"No longer will we treat victory as an invitation to turn off the news. From today onward, we will understand victory very simply: something with the power to transform lives, and something that demands effort from each of us, every single day." - Zohran Mamdani

Our stunning 57th issue is here, featuring whimsical cover art by Toni Hamel! 🧠 Elon Musk’s creepy plan to put a chip in your brain 🗑️ The struggles of striking garbage workers 📚 A deep dive into Thomas Pynchon’s novels Become a subscriber: www.currentaffairs.org/membership

the propaganda is so deranged. 100 million deportations? a quarter of the population? and we'll all be in (slow, inefficient) 1970s cars on beaches? these people are out of their goddamn minds

"We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe. I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist." - Zohran Mamdani

"Grassroots democracy and people participating in the day-to-day struggles of this city will lead to good governance. Please remain involved." - Bernie Sanders

not shocked that the Wall Street Journal op-ed page is running with "Hey you know what would help the affordability crisis? If workers made LESS money."

We spoke with Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing and a member of Zohran Mamdani's transition team, about the new Department of Community Safety and why it will only succeed if a large, organized movement keeps the pressure on after election day. @alexvitale.bsky.social

Seymour Hersh’s reporting only got attention because there was a public willing to care. If atrocities are reported and nobody is shocked, what then? We don’t just need new Hershes, but a public that appreciates the kind of work that Hersh has done. www.currentaffairs.org/news/we-need...

The lack of paths for working-class people to become journalists today is not only unfair, but skews coverage away from the concerns of the working class and toward the concerns of elites. www.currentaffairs.org/news/we-need...

The new documentary Cover-Up shows what independent journalism looks like and why it matters. www.currentaffairs.org/news/we-need...

Greta Thunberg and Ms. Rachel show us what it looks like to take your principles seriously. And their choice makes it clear how many public figures are making the opposite choice. www.currentaffairs.org/news/greta-t...

This past week, Greta Thunberg was arrested in London for holding a placard that said “I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” Yes, you read that correctly. www.currentaffairs.org/news/greta-t...

They could have “stayed in their lane.” But they couldn’t stand by and silently watch the destruction of Gaza. www.currentaffairs.org/news/greta-t...

The producers of “Kid Nation” expected chaos when they dropped 40 children in the desert. What they got was cooperation—until adults intervened. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-los...

the NYT ponders the mystery of why Gazans keep getting killed even though there's a ceasefire

Medea Benjamin on why confronting power means ignoring “decorum” and speaking for those harmed by U.S. foreign policy. 🔗 Full interview below! @medeabenjamin.bsky.social @codepink.bsky.social

We are trained to see littering as a personal failure rather than the predictable outcome of an economy built on disposability. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sin...

The "Keep America Beautiful" campaign urged Americans to pick up their trash—so that companies could keep producing it. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sin...

At their best, Westerns serve to critique colonialism and genocide, to expose the falsity of America as a land of opportunity, to call out when the U.S. stands for evil, in the Old West and now, and when the U.S. fails to live up to its own promises. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sec...

More than any other genre, Westerns are about the values of the United States: the alleged ones and the ones in practice. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sec...

Not every film about “cowboys and Indians” is as reactionary as the genre’s reputation might suggest. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sec...

A reminder that The Atlantic is the worst magazine in America. Cancel your subscription, send proof to [email protected], and we’ll reward you with a free one-year digital subscription to Current Affairs.

December 23rd, 2025 ❧ Current Affairs News Briefing 🦩 The Right asks “Are we Nazis?” 🦩 LA Governor assigned to Greenland 🦩 A polar bear adopts a cub! And much more! currentaffairs.org/briefing

As far as criminal immorality goes, many murders are probably more defensible than impersonating an elderly person’s grandchild and making them think the grandchild has been in an accident in order to steal their money. www.currentaffairs.org/news/if-demo...

Why are we still allowing scammers to ruin people’s lives? This is a solvable problem. www.currentaffairs.org/news/if-demo...

Donate $15 or more for a chance to win a LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION to Current Affairs! The winner will be announced on January 1st. 🦩 Donate: www.currentaffairs.org/donate

The economics of streaming platforms, and the consolidation of the entire music industry under just a handful of major labels, have created an environment that rewards low-effort slop and disincentivizes creativity. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-yea...

From Taylor Swift to Lil Wayne, beloved musical acts have been releasing albums way below their usual standard. As usual, it’s the big labels and streaming platforms to blame. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-yea...

Oh god Matt Yglesias has an NYT op-ed arguing that Democrats need to embrace the fossil fuel industry. They already do!

Medea Benjamin debunks the myth that Donald Trump is an "anti-war" president. 🌸 Subscribe on Patreon for INSTANT ACCESS to the full interview: www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAff...

December 16th, 2025 ❧ Current Affairs News Briefing 🦩 News media turns to gambling 🦩 D.C. turns into Silicon Valley 🦩 Turning Point USA coming to every Texas high school And much more! currentaffairs.org/briefing

Jesus, with His lefty egalitarianism and woke calls for acceptance and forgiveness, is out; Yahweh, the vengeful and ethnocentric deity of the Old Testament, is back in. God help us all. www.currentaffairs.org/news/looking...

According to the growing number of evangelicals who identify as “cultural Christians,” the essence of Christianity is not anything Jesus said or did, but the traditions and social identity of a specific Christian community. www.currentaffairs.org/news/looking...

What lies at the heart of these exhibits is not anything the Bible says. Instead, the museum invites faith in the Bible itself, the text divorced from its content, as the embodiment of Christianity’s cultural scope and material power. www.currentaffairs.org/news/looking...

Today’s evangelical Christians are more interested in Old Testament fire and brimstone, and political power, than anything Christ might have said. www.currentaffairs.org/news/looking...

How can someone so delusional attract an audience of millions? What does it say about us that Owens is listened to by anyone other than a psychiatrist? youtu.be/7Bp7SHXg3k8

Just like its federal counterpart, Texas is sending masses of law enforcement officers to surveil, profile, and collectively punish thousands on the basis of their putative national origin. www.currentaffairs.org/news/abolish...

They might be portrayed as heroes in movies, but the Rangers have a long, ugly history of white supremacist violence. www.currentaffairs.org/news/abolish...