JUNE 24, 2026: A Transformative US Labor Movement
Democratic Socialists Roar Back into Spotlight; Get American History Right; and About Britain’s Place in the World
A TRANSFORMATIVE US LABOR MOVEMENT
Often forgotten today, the US saw a tidal wave of rank-and-file worker militancy in the late 1960s and early ’70s—many socialists of the era took jobs on the shop floor to help foment the upsurge and build a revolutionary movement to replace capitalism. Celebrating the life and legacy of Tony Mazzocchi, a working-class hero: A lifelong champion of workers’ rights and union democracy, Mazzocchi envisioned and worked to build a transformative US labor movement. Caitlyn Clark and Lisa Xu on how the biggest US meatpacking strike in 40 years is still on. The real story of the past year is one of draining the intrinsic value from labor yoked to repetitive, inglorious and truly vital tasks. Neal Meyer on a guide to the big left and labor fights in 2026. Nick French on building 21st-century rank-and-file unionism. Alexandra Bradbury on green shoots of hope in the labor movement.
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ROAR BACK INTO SPOTLIGHT
Democratic socialists roar back into spotlight with LA, DC races. From New York to Seattle to DC, more cities are picking democratic socialist leaders. Democratic socialists took city hall—now they’re aiming at Congress. Mamdani burns allies in making a big bet for Congress and the left. Mamdani sharply criticizes Democratic Party as he rallies with progressive challengers. A rising populist tide is threatening New York’s powerful incumbents. The socialist electoral movement is on the move in New York City. Can Zohran Mamdani sway the Commie Corridor’s “civil war”? In New York’s “Commie Corridor,” democratic socialists have built the most advanced electoral beachhead in the country. Mamdani slate sweeps Democratic primaries in New York, ousts 2 incumbents from Congress.
GET AMERICAN HISTORY RIGHT
Kenneth Scheve (Notre Dame), Theo Serlin (KCL) and Sydney White (Columbia): Market Power and Distorted Democracy in the Progressive Era. Fighting Bob! La Follette and his enemies in high places: Paul Buhle reviews Silencing “Fighting Bob”: The Attack on Antiwar Progressives During the First World War by Eric T. Chester. Lewis Johnson (Edinburgh): “A Whale of a Chance”: Thomas E. Dewey, the U.S. South, and the Election of 1948. JP Hill on how the Cold War never left the American mind. Clarence Thomas can’t get American history right: In his recent broadside against the twentieth century, the justice is as ill informed as he is mean-spirited. Arthur Lima de Avila (UFRGS): A Reactionary History? Reflections on the De-Democratization of the Past in the “Trump Era” United States.
ABOUT BRITAIN’S PLACE IN THE WORLD
Britain’s secret “black propaganda” operations: Files reveal that the UK government’s covert propaganda unit, the IRD’s Special Editorial Unit, ran fake news agencies, forged documents, and manipulated journalists globally to undermine the Soviet Union, anti-colonial leaders, and leftist movements during the Cold War. Four Palestine Action activists face being sentenced as terrorists for criminal damage under a UK law that lets judges add a “terrorism connection” based solely on property damage. Wayne Madsen on the Five Eyes without the US: Exploring a new intelligence alliance. Why Trump is attacking the UK over Chagos Islands—and what it tells us about Britain’s place in the world. The book A Greater Britain: Rethinking the UK’s Global Strategy (Biteback) by Azeem Ibrahim (USAWC) is now out.