Newsletter 7.16.19

Hi all,

Hope your summer is going well. Here's this week's newsletter. Be sure to check out tomorrow's episode on the rise of the Almighty Fact-Checker. It's a fun one!

-- Florence, Marco, Adam, and Nima

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As 2020 Primary Nears, Candidates Struggle with Positions on Charter Schools Jake Jacobs, The Progressive (July 11, 2019)

Many 2020 candidates have made statements in the past that have supported charter schools. Now, many give vague answers to balance the need to look like they're defending public schools without angering billionaire charter school donors.

Boston Globe Accused of ‘Willie Horton’-Style Fearmongering Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, The Appeal (July 12, 2019)

19 Boston-area academics released a statement condemning the Boston Globe for an article written about Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins’ memo in favor of criminal justice reform. The academics contend the local news solely acted as a bullhorn for opponents of criminal justice reform and that the paper parrots tough on crime buzzwords with little thought for their meaning,

The Media Uses Coal Miners To Attack the Green New Deal—Then Ignores Their Pension Fight Sarah Lazare, In These Times (July 11, 2019)

Beltway media loves writing stories about conservative coal miners who attack the Green New Deal by saying it will put them out of work. However, the media has given little to no coverage of the same miners’ fight to protect their pensions, which many left-wing politicians and organizers have rallied for. 

We Can’t Stop the Horrors of Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Unless We Reckon With Obama’s Role Roqayah Chamseddine, In These Times (July 13, 2019)

Many liberals are too quick to absolve the Obama Administration for its immigration record in the wake of the Trump administration. However, Obama’s White House oversaw a massive effort to criminalize border crossing, punished allies of migrants and dismissed critics of the administration’s immigration policies.

House Democrats are Panicked about Primaries, and New York Shows how Potent they can be Ryan Grim, The Intercept (July 11, 2019)

As House Democrats stir over primary challenges to entrenched incumbents, New York offers a glimpse into a governing body that was pulled left by primaries. With the defeat of the republican-alligned IDC as well as other establishment assemblymen and senators, New York passed  litany of progressive measures that have been bottle dup for years. 

How to Save Journalism Clio Chang, The New Republic (July 11, 2019)

Digital media jobs have been at the mercy of big tech for years with companies like Google and Facebook reaping the rewards from online journalists. Digital and print media forming unions to guarantee benefits has become essential in such a volatile work environment. In order to organize, many publications will need to overcome work cultures that value prestige and exposure over material payment. 

Why a “Public Option” Isn’t Enough Benjamin Studebaker, Nathan J. Robinson, Current Affairs (July 14, 2019)

Democratic candidates have been waffling on the meaning of Medicare for All in order to count a public option as a form of Medicare for All. However, a public option fails to ensure that everybody has health insurance at all times and will do little to stop the rise in healthcare costs.

We Have a Dental Care Crisis. Medicare for All Could Solve It. Natalie Shure, In These Times (July 11, 2019)

The inequality present in oral health surpasses the high level in several other areas of healthcare. While universal healthcare would grant coverage to people who cannot afford the increasingly stratified medical service, dentists have been resistant to change a system that has yielded profits for the profession and flexible hours. 

Making “Never Again” More Than a Slogan Arielle Gordon, Jewish Currents (July 11, 2019)

Left-wing Jewish activists have staged several “never again” actions to disrupt ICE activities in solidarity with immigrant’s rights groups and in response to Jewish organizations policing the use of the term “concentration camps.” The actions are decentralized and organized through both social media and networks for Jewish activists and immigrants' rights groups. 

Why Today’s Amazon Strike Is So Important Joe Allen, Jacobin (July 15, 2019)

Amazon warehouse workers in Shakopee, Minnesota launched a six-hour strike on Prime Day to protest poor working conditions. The strike could inspire similar actions in other Amazon locations and help organized labor move into the logistics industry.

Media Frame: Fentanyl Panic Is Worsening the Overdose Crisis Zachary A. Siegel and Maia Szalavitz, The Appeal (July 16, 2019)

The media is in the middle of a full blown  fentanyl panic. Read Siegel and Szalavitz's account of how medical professionals and journalists are pushing back.