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Progressive Hub Roundup

We’re writing this in the wake of a tumultuous election day. India Walton — the working-class breath of fresh air who ran for mayor of Buffalo — lost. But not before crafting a powerful coalition that won a majority of the Black vote in that city and married it to a multiracial coalition of progressives and socialists. It’s worth reading about why her election mattered.

Below are more highlights and insights that you probably aren’t seeing in mainstream media.

progressive news roundup

The Decline of Empire Leads to Increased Risk of Conflict

One of our main issues will always be how the economic and political status quo in the U.S. connects to war and other forms of conflict. Here, Professor Richard D. Wolff connects the dots between the rise of China as an economic superpower, the inability of America to do anything about it, and how that dynamic fuels the escalating war of words between the two countries.

Merkley Is First Dem Senator to Publicly Reject Rahm Emanuel Nomination

RootsAction has been leading the fight against Rahm Emanuel’s nomination to be ambassador to Japan since it was first floated. This week, two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted no, with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) being the first one to go public. “Black Lives Matter. Here in the halls of Congress, it is important that we not just speak and believe these words, but put them into action in the decisions we make,” Merkley said in a statement.

Win or Lose, India Walton Is Shaking Up Progressive Politics

A generational split has made it harder to think of a “Black vote” and instead made it clear that there are multiple political constituencies under that label. One of the main charges against India Walton was that she didn’t represent the Black community in Buffalo, which broke for incumbent mayor Byron Brown in the primary. But as of Tuesday, we know that charge was false; she won a majority of Black Buffalo. Mayor Brown secured his victory by being carried on the backs of Trump-supporting Republicans.

Nina Turner on What’s Next for the Progressive Movement

Staunch progressive Nina Turner has some dire warnings about the current political moment coupled with applause for what her allies both in and outside of Congress have been able to accomplish since they helped elect President Joe Biden last year.

Why Is Military Spending Increasing When We Can’t Afford Anything Else?

While critics of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan to increase funding for U.S. education, healthcare, and action against climate catastrophe say the United States can’t afford it, there are no such qualms about ramping up funding for the U.S. military.

Chomsky and Pollin: Only Mass Organizing Can Save the Climate

What can we expect from COP26? Definite action or, as Greta Thunberg recently put it, more “blah, blah, blah”? In this expansive and eye-opening interview, leading scholars Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin share their thoughts and insights about the global climate summit and what must ultimately be done to save humanity and the planet from a global climate catastrophe.

Thank you to all of our readers who’ve been writing to us with suggestions for Progressive Hub’s coverage and links to progressive sources we can include. There’s a lot of media out there — but we’re uniquely combining articles with online actions you can take right away. That’s the winning formula: information AND action. We hope you’ll keep seeing what’s new at Progressive Hub.

Roundup