Portside

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

"In Brazil and India, machines are already starting to do primary care, because there’s no labor to do it,” says Robert Kocher, an internist, “They may be better than doctors. . ." The rising costs of health care, an aging population in the United States and other nations, are spurring investments into the development of sophisticated machines that will be able to perform tasks now done by highly skilled workers. What may be the impact on the healthcare workforce?

The Supreme Court will decide whether to strike a key part of the Voting Rights Act, which conservatives say is outdated and unfair to the South.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.