Portside
Material of Interest to People on the Left
Portside
Material of Interest to People on the Left
Why Are Progressives Winning Across the United States?
A Texas University Petri Dish for Conservative Overhaul
“McCarthy” Rubio’s Campaign To Silence Trump’s Critics
A World Where Dark-Skinned Humans Don’t Count
Global Left Midweek — August 19, 2026
A New Angle of Attack Against Trans Healthcare
US Progressives To Attend Pan-American Congress
MAGA Christianity and the Return of Religious Coercion
US Military Morale Is in the Overflowing Toilet
Media Bits and Bytes — August 18, 2026
Popular
Culture
books
A Masterpiece of Criticism
The Guardian
This joyous book takes readers on a literary adventure across 300 years of fiction, from Defoe to Zadie Smith.
food
What Does It Take to Work on a Cauliflower Crew?
The Reality Check: Stories and Photographs by David Bacon
Today several hundred thousand Indigenous farmworkers from southern Mexico labor in fields, not just in California, but all over the U.S. Their culture, and their political and labor activism, are changing rural communities profoundly.
tv
‘Nightmare Fodder’: Roku’s AI Slop Channel Is Even Worse Than Expected
The Guardian
Fairground TV is a 24/7 channel devoted to low-quality AI content for viewers sick of watching real people move in ways that won’t haunt you
poetry
Road Sign on Interstate 5
Poet Robert Peake asks us to consider what a road sign says about the lives and needs of migrants.
books
America’s Most Divisive Historian Gets a New Biography
The New York Times
Dave Zirin traces the radical career of Howard Zinn, whose “A People’s History of the United States” has sold millions of copies.
film
Momo and the Time Thieves Review – Kids’ Fantasy Jaunt Sticks the Boot Into Capitalism
The Guardian
This new adaptation of Michael Ende’s 1973 novel contains some neat parables for our digitally nihilistic age, but even a mystical tortoise can’t save it it from monotony
food
Fight Hunger and Make Food More Affordable.
Submitted by the author to Portside
Given today’s challenging economic landscape and recent federal policy rollbacks, publicly run food stores are a practical, common-sense idea worth pursuing.
Labor
labor
After Years-Long Battle, California Rideshare Drivers Win Certification. Can They Win a Contract?
Capital & Main
If Uber and Lyft resort to the stalling tactics corporations commonly use to block higher pay and better working conditions, gig workers will still have a fight on their hands.
labor
A Union of Unions: Revitalizing Labor Councils
Convergence
Labor councils are important but often overlooked for building working-class power. This article takes us from Tennessee to Vermont to examine how these vital organizations are faring today, while honoring one of their champions, Vonda McDaniel.
labor
‘One Flag for Each Laid Off Dev:’ Union Workers Stage Unmissable Protest for Xbox Boss Asha Sharma
Game Developer
It would be difficult to ignore the giant inflatable rat on the lawn.
labor
Does Mental Illness Count As Illness?
onlabor
Not in the Fifth Circuit !
labor
Federal Spies Hunt Minnesota Unions in Search of Conspiracy, but Find Solidarity
Labor Notes
The news should unite the labor movement in defense of constitutional rights and democracy as its members face what one defendant’s attorney calls “political prosecution.”
labor
Daimler To Close Portland Truck Plant
NW Labor Press
The plant closure is a sad end to the high hopes of five years ago, when Daimler chose the Portland plant to make new electric versions of its Class 8 heavy truck and smaller box trucks.
labor
Harvard Withholds Raises, Bonuses From Unionized Academic Workers, Union Says
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard withheld annual raises and performance bonuses from unionized academic workers across the University this summer, prompting Harvard Law School clinical instructors to file an unfair labor practice charge
Friday nite video
video
How Much Water Data Centers Actually Use
Data centers typically report the water used inside the facilities — we found them indirectly consuming 10x that amount
video
Donavan McKinney on his Primary Upset
Donavan McKinney, Democratic nominee to represent Detroit/Wayne County in Congress, on democratic socialism, corporate money, data centers and the need for Medicare for All
video
Can Baldness Be Reversed?
New research could lead to breakthroughs in how we understand how cells grow and divide… and that means a cure for /baldness/ could help us study /cancer/.
video
Steal This Story, Please!
A riveting portrait of the iconic independent journalist Amy Goodman by Oscar-nominated Directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. Executive Producers Rosario Dawson, Jane Fonda and Tom Morello.
video
India’s Internet War
A decade after Modi’s digital-first political campaign, an internet-fueled youth movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (or the Cockroach People’s Party) is using social media platforms to organize protests
video
Here's Who's Profiting from the 'Board of Peace'
There’s a web of private equity billionaires and shadowy corporate armies who stand to profit off never-ending conflict.
video
Big Tech Is Finally Paying for the AI Disaster It Created
Follow the money through Nvidia, Meta, Amazon, Tesla, SpaceX and Reddit to uncover why the bill for the AI boom may finally be arriving.
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