Portside

How otherwise progressive unions stand in the way of a more humane correctional system.

There is a huge disparity between what scientists and genetics professionals know and what the general public understands about breakthroughs in the field of genetics and the ethical problems it presents. To address this disparity students at the University of San Diego have created a website to educate the public and bridge the gap between scientific literature and the general public.

You know why black folk in the south don’t vote? According to the New York Times and the experts at the Pew Charitable Trust, they’re just too damn fat!

Daily Show: Texans live under the jackboot of a democratically elected government. Rachel Maddow special Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War. Bugger the Bankers: A song for our times. Silenced: Documentary story of four whistleblowers of the war on terror.

Civil rights leader John Lewis recounts his remarkable life in a graphic novel trilogy

The Supreme Court will decide whether to strike a key part of the Voting Rights Act, which conservatives say is outdated and unfair to the South. As many as 5 million votes may have been lost in 2012 had the U.S. Department of Justice not been able to use Section 5 to block voter suppression initiatives in Texas, South Carolina and Florida.

Emad Burnat, Palestinian director of Oscar nominated "5 Broken Cameras" was held by immigration at LAX as he landed to attend Oscars. He, his wife & 8-yr old son were placed in a holding area and told they didn't have the proper invitation on them to attend the Oscars. "It's nothing I'm not already used to," Emad late said "When you live under occupation, with no rights, this is a daily occurrence." - from Michael Moore (on Twitter)

Not only have leaders from Ecuador to Venezuela delivered huge social gains - they keep winning elections too

The American labor movement is once again facing a most controversial issue - the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. While labor leaders weigh the pros and cons of building KXL, they should keep in mind that the pipeline is as much a threat to our economy as it is to our planet. After a year of extreme weather - at an extreme cost to the economy - this age old jobs vs. environment debate is emerging as a false choice.

Climate change is destroying American jobs right now — but climate protection will produce millions of new jobs.