Portside

Rail strike raises the issue of privatization, paves way for general strike in on February 25.

Beginning in 1964 and stretching through today, conservative leaders systematically undermined the programs that shaped Johnson’s War on Poverty, frequently deploying racist and sexist arguments to take away public assistance from the poorest Americans. Their rhetoric didn’t directly undo these social programs, but it chipped away at their foundation and altered Americans’ perceptions about the proper role of government.

The resources and the breadth of the organization make it singular in American politics: an operation conducted outside the campaign finance system, employing an array of groups aimed at stopping what its financiers view as government overreach. Members of the coalition target different constituencies but together have mounted attacks on the new health-care law, federal spending and environmental regulations.

An interview with historian Michael Honey about his new biography of John Handcox, a sharecropper, union organizer, and folk singer.

Should public school educators be as optimistic about the coming year as the rising stock prices of our numerous Fortune 500 corporations? Not so fast. As those entities earning record profits continue to shirk their responsibilities, the District is forced to balance its budget on the backs of the only individuals they have some sort of control over - their teachers.

Socialists in Seattle: Kshama Sawant's Campaign Assistant Anh Tran interviewed by Andrew Sernatinger and Tessa Echeverria

In recognition of the anniversary of the death of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, a host of retrospectives will recognize both the raw potency of Cobain's songwriting and the tragedy of his heroin use and suicide. They will hide that Nirvana was a band of rebels.

It's easy to praise people who challenge governments of the distant past, and much harder to do so for those who challenge those who wield actual power today.

De Blasio is to the left of America's Democratic party, but he's no radical seeking to overthrow capitalism. Instead, he'll likely usher in progressive policies.

Newly Published Photographs Share Rich Lives of Former Slaves After Emancipation; Web Series Tells "What Black Folks Don't Do"; Customs Destroys Rare Bamboo Flutes; NYT & NPR Maintain Latino Stereotypes; Native American Studies Association Supports BDS; Chart Illustrates You Vote What You Drink