A new California law aims to protect workers from silicosis, an incurable lung disease that has killed 29 people in the state and sickened hundreds. Experts say it isn’t enough.
Capital & Main
Posted inWorking in America
Trump’s Deportation Crackdown Is Hurting Tourism
Fear of aggressive deportation raids is deterring foreign visitors, leading to a reduction in hours for workers and lost revenue.
Posted inEnergy and the Environment
The Rio Grande Was Once an Inviting River. It’s Now a Militarized Border.
Since Trump returned to office, dozens of environmental, wildlife and public access rules have been waived to make way for the border wall.
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
They Power the U.S. Economy, but Will Struggle to Afford Health Care
Health insurance costs will skyrocket for millions of Americans if certain tax credits expire. Small business owners and the self-employed will be hit especially hard.
Posted inWorking in America
California’s Child Farmworkers: Exhausted, Underpaid, and Toiling in Toxic Fields
State officials are failing to protect the health and safety of thousands of young field laborers, an investigation has found.
Posted inWorking in America
Lax Oversight, Few Inspections Leave Child Farmworkers Exposed to Toxic Pesticides
Child laborers and other farmworkers in California are being exposed to toxic pesticides, in part because of splintered enforcement of safety regulations.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Homeland Security Tightens Rule on Anti-ICE Activities
The rule, which went into effect this month, prohibits a wide range of activities, and activists fear the Trump administration will use the regulation to cover up misconduct by immigration officials.
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
Despite Vow to Protect Health Care for Veterans, VA Losing Doctors and Nurses
Between December 2024 and August 2025, the VA reported a net loss of thousands of health care positions, and advocates report the impact of understaffing, facility closures, and waiting times has been ‘dire.’
Posted inLaw and Justice
‘We’re the Resistance’
Rossana Pérez arrived in Los Angeles as a refugee more than 40 years ago. Now, the professor, writer, and activist reflects on how to cope with the terror and trauma of ICE raids in her city.
Posted inWorking in America
Dollar Store Workers Fight to Improve Jobs, Even Without a Union
Like several successful campaigns before it, Step Up organizes workers to improve their jobs, but stops short of calling for a union. The approach, “premajority unionism,” is a natural fit for places like the South, with histories of public hostility to unions.