardly a sure thing.

Dec 15, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky

Hotel workers march to demand better wages Wednesday, October 25, 2023, in Los Angeles.

The New Labor Militancy of LA’s Hotel Workers The New Labor Militancy of LA’s Hotel Workers

UNITE HERE Local 11 is staggering its strikes across Los Angeles, targeting one out-of-contract hotel one day and another the next.

Dec 8, 2023 / Column / Sasha Abramsky

DeSantis Newsom

Ron DeSantis Is No Match for Gavin Newsom Ron DeSantis Is No Match for Gavin Newsom

At last night’s Fox News debate, even a home field advantage couldn’t keep the aspiring presidential candidate from choking.

Dec 1, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky

Leaders Group Photo At The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit

San Francisco’s Potemkin Village San Francisco’s Potemkin Village

For President Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in San Francisco this week, Governor Gavin Newsom transformed the city into a façade of prosperi...

Nov 17, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky

The People’s Republic of Portland, Maine

The People’s Republic of Portland, Maine The People’s Republic of Portland, Maine

Local organizers have gotten the New England town to pass some of the most progressive legislation in the country. Will it stick?

Nov 15, 2023 / Feature / Sasha Abramsky

Senator Dianne Feinstein participates in a reenacted swearing-in with her husband Richard C. Blum and then–Vice President Joe Biden in the Old Senate Chamber at the US Capitol January 3, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

How Old Is Too Old to Run for Office? How Old Is Too Old to Run for Office?

President Biden is still sharper than the competition. But the effect of aging political figures’ clinging to their positions has sometimes been detrimental.

Nov 10, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky

A woman looks at a wall with photos of hostages kidnapped and taken to Gaza by Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel.

There’s Nothing Progressive About Tearing Down Posters of Israeli Hostages There’s Nothing Progressive About Tearing Down Posters of Israeli Hostages

A truly left position requires us to recognize that empathy is not a zero-sum game—and that we can, and must, mourn the deaths of both Palestinians and Israelis.

Oct 27, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky

Striking Kaiser Permanente workers hold signs as they march in front of the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center on October 4, 2023, in San Francisco.

California’s Labor Victories Could Be Contagious California’s Labor Victories Could Be Contagious

After Kaiser Permanente agreed to a minimum wage of $25 for its employees in the state, will the rest of the country follow?

Oct 20, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky

Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Kibbutz Be'eri

The Catastrophic Moral Failing of Those Who Won’t Condemn Hamas The Catastrophic Moral Failing of Those Who Won’t Condemn Hamas

October 12, 2023 The Catastrophic Moral Failing of Those Who Won’t Condemn Hamas Israel’s oppression of Palestinians is an atrocity. So was Hamas’s massacre of civilians—and anyone…

Oct 12, 2023 / Sasha Abramsky

x