Print Magazine

October 12, 2009 Issue

William F. Baker on how to save the news, Richard Lingeman on Ralph Nader’s fictional road to utopia and Calvin Trillin on the grand j…

Cover art by: Cover illustration by Ward Sutton

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Editorial

The Supreme Court Slams the Door

How a mere "procedural" decision blatantly shortchanges justice.

Herman Schwartz

Democrats Don’t Deliver Healthcare Reform… Again

Five Democratic senators on the Senate Finance Committee helped defeat a public option; do they really think that will advance reform--or even their political careers?

Adam Howard

The Medicare Gravy Train

Humana and other insurance industry giants have been fomenting a scare campaign among seniors to keep the industry's wasteful taxpayer subsidy going.

Trudy Lieberman

Huge Hurdles to Nuclear and Energy Reform

At the UN this week, Barack Obama told the world to stop complaining about US hegemony and start working with Washington on big global problems. He should take his own advice.

Barbara Crossette

Missing from Healthcare Bills: Coverage for Reproductive Health

Health reform promises support for comprehensive care. That promise plainly does not extend to women who depend on public funds and seek abortions.

Sylvia Law

Noted.

Panic and silence greet the release of the UN Human Rights Council report on Gaza; the FCC backs net neutrality.

The Editors

Lowballing Health Reform

Progressives need to be as concerned about insurance coverage affordability as we are about a public option.

J. Lester Feder

Nader’s Road to Utopia

In Ralph Nader's new utopian novel, "only the super-rich can save us."

Richard Lingeman

ACORN and Accountability

The ACORN tapes and the Inequality of Accountability.

Chris Hayes

A White Hot Season

Policy can be racist even when no one crafting it harbors hatred of a particular racial group.

The Editors

Column

Exorcising America’s Diplomatic Demons

This week the Chinese Communists celebrate their sixtieth year in power, an event that the make-war-not-peace crowd might benefit from contemplating.

Robert Scheer

Can the NFL Tackle Homophobia?

Some National Football League players appear to be turning over a new leaf when it comes to gay rights, but a history of homophobia still haunts the sport.

Dave Zirin

The House That Irving Built

Grappling with Irving Kristol's legacy.

Eric Alterman

Voice of America?

When does a society tip from expressive speech into excessive fulmination and then into repression or violence?

Patricia J. Williams

A Grand Jury Investigates John Edwards

Calvin Trillin

Letters

Adoption: Giving It All Away?
Seattle

Our Readers

Feature

Anti-Choice Amendments Fail in Senate Finance Committee

Two anti-choice amendments considered by the Senate Finance Committee today were soundly defeated.

Sharon Lerner

Arrest Warrant Out for USAID Contractor in Afghanistan

While corruption by the Afghan government has been widely condemned, corruption by Western officials in Afghanistan has received little if any scrutiny.

Aram Roston

The Student Sex Column Movement

The explosion of student sex columns, as captivating as they are controversial, represents a campus movement possessed of the same subversive potential that fueled 1960s student ac...

Alex DiBranco

What Have We Done to Democracy?

What's next in a world where democracy has been so hollowed out, so emptied of meaning?

Arundhati Roy

There Is Much to Do: An Interview With Hugo Chavez

Hugo Chávez talks about his relationship with Barack Obama, the Honduran crisis, plans to extend the Pentagon's presence in Colombia, and domestic successes and challenge...

Greg Grandin

Fortress Pittsburgh

In heavily fortified Pittsburgh, protesters are kept isolated from local residents and from conference attendees.

Robert S. Eshelman

Where is the Defund Blackwater Act?

Democrats joined Republicans in voting to "Defund ACORN" yet have done nothing to stop Blackwater's taxpayer-funded crusade in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jeremy Scahill

The Silent Depression

Among racial and ethnic minorities, a disproportionately high foreclosure rate is spreading to homeowners with prime loans.

Greg Kaufmann

Healthcare Reform–at the Price of Women’s Health?

If Republicans don't have much hope of derailing healthcare reform, they still have a shot at seriously limiting women's access to affordable reproductive healthcare.

Sharon Lerner

A Tale of Two Countries

Silvio Berlusconi's increasingly erratic behavior may bring about his downfall. But in a bitterly divided Italy, the most likely successor does not look appetizing.

Frederika Randall