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Progressive Hub Roundup

Last week’s election results continue to reverberate. One of the more obscene outcomes is the New York Times demanding that Democrats not challenge oligarchy, and instead find a way to productively make nice with Republicans, if at all possible. Note: it is not possible. But we can appreciate a close reading with our guides Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen.

All of the stories below highlight important news and analysis that the mainstream routinely fails to provide. We’re confident that reading them will enhance your understanding of our world. That said, as activists have long known, the point isn’t to just understand the world, but to change it. So, each of these stories is accompanied by a quick action opportunity.

progressive news roundup

It’s Time to Rein in the Pentagon’s Yearly Blank Check

Pentagon funding seems to be just about the only thing that Congress is always in agreement on. Changing course would mean real reform and genuine accountability, starting with serious cuts to a budget for which “bloated” is far too kind an adjective.

Despite Failure in Afghanistan, the Pentagon Gets a Bigger Budget

The defeat in Afghanistan offers a chance to rethink America’s war machine, but Congress is on the verge of raising Pentagon spending to $740 billion.

Israel Using Facial Recognition Tech on Palestinians in West Bank

Israeli soldiers have been involved in an organized effort to take photos of Palestinian residents of the West Bank town of Hebron and have even competed with one another to provide the photos for a facial recognition database being used to monitor Palestinians.

Supreme Court Refuses to Protect Your Right to Record Cops

The Supreme Court chose not to take on a pivotal case to protect your right to record police, leaving six states with fewer constitutional rights. For anyone who believes that Black Lives Matter, this is a big deal. Now that cops in six states can get away with blocking your right to film them, we can expect more of this behavior. A chilling reminder that even with the right to film firmly established, police continue to kill unarmed Black people at alarming rates.

The Democrats’ Big Tent Collapses — and Fundraising Drives the Divide

As the dust settles after a bruising election night for Democrats, recriminations are already flying between the progressive and “moderate” wings of the party. While corporate so-called moderates are laying the blame on progressive resistance to passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill without Build Back Better, progressives are pointing out that, again, Democrats have not delivered wins on their most popular policy items.

Thank you for tuning in this week. And before you click to take action, please know that we’re looking to expand the roster of sources we use to compile our stories. We’re especially interested in smaller progressive sources that we might have missed — including those from outside the United States. Got one to share with us? Email us directly.

Roundup