From Invisible to Meme
A rather exhaustive cover feature in the New York Times Magazine is incredibly tense. Writer Astead Herndon appears ready and willing to clear the air about the mystery surrounding the Vice President, but seems to come away frustrated and even more unclear about who Kamala Harris is or what she does all day. It’s not a great look for the VP.
From the article:
“A top Democratic consultant said that ‘she has a little Ron DeSantis in her,’ in terms of the disconnect between political talent and expectations. One major donor said there’s an agreement among the party’s heavy hitters that having Harris as Vice President to Biden ‘is not ideal, but there’s a hope she can rise to the occasion.’ Sometimes the arguments against her feel more petty: A member of Harris’s staff remarked on the amount of down time the Vice President schedules on trips, which includes an inordinate amount of time dedicated to hair care.”
New York Times Magazine: In Search of Kamala Harris
Progressives Getting it Right
Ben Burgis highlights the responsible public responses of Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush to the unfolding crisis in Israel and Palestine. A deleted Tweet (is that what they’re still called?) from Tony Blinken. Militant pronouncements from J.D. Vance. Declarations of war crimes from Israel’s defense minister. Reactions are primal and coming from all corners of the world and from every vantage point. The progressives, writes Burgis, are the ones getting it right.
From the article:
“More broadly, why would you be a socialist or an internationalist in the first place if you didn’t think all human beings were born with the same moral status regardless of their citizenship, ethnicity, or background? The whole point is that everyone deserves to live with freedom, dignity, material security, and democratic rights. Bush and Tlaib made that perspective perfectly clear in their statements.”
Jacobin: Left Politicians Are Showing How to Respond to the Horrors in Israel and Palestine
No, We Won’t Stop Talking About Taylor
Comedy site Belladonna offers some helpful tips on how to understand the phenomenon that is Taylor Swift. Tons of great information here. A boyfriend rating based on number of dedicated songs/albums. Rules of engagement. Where you fit on the TS spectrum. Cats. Merch. It’s a must read article for anyone like Max who wants to hold onto a relationship with someone like 99.
From the article:
“Taylor really took off with her sophomore album, Fearless, led by MVBs (Most Valuable Bops) ‘You Belong With Me’ and ‘Love Story.’ She scored album of the year at the Grammys and Best Female Video at the VMAs, where she was interrup —
“Yeah. No kidding, you know the part with the guy. Everybody does.
Anyway, Taylor moved from country in arenas to pop in stadiums, adopting a scoring system called Jack Antonoff.
“The three key roles are the TB, the TE and the TBF: Taylor’s Boyfriend, Taylor’s Enemy and Taylor’s Best Friend, got that?”
Belladonna: Explaining Taylor Swift The Way Men Explain Sports
Corporations are exploitative? Say it isn’t so.
An investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) identified several western corporations as being complicit in labor abuses abroad. Predictably, the companies responded with platitudes about commitment to fair labor practices and to being “troubled” by the allegations. Yet another reminder of Rosa Luxemburg’s economic theory that when capitalism runs out of room to coerce and subjugate domestic workers, it will seek opportunities to do so abroad.
From the article:
“Large recruiting fees are a major indicator of possible labor trafficking, the U.S. and U.N. say. Laborers often take out costly loans to cover the fees, trapping them into oppressive jobs to pay off their debt — a form of labor trafficking known as debt bondage.”
ICIJ: Workers Accuse Middle East Operations of McDonald’s, Chuck E. Cheese and Other Western Brands of Labor Abuses