How Sweden & Denmark Ride the Imperialist Wave, with Torkil Lauesen
When most people think of Sweden, or more broadly, the Scandinavian countries, they imagine a more egalitarian and advanced model to which we should aspire. Some assume without investigating that Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries, Denmark and Norway, have figured out how to be prosperous “socialist” countries. But this Swedish model is uglier than […]
Residents of Cancer Alley Fight Racist Oil Companies Poisoning Their Air & Water
Cancer Alley in Louisiana has long been known for the simultaneously high levels of petrochemical plants and cancer among its residents. Residents uncovered this in 1987 and have fought back against this environmental injustice for decades, but the government hasn’t addressed the issue. Now, Founder and Executive Director of Concerned Citizens of St. John Robert […]
U.S. Union Leaders Murdered Fighting for an 8-Hour Day: The Origins of May Day
International Workers’ Day, or May Day, is Sunday, May 1. But many U.S. residents don’t know the rich history of this workers’ holiday here in the United States. Toni Gilpin, labor historian, activist, and writer, including author of “The Long Deep Grudge: A Story of Big Capital, Radical Labor, and Class War in the American […]
Billionaire Elon Musk Buys Twitter, 1% Strengthens Stranglehold on Media
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, bought Twitter this week for $44 billion. Before Musk, Twitter was owned primarily by investment firms like Vanguard, Morgan Stanley and BlackRock. As media ownership concentrates among fewer and fewer people who are wealthier and wealthier, what does this mean for the idea of a “free press”? Abby Martin, […]
Ukraine: From Proxy War to Nuclear War?
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States is ready for anything after Russian officials warn of the danger of nuclear war. Brian and Eugene Puryear discuss how the NATO powers are implementing their strategy of fighting a long-term proxy conflict against Russia as well as Russia’s move to end gas sales to Poland and […]
Biden Reverses on Oil Drilling: Climate Lawyer Explains the Catastrophic Stakes of Inaction
The Biden administration has raised the level of ethanol in the gas at the pumps, is promoting electric vehicles over public transit, and reversed course to open up federal lands for gas and oil companies to lease for drilling. Kassie Siegel, director of the The Center for Biological Diversity‘s Climate Law Institute, explains the impact […]
US Army Lures Recruits with False Promises of Debt Relief and Cash Bonuses
The devil is always in the details. Mike Prysner, producer for The Empire Files & Iraq war veteran, looked into the Army’s recently announced signing bonuses for new recruits, and they are not as advertised. Some of the main jobs that the Army is struggling to fill are for laundry, mortician’s assistants and truck drivers […]
Elon Musk’s Worst Nightmare: Mexico Nationalizes Lithium
Mexico’s Congress nationalized its lithium reserves this week. Prior to the controversial vote, a recall vote on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador drastically failed – he won with more than 91% of the 16.5 million votes. Now the U.S. corporate media is attacking him more than ever. Is Mexico turning to the left? Could Washington […]