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Like the rest of the world, I became a Chappell Roan fan this summer. And while, in the six months since my first COVID infection, I’d learned the hard way that I could no longer use the little off brand stairmaster in my apartment, I’d begun to enjoy my gentle evening walks in the neighborhood with Chappell as May passed, and June.

I’d wait until 8 pm or 9, because in DC this late in the climate crisis it won’t drop below 90 much earlier than that. I’d coat myself in high-percentage DEET bug spray, the greasy, deep-woods stuff, none of that all-natural nonsense that well-meaning moms use to protect their kids and the local wildlife (including the mosquitoes).

And then I’d take a walk, a simple thing that had become a not-so-simple thing.

A walk feels less simple when you haven’t been able to walk much at all since November. When for months, walking triggered shortness of breath that lasted days and left you tearfully asking Reddit when it would end (answer: never and soon and wait and see). When for months after the shortness of breath months, exercise triggered migraines that lasted days, weeks, that ended in the emergency room, that ended in IVs full of steroids, that left me feeling drained and defeated and dull.

A kind doctor joked to me, “I want to open a Long COVID clinic- I’d get rich!” At least he believes in Long COVID, I thought to myself, and readjusted my mask. The IV fluids made me feel cold and strange. He brought me a blanket. I felt alone.

On June 27, Joe Biden’s gave the debate performance that launched a thousand think pieces.

Biden sounded confused, his responses were garbled, meandering; frankly, he exhibited signs of significant cognitive decline since we’d last seen him on the debate stage in 2020. Everyone from the Democratic-Party-fanboy-hosts of Pod Save America to the Democratic-Party-monster-fundraiser George Clooney were publicly calling on Biden to step down.

But on July 5, 81-year-old Joe Biden was as firm as ever in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, insisting he had no plans to withdraw from the race. He stated:

Introduction

Webinar by the Democracy Resource Hub on insights, strategies & lessons learned from managing movements during a post-election period.

About the Webinar

In times of political transition and uncertainty, movements for democracy and social justice face critical challenges in sustaining momentum and adapting to new realities. This webinar, held on December 3rd, 2024 and hosted by The Horizons Project. This event was part of the Intermestic Learning Exchange Series hosted on the Democracy Resource Hub. (About Us)

The fight for freedom or democracy or equality or justice is not an event. It’s a process… And you are part of a process. You are part of a journey. – Evan Mawarire

The global panel of speakers included: 

Following through on their promise to make transphobia the number one focus of legislation moving forward, one of the chambers of Congress has passed a bill that would remove federal protections against discrimination for trans students.

2024 was an eventful year, and that wasn’t always a good thing. We know what we need to solve inequality in 2024 – community wealth-building, taxation of the super-rich, democratic ownership, action on the climate crisis, a fair political system, and tackling corporate profiteering – and the UK could do it now if our politicians […]

The post What happened to inequality in 2024? appeared first on Equality Trust.

Introduction

A report about developing strategic capacity across grassroots groups, and cultivating practices of collective care as an integral component of movement culture. This report explores insights and recommendations from a needs assessment with organisers and is specific to the climate justice movement in Canada | Turtle Island but the wisdom and learning can also be applied to other movements around the world.

About the Memo

In 2023, Canada’s Climate Justice Organizing HUB (the HUB), a project of the Small Change Fund, carried out a needs-assessment process with grassroots organizers across what’s colonially called Canada. In August 2024, they convened for their annual team retreat on “building deeper and wider”, to analyze movement challenges in a more intimate setting. 

This memo includes a summary of key themes and insights that emerged from their collective discussion. They concluded, with examples throughout the memo, that building long-term power in the climate justice movement requires developing strategic capacity across grassroots groups, and cultivating practices of collective care as an integral component of our movement culture.

“The Kids are Alright,” The Who once sang. But about half of American kids are far from alright—in fact, our boys are in real trouble.

The statistics are jarring. Young men without both parents are more likely to spend time in prison than graduate college, according to sociologist Brad Wilcox’s Get Married. In the United States, the second leading cause of death for men under 45 is suicide. Political economist Nicholas Eberstadt contends in Men Without Work that male workforce engagement is at the level it was during the Great Depression.

Political scientist Warren Farrell and counselor John Gray point out in The Boy Crisis that by age nine, children who are not getting enough time with their fathers have telomeres (chromosome indicators which predict life expectancy) 14% shorter than average.

This interview is also available on podcast platforms and Rumble.

“You can't just sit there and build drones and not talk about who it's serving and who does it help,” says Richard Solomon, PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and member of the Coalition for Palestine at MIT. On this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Solomon and fellow MIT PhD student Prahlad Iyengar detail their battle against the historic institution’s active participation in the genocide in Gaza. Their story exemplifies the repression students face across the country who dare question how their work and labor are used to advance the illegal and morally reprehensible goals of the Israeli military.

There’s a certain triumphalism on the Right regarding the declining fortunes of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in American institutions and corporations. Companies which have recently rolled back their DEI programs include heavy weights such as Walmart, Ford, Harley-Davidson, Caterpillar, and Lowe’s. “DEI Is Dying,” read one New York Post op-ed in May of last year. The editors of National Review crowed in May 2024: “DEI on the Run.” Yet as someone who recently completed my employer’s web-based DEI training, it’s going to require a much more concerted effort by businesses and government to excise this cancer from American public life.

The DEI training I took wasn’t mandatory, though it was encouraged by senior leadership, and H.R. told the workforce that its completion would be looked upon positively for promotion purposes.

As I speculated, I got through the approximately 11 hours of video content while still doing my actual job. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of my colleagues thought DEI so important that it demanded their undivided attention.

Introduction

A case study of New Disabled South, a not-for-profit organisation in the United States that builds movement capacity and solidarity for disability justice.

This case study is from an online session at the FWD+Organise 2024 Conference held in Naarm/Melbourne. The session featured Dom Kelly from New Disabled South in the United States in conversation with El Gibbs, an Australian disability advocate. In the session, Dom shared what New Disabled South does to build movement capacity and solidarity for disability justice.

The work of Dom and New Disabled South serves as a model for setting up other organisations across the United States and around the world.

Terminology: In this article we have used the terms “disabled people” which is the preference of New Disabled South. To explore terminology related to disability justice see By Us, For Us: Disability Messaging Guide and the People With Disability Australia Language Guide.

Case Study: New Disabled South

A look at the challenges and how New Disabled South is making change for disabled people using advocacy, research and AI.

On this Summer Book Club episode of Follow the Money, renowned journalist and author David Marr joins Ebony Bennett to discuss Killing for Country, his award-winning account of politics and power in colonial Australia.

This discussion was recorded on Wednesday 24 January 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

To join our free Australia’s Biggest Book Club webinars live, register via our website.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: David Marr, journalist and author

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, The Australia Institute // @ebonybennett

Show notes:

Killing for Country: A family story by David Marr, Black Inc. (October 2023)

Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Alice Grundy discuss Trump’s empire pantomime, the devastating California fires and the death of Jimmy Carter.

This discussion was recorded on Monday 13 January 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Get your tickets for the Australia Institute’s Climate Integrity Summit 2025 now.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Host: Alice Grundy, Managing Editor, Australia Institute Press, the Australia Institute // @alicektg

Show notes:

‘Australia leases US firebombing aircraft in the northern winter. So what happens when LA burns in January?’ by Mike Foley, The Sydney Morning Herald (January 2025)