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Drowning the World in Oil - Trump's Carbon-Obsessed Energy Policy and the Planetary Nightmare to Come

Michael T. Klare TomDispatch
Donald Trump, at war with the American safety net, and the environment, not to mention the planet -- and that's before we even get to actual war, which will be overseen by a crew of Islamo- and Irano-phobes. If, as Klare points out today, Trump himself has a serious case of nostalgia for the America of his youth, with its untrammeled growth and its fossil-fueled wonders, don't think that nostalgia doesn't include military affairs, and future military adventures and wars.

Women's March On Washington - Yes, The Women's March Is Still On - And It Has A Starting Location

Women's March on Washington
We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families -- recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country...Because women's rights are human rights. Join the January 21 march in Washington, or in cities across the country. (Information and links for every state below.)

The Underground Railroad

Hope Wabuke The Root
In this novel, Whitehead reimagines both slavery and the resistance to it.

After a Crime, the Price of a Second Chance

Shaila Dewan and Andrew W. Lehren The New York Times
Diversion is intended to relieve overburdened courts and crowded jails, and to spare low-risk offenders from the devastating consequences of a criminal record. But an examination by The New York Times found that in many places, only people with money could afford a second chance. Though diversion was introduced as a money-saving reform, some jurisdictions quickly turned it into a source of revenue.

Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" as a Parable of Our Time

Clint Smith The New Yorker
“Invisible Man” ends with the protagonist being chased by policemen during a riot in Harlem, and falling into a manhole in the middle of the street. The police put the cover of the manhole back in place, trapping the narrator underground. “I’m an invisible man and it placed me in a hole—or showed me the hole I was in, if you will—and I reluctantly accepted the fact,” he says.

Media Have Misjudged Fascists Before

John Broich The Conversation
Not long before Mussolini and Hitler came to power, much of the US press believed that power would "moderate" them, or considered them something of a joke. Are we seeing similar mistakes today?

The Hidden Powers Andy Puzder Would Hold at the Department of Labor

Danny Vinik Politico
The secretary of labor isn’t exactly the sexiest job in the government. But president-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Andy Puzder, a fast-food restaurant CEO, could have profound effects that touch millions of U.S. workers and companies almost immediately.

Capitalism, Democracy, and Du Bois’s Two Proletariats

J. Phillip Thompson Items
What could emerge from an understanding of the struggle between the two proletariats and its connection to US democracy and institutions is a more powerful and forward-looking narrative of class and race than either a utopian universalist liberalism or a narrow-minded working class incapable of advancing democracy.