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This Week in People’s History, Sep 24–30, 2025

President Johnson in the White House talking with Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney Young, Jr., and James Farmer
Affirmative Action Had a Long Run, But Not Nearly Long Enough (1965), Working for Amazon Is Very, Very, Dangerous (2000), Witch-Hunt Targets Hazel Scott (1950), Bad Medicine at Johns Hopkins (2015)

Health Care Fails To Recognize Women’s Pain

Preserving and expanding access to Medicaid—and improving women’s access to health care—is a matter of life or death.

Trump Appointees Roll Back Enforcement of Fair Housing

Interviews and internal documents show that signature civil rights protections in housing are being dismissed as ideologically driven and D.E.I. in disguise.

Homan Took $50K From Undercover FBI Agents. On Video.

On Sept. 20, 2024, with hidden cameras recording the scene, Homan accepted $50,000 in bills from undercover FBI agents, according to an internal summary of the case and sources. Trump's FBI and Justice officials closed down the investigation.

The True Threat of OpenAI

Karen Hao’s recent book on the company argues that its ambitions are not merely about scale or the market but the creation of a global force that rivals a colonial power of old.

Do We Really Understand the Universe?

What are the fundamental physical constants and what determines their value?

Israel’s Opposition Remains Its Own Worst Enemy

Despite a strong showing in the polls, Israel’s center-left camp is still in denial about its only trump card: joining forces with Palestinian-led parties.

What’s Behind Rising Unemployment for Black Workers?

There has been a clear deterioration in the labor market for Black workers this year. The decline in Black workers’ employment appears to be concentrated among Black women.

The Giant Fireball That Could Save Us

America’s real-life Lorax says the climate apocalypse might be averted after all.

How the Second Amendment Was Created

But to understand why the Second Amendment exists at all, we must strip away the myths and confront a brutal truth: it was not written to safeguard freedom, but to preserve slavery.
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Culture

food

The FDA May Change What Legally Counts As Orange Juice

Stacey Leasca Food & Wine
In response to the Florida Citrus Processors Association and Florida Citrus Mutual, the FDA is proposing to amend the standard of identity for pasteurized orange juice, in place for 6 decades, "to promote honesty and fair dealing for consumers."

tv

Jimmy Kimmel’s Cancellation Is Peak Hypocrisy

Branko Marcetic Jacobin
After campaigning on ending censorship and cancel culture, Donald Trump is making the list of things you're not allowed to say in America longer and longer. ABC’s cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show signals that not even comedians are safe

poetry

Revolution

Lenore Weiss
Poet Lenore Weiss remembers what it was like to have heroes and hope.

food

The Great Parmesan Cheese Enigma

Willa Paskin Slate
According to historian Alberto Grandi, if you want to eat the original Parmigiano like our great-grandparents used to eat, you should go to Milwaukee or Madison.

Labor

labor

The UAW Has a Vision for Green Industrial Policy in California

Paul Prescod Jacobin
A recent report from UAW Region 6 outlines a bold vision for how to expand clean energy industries in California using union labor. It’s an example of how unions can get serious about industrial policy and assert themselves in the “abundance” debate.

labor

How To Defend Members From Politicized Firings

Bill Barry Labor Notes
Today’s firings present a new challenge for union stewards because each case becomes public, playing out on social media and on the national stage. Nonetheless, the same principles hold. Here are some basic steps a steward should take.

Friday nite video

video

Jimmy Kimmel: The Final Show?

On his last show before being "indefinitely suspended," Jimmy talks about the NFL, TikTok, the MAGA gang and Charlie Kirk, $200M ballrooms, Fox and Friends and MTG. 

video

Colbert's Identical Twin Brings Back 'The Word': Shhhhhh!

Daddy’s home! Stephen appoints Stephen Colbert, former host of “The Colbert Report,” as ombudsman to ensure that the final season of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” remains free from liberal bias.

Charlie

out in the bloodshed everyone loses / there's unforgettable scars / out in the bloodshed permanent bruises / shapes up who you are

video

The Real Problems with America’s Health

MAHA? How unhealthy is the United States? Some key figures show how the US compares to other countries in life expectancy, early deaths and chronic disease.