Economic Policy

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a rally at Ripon College on October 3, 2024, in Ripon, Wisconsin.

Kamala Harris Is Taking a Big Risk by Playing It Safe Kamala Harris Is Taking a Big Risk by Playing It Safe

The Democratic nominee is acting like protecting her small lead is more important than energizing her base. We’ve seen this story before—and it didn’t end well.

Oct 7, 2024 / Jeet Heer

JD Vance and Tim Walz during the first and likely only 2024 vice presidential debate, in New York City on October 1, 2024.

Tim Walz’s Long Game Will Pay Off Tim Walz’s Long Game Will Pay Off

JD Vance is a skillful liar, but the vice-presidential debate produced enough bad clips to damage Trump’s campaign.

Oct 2, 2024 / Jeet Heer

The Industry Behind Your Filet-O-Fish Is Destroying Alaska’s Oceans and Rivers

The Industry Behind Your Filet-O-Fish Is Destroying Alaska’s Oceans and Rivers The Industry Behind Your Filet-O-Fish Is Destroying Alaska’s Oceans and Rivers

While the deep-pocketed trawling industry rakes in millions, indigenous Alaskans, small-scale fisheries, and the state’s ecosystem are being left out to dry.

Oct 2, 2024 / Lois Parshley

Sen. J.D. Vance onstage at a rally, surrounded by Trump/Vance signs.

Abortion Bans—and Shaming—Aren’t Boosting Fertility Rates. What Does? Abortion Bans—and Shaming—Aren’t Boosting Fertility Rates. What Does?

Not only are abortion bans actively harmful to women and their families—they also don’t work to recreate the past as conservatives want them to.

Oct 1, 2024 / Elizabeth Gregory

Elderly hands

Older Workers Deserve Rest—but the Country Isn’t Letting Them Have It Older Workers Deserve Rest—but the Country Isn’t Letting Them Have It

Millions of Americans are working well past the retirement age, not because they “simply don’t want to quit” but because they just can’t afford to do so.

Sep 11, 2024 / Rebecca Gordon

Unhoused senior citizens call a homeless advocate from at Tussing Park in Grants Pass, Oregon. on Thursday. March 28, 2024.

The Moral Failure of the Grants Pass Decision The Moral Failure of the Grants Pass Decision

While the United States might indeed be the richest country in history, it hasn’t proven particularly rich in generosity.

Sep 9, 2024 / Cedar Monroe and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

VP candidate Kamala Harris in mid speech, standing in front of an American flag.

A Strong Policy Debate Is Kamala Harris’s Best Shot to Break the Election Tie A Strong Policy Debate Is Kamala Harris’s Best Shot to Break the Election Tie

Attacking Donald Trump is a start. But the Democratic nominee also has to sell herself and her vision.

Sep 9, 2024 / Jeet Heer

A close up shot of VP candidate JD Vance mid-speech.

Democrats Dismiss JD Vance at Their Peril Democrats Dismiss JD Vance at Their Peril

Calling the Ohio senator "weird" may feel satisfying. Pundits have dismissed him as a drag on the ticket. But the smarter play would still be to steal his thunder.

Sep 6, 2024 / Column / Erica Etelson and Anthony Flaccavento

A screenshot from a 2011 interview with James C. Scott.

James C. Scott, the Ambivalent Anarchist James C. Scott, the Ambivalent Anarchist

The radical anthropologist offered not only incisive studies of the state but also a vision of what life looked like beyond it.

Sep 5, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Ben Mauk

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, enjoy music by members of the marching band at Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia, August 28, 2024, as they travel across the state on a two-day campaign bus tour.

The Democrats Are Finally Running a Teacher. What Took Them So Long? The Democrats Are Finally Running a Teacher. What Took Them So Long?

After decades of serving as a punching bag for the party’s neoliberals, public schools and the people who work in them are back in fashion.

Sep 3, 2024 / Jennifer C. Berkshire and Jack Schneider

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