A former Obama advance man on how the hollow pageantry of political stagecraft legitimizes bad policy and distracts us from more substantive political discussions.

For too long, women of color and other marginalized people have vomited out their tales of trauma and woe. The time has come to stop telling our stories, to stop asking for empathy, and simply demand systemic changes.

Books are where the knowledge is. A flourishing democracy depends on a culture that cares about and talks about books.

A response to Benjamin Studebaker’s argument against proportional representation: why socialists need to commit to this democratic reform.

The criminal punishment system targets poor children and children of color for the harshest treatment without addressing the root causes of crime.

Adolph Reed’s recollections of growing up under Jim Crow serve as a reminder that unjust regimes have been toppled before and can be toppled again.

The AI text-generator is both terrifyingly good and comically limited. But one thing it excels at is helping us think more clearly about politics.

Former Times public editor Margaret Sullivan discusses why we need local journalism and why the major newspapers should be carefully watched over and criticized by the public.