A Real ‘Political Revolution’ Would End the Wars

Peter Certo Foreign Policy in Focus
The good news is Bernie Sanders sent promising signals about his judgment when he opposed the invasion of Iraq; the bad news is his statements on the latest iteration of the conflict have shown none of the acumen that distinguished him over 13 years ago. Without a plan to resolve the ISIS war responsibly, the U.S. war in Iraq could reverberate through yet another generation. If Sanders were elected, that would add a grim asterisk to his “political revolution” indeed.

Seven Steps to Opening Up Bargaining

Merrie Najimy Labor Notes
Rather than a problem, we wanted to start with a vision. We asked members three questions: What brings you joy in the work you do with students? What sucks the life and joy out of working with students? What can we propose through bargaining that could increase the joy and reduce the stress in your work?

DNC Rolls Back Restrictions on Lobbyists

Megan R. Wilson The Hill
With the DNC now accepting all lobbyist and PAC donations, it has reversed the policies that were adopted in 2008, when Obama vowed to curb the influence of special interests in Washington.

Are You Ingesting Estrogen Without Realizing It From These Everyday Products?

Martha Rosenberg AlterNet
But a lot of the estrogen we are exposed to is under the radar. Endocrine disrupters (chemicals that mimic estrogen) are found in plastics like BPA, petroleum-based products, agricultural pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, detergents and cosmetics and even everyday items like furniture, carpeting and thermal receipts.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies at 79

Martin Pengelly The Guardian
Indicating the fierce battles to come, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Senate judicial committee, issued a sharply worded statement in response to Republican remarks. Saying he was saddened by the death of Scalia “although I often did not agree with his legal opinions”, Leahy continued: “I hope that no one will use this sad news to suggest that the President or the Senate should not perform its constitutional duty.

Justice in History

Stewart Acuff Portside
Stewart Acuff, national organizer for 1199, brings a poet's eye to the struggle for social justice. Fear, he says, is "our humanity overcoming that fear."

Gravitational Waves From a Dance of Black Holes

Two black holes, about 29 times and 36 times the mass of our sun, collide in this computer visualization of the event that provided the first direct evidence that black holes exist, can exist in a pair, and can collide and merge. Read more.

Gravitational Waves: The Inside Story

Martin Hendry The Conversation
More than a billion years ago and a billion light years away, two black holes merged. This was a truly cataclysmic event a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. In Star Wars Darth Vader tells us not to “underestimate the power of the dark side.” This amazing discovery shows how right he was.

The Legacy of Slavery

Slave labor helped build the "Wall" in "Wall Street" centuries ago. This video on the intertwining of our economic system with racial oppression was produced by Trinity Church, located at Broadway and Wall Street. Trinity Church takes an hard look at its own complex role in that history.

300 Union Plumbers Volunteer in Flint

Hundreds of union plumbers volunteer their time to replace fixtures in Flint that get in the way of installing filters to counter lead contamination of the city's water supply.