Brandon Johnson is sworn in as Chicago mayor
Mariah Woelfel, Tessa WeinbergMay 2023
As Johnson begins his term as Chicago mayor, he faces two immediate issues: an influx of migrants and potential summer violence. Read the full story here. Chicago now has a new mayor. Brandon Johnson was sworn in as the city’s
U.S. bank busts are prompting a closer look at deposit insurance — there and elsewhere
Geoff NixonMay 2023
3 U.S. bank failures put spotlight on whether deposit insurance needs to change Read the full story here. Bank failures are bad. Being unprepared for them is worse. In Canada and dozens of other countries, deposit insurance protects people’s money —
Gig Workers Know Best How to Fix the Gig Economy’s Failure
Veronica Avila and Mariah MontgomeryMay 2023
Drivers know what will keep them safe: fair pay, job security, and solidarity. Read the full article here. In recent months, stories of rideshare drivers and delivery workers carjacked, robbed, or even killed on the job have made headlines around
The number of gig workers murdered on the job hits highest level since 2017, report says
Levi SumagaysayMay 2023
Most of those killed were people of color, workers’ group and nonprofits say Read the full story here. At least 31 app-based gig workers in the United States were murdered on the job last year, the highest annual total since
ShotSpotter changed its name, but no matter what it’s called, the gunshot detection system must go
Sharah Hutson and Alyx GoodwinApr 2023
ShotSpotter has rebranded itself as SoundThinking, but it’s still a false solution to Chicago’s real problem with gun violence, activists write. Millions spent on the technology should go to violent prevention efforts. Read the full article here. Through numerous teach-ins,
As Mayor, Brandon Johnson Should Establish a Public Bank in Chicago
Saqib BhattiApr 2023
Chicago’s working-class neighborhoods have been exploited by predatory financial institutions and starved of desperately needed investment. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson could change that by creating a public bank. Read the full article here. When the cryptocurrency exchange FTX opened its US
Saqib Bhatti—Borrowers & Lenders
Podcast EpisodeApr 2023
Leftist economist Saqib Bhatti explains how banks made big bucks from the borrowing schemes hatched by Paul Vallas during his days running the Chicago Public Schools. Click here to listen to the podcast episode on Spotify.
Lightfoot administration quietly renewed ShotSpotter contract that Johnson has vowed to cancel
Tom SchubaApr 2023
A ShotSpotter spokeswoman said the multimillion-dollar deal was extended in October, the same month Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson declared his candidacy. Read the full story here. While Brandon Johnson was vowing on the campaign trail to end the city’s contract with
Why the biggest players in crypto are worried about Adrienne Harris
Leo SchwartzApr 2023
Click here to read the full story. The Monday morning after the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hosted a press briefing to talk down a nation on the edge. The bank, Signature, had a
April 4 Runoff May Determine Whether Chicago Remains Playground for the Wealthy
Kelly HayesApr 2023
The Chicago mayoral election pits a neoliberal school privatizer against a public school teacher and union organizer. Read the full story here. Tensions are high in Chicago, where early voting is underway in a hotly contested mayoral runoff. Incumbent Lori