For the first half of the year, I was still writing articles for other outlets, a few of which are worth highlighting.
“She Lied to My Face”: Inside the Hectic Last Days of Gymboree’s Retail Bankruptcy (The Intercept)
The story of a vice president at children’s clothing store Gymboree who was stiffed on her severance while executives at the company walked away with theirs. The story reveals how corporate America’s winners can win even in failure, and nobody else is safe—certainly not the line-level workers, but not even vice presidents.
Wendell Primus, the Most Powerful Staffer in Congress, Represents a Generational Divide on the Left (The Intercept)
Nancy Pelosi’s top health policy aide is emblematic of a liberal establishment that’s desperate to maintain the last few scraps of the welfare state rather than propose anything more bold.
Is Amazon Violating U.S. Antitrust Laws? This Law Student Thinks He Has Evidence. (In These Times)
Fordham Law student Shaoul Sussman’s paper caused quite a stir in academic circles; it was the first real argument that Amazon was definitively committing predatory-pricing violations that could be pursued in court. Now congressional committees and the Justice Department are looking at the same thing.
My work at the Prospect has focused on movement politics, corporate power, and how Washington really works. Here are some of my favorites.
The Day One Agenda
I’d been thinking about putting this together for over a year before launching it. It’s a comprehensive agenda for the next Democratic president—without passing a single new law. (The whole series is available here.)
Congress’s New Progressives Take On the Banks
The surprising installment of a new generation of left-wing Democrats, from AOC to Katie Porter, on the House Financial Services Committee.
How Private Equity Ate Hollywood—and Why Writers Are Fighting Back
Private equity firms took over talent agent firms at the expense of the agents’ own clients. It’s an example of the monopolization of our economy, and how organized, unified workers can successfully challenge it.
Democrats Are Ignoring the Power of the Hospital Industry
A warning to Democrats trying to overhaul health care in America without taking on the industry most dedicated to the status quo.
When Big Business Won’t Let the Troops Repair Their Equipment
Incredibly, defense contractors maintain patents on weapon software and deny military personnel the right to repair it, leading to delays and excessive costs.
The New Uprising on a Country Road
Stephen Smith is running the most interesting political campaign in America, fighting not just to become governor of West Virginia, but to build a social movement and a people’s government.
Payday Lenders Suffer Rare Attack of Honesty
The payday lending industry has proposed a ballot measure in Arizona that would limit increases to the minimum wage, admitting that their business model relies on keeping Americans poor.
Democratic Cave to Trump on Border Wall Had an Ulterior Motive
The most depressing example of House Democrats’ year in policymaking: They gave Trump major concessions to get his border wall built so Henry Cuellar, a centrist incumbent facing a primary challenge, could get a one-mile riverwalk in his district.
