https://znetwork.org/author/davidsirota/ Independent Left News, Analysis, Vision and Strategy Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:49:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://znetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cropped-Z_logo_512-32x32.png https://znetwork.org/author/davidsirota/ 32 32 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/is-corruption-no-longer-a-crime/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/is-corruption-no-longer-a-crime/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:50:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1296901 In an easy-to-miss two-line order in its shadow docket, the US Supreme Court just vacated the corruption conviction of a local official, raising a question: Will the kind of influence peddling that’s now ubiquitous in politics eventually end up being explicitly deemed unprosecutable simply because it’s so ubiquitous? Cincinnati Democratic councilperson P. G. Sittenfeld had been [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/is-corruption-no-longer-a-crime/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-must-stop-enabling-ice/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-must-stop-enabling-ice/#respond Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:08:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1294017 As Immigration and Customs Enforcement terrorizes cities and literally murders people, a tycoon-funded Democratic think tank is criticizing those saying lawmakers should reduce the agency’s funding — all while Democrats provide enough congressional votes to keep ICE flush with cash. This may seem like an exaggeration — but that’s what’s happened in the last two [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-must-stop-enabling-ice/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-ruling-class-is-uncancelable/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-ruling-class-is-uncancelable/#respond Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:52:20 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1291829 America’s system of elite impunity is more complex than the old George Carlin joke about a club with member benefits. The system has unstated rules that we learned a lot about recently, thanks to the (momentary) political death of former Treasury secretary Larry Summers and the actual death of former vice president Dick Cheney. As President Bill [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-ruling-class-is-uncancelable/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-harris-lost-the-working-class/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-harris-lost-the-working-class/#respond Sun, 10 Nov 2024 14:52:49 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1275086 For liberals, Donald Trump’s victory this week prompts adjectives like “scary,” “terrifying,” “depressing,” and “demoralizing.” But one word it should not evoke is this: “surprising.” In a downwardly mobile country, Democrats’ rejection of working-class politics — and the party’s open hostility to populist politicians in its midst — was always going to end up creating prime political conditions for [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-harris-lost-the-working-class/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/zvideo/open-celebration-of-the-oligarchy-both-dems-gop-sucked-up-to-billionaires-in-2024-election/ https://znetwork.org/zvideo/open-celebration-of-the-oligarchy-both-dems-gop-sucked-up-to-billionaires-in-2024-election/#respond Sat, 09 Nov 2024 13:46:58 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=video&p=1275059 In the wake of the reelection of Donald Trump, some of the richest people in the world saw their net worths soar as stock prices rapidly shot up. “What was different about this election was how central billionaires were in the entire political discourse,” says The Lever‘s David Sirota, who joins Democracy Now! to discuss the outsized role [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/zvideo/open-celebration-of-the-oligarchy-both-dems-gop-sucked-up-to-billionaires-in-2024-election/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/ftc-chair-lina-khan-isnt-scared-of-billionaire-bullies/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/ftc-chair-lina-khan-isnt-scared-of-billionaire-bullies/#respond Sun, 28 Jul 2024 15:11:52 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1269971 Editor’s Note: On Wednesday, billionaire tech tycoon and Democratic donor Reed Hoffman called on Vice President Kamala Harris, if she becomes president, to oust Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, who’s taken an aggressive approach to enforcing antitrust laws — and is currently scrutinizing a merger involving two of Hoffman’s companies. On Friday, another media tycoon called Khan “a [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/ftc-chair-lina-khan-isnt-scared-of-billionaire-bullies/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/bidens-departure-presents-an-opportunity-for-the-democrats/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/bidens-departure-presents-an-opportunity-for-the-democrats/#comments Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:59:35 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1269648 Joe Biden has never been the greatest orator or had the strongest political backbone, but he has always displayed one important skill throughout his decades in office: representing the center of the Democratic Party, wherever that center may be at any given time. It explains why he followed his party’s ideological journey and went from [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/bidens-departure-presents-an-opportunity-for-the-democrats/feed/ 1 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/cargo-giant-in-baltimore-crash-silenced-whistleblowers/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/cargo-giant-in-baltimore-crash-silenced-whistleblowers/#respond Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:31:18 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1264236 The company that chartered the cargo ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was recently sanctioned by regulators for blocking its employees from directly reporting safety concerns to the US Coast Guard — in violation of a seaman whistleblower protection law, according to regulatory filings reviewed by the Lever. Eight months before [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/cargo-giant-in-baltimore-crash-silenced-whistleblowers/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/there-is-no-military-solution-to-the-crisis-in-israel-and-palestine/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/there-is-no-military-solution-to-the-crisis-in-israel-and-palestine/#respond Sun, 29 Oct 2023 15:15:49 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1256600 On Wednesday, October 18, the Lever’s David Sirota hosted a live event with Canadian journalist and activist Naomi Klein and Palestinian-American political analyst Omar Baddar to discuss the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas and the mounting humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. David, Naomi, and Omar spoke about the historical and political context that led to this [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/there-is-no-military-solution-to-the-crisis-in-israel-and-palestine/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-war-on-gaza-is-the-result-of-decades-of-extreme-israeli-policy/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-war-on-gaza-is-the-result-of-decades-of-extreme-israeli-policy/#respond Sun, 15 Oct 2023 16:25:01 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1255836 On October 7, Palestinian militants led by Hamas launched an unprecedented offensive out of Gaza into the south of Israel, attacking both civilian and military targets and killing some 1,300 people. In response, Israel has launched an all-out assault on the population of Gaza. In addition to bombarding Gaza — including with illegal white phosphorous [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-war-on-gaza-is-the-result-of-decades-of-extreme-israeli-policy/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/boys-and-men-in-the-united-states-are-struggling-the-left-should-talk-about-it/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/boys-and-men-in-the-united-states-are-struggling-the-left-should-talk-about-it/#respond Thu, 14 Sep 2023 15:52:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1254040 Statistics show that men and boys in the United States today disproportionately suffer from a number of serious problems. Since the 1970s, they’ve seen their wages stagnate and are now far less likely than women to attend or graduate from college. Even more seriously, men are much more likely than women to be afflicted by [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/boys-and-men-in-the-united-states-are-struggling-the-left-should-talk-about-it/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/dems-old-formula-is-a-big-2024-risk/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/dems-old-formula-is-a-big-2024-risk/#respond Sun, 14 May 2023 15:46:04 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1246047 The Democratic Party’s political class has developed a rote formula over the last decade: ignore rather than channel discontent among the party’s rank-and-file voters, prevent competitive primaries where those voters can act on their dissatisfaction, and then hope to eke out general election victories on a wave of voter disgust with the Republican Party’s freakshow [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/dems-old-formula-is-a-big-2024-risk/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/big-tech-is-taking-cues-from-big-tobaccos-playbook/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/big-tech-is-taking-cues-from-big-tobaccos-playbook/#respond Tue, 09 May 2023 16:30:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1245757 Alongside tireless political lobbying, Big Tech has infiltrated the academic institutions studying and often promoting AI — with little regard for the potentially catastrophic downsides. Artificial intelligence has a lot of potentially huge upsides, but it is also big and scary because it could get out of control and possibly end all human life, according to [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/big-tech-is-taking-cues-from-big-tobaccos-playbook/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/elites-are-using-liberal-ideas-to-justify-inequality/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/elites-are-using-liberal-ideas-to-justify-inequality/#respond Thu, 09 Feb 2023 16:50:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1239049 Russell Brand has taken a unique path to politics. He made his name as an actor in films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and as a stand-up comedian. He soon grew disenchanted with the hollowness of Hollywood and started blogging on YouTube about politics and spirituality. For his over six million viewers, Brand has offered unsparing [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/elites-are-using-liberal-ideas-to-justify-inequality/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/8-lessons-from-the-midterm-elections/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/8-lessons-from-the-midterm-elections/#respond Fri, 11 Nov 2022 18:07:03 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1231569 Corporate media, industry-funded think tanks, and Democratic operatives were chomping at the bit to blame the party’s anticipated midterm election losses Tuesday on progressives and a prefabricated narrative about Democrats’ supposedly extreme brand. Then, the results began rolling in. It’s not clear yet which party will control the House or Senate, but this was not the “red wave” [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/8-lessons-from-the-midterm-elections/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-are-not-talking-about-the-economic-issues-that-most-americans-care-about/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-are-not-talking-about-the-economic-issues-that-most-americans-care-about/#respond Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:00:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1223098 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-are-not-talking-about-the-economic-issues-that-most-americans-care-about/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-democratic-partys-leadership-is-trying-to-destroy-progressives/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-democratic-partys-leadership-is-trying-to-destroy-progressives/#respond Fri, 20 May 2022 11:22:04 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1058363 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-democratic-partys-leadership-is-trying-to-destroy-progressives/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democratic-voters-rejected-the-status-quo-last-night/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democratic-voters-rejected-the-status-quo-last-night/#respond Thu, 19 May 2022 11:18:10 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1058384 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democratic-voters-rejected-the-status-quo-last-night/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/starbucks-workers-have-the-company-on-its-back-foot/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/starbucks-workers-have-the-company-on-its-back-foot/#respond Mon, 09 May 2022 09:45:40 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1058043 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/starbucks-workers-have-the-company-on-its-back-foot/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-wall-street-killed-grandma/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-wall-street-killed-grandma/#respond Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:00:43 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1043795 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-wall-street-killed-grandma/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/read-my-lips-2000-checks-for-all-now/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/read-my-lips-2000-checks-for-all-now/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 09:00:54 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1042793 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/read-my-lips-2000-checks-for-all-now/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-insurrection-was-predictable/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-insurrection-was-predictable/#respond Fri, 08 Jan 2021 09:02:16 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1041965 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-insurrection-was-predictable/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/they-are-trying-to-silence-aoc-because-money-never-sleeps/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/they-are-trying-to-silence-aoc-because-money-never-sleeps/#respond Wed, 11 Nov 2020 09:02:57 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1040224 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/they-are-trying-to-silence-aoc-because-money-never-sleeps/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/six-takeaways-from-election-night/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/six-takeaways-from-election-night/#respond Wed, 04 Nov 2020 09:03:44 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1040050 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/six-takeaways-from-election-night/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/corporate-dems-want-you-to-shut-up-while-they-get-loud/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/corporate-dems-want-you-to-shut-up-while-they-get-loud/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:02:31 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1037803 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/corporate-dems-want-you-to-shut-up-while-they-get-loud/feed/ 1 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/10-things-democrats-could-do-if-they-actually-wanted-to-stop-trumps-power-grab/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/10-things-democrats-could-do-if-they-actually-wanted-to-stop-trumps-power-grab/#respond Sat, 06 Jun 2020 09:02:56 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1034692 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/10-things-democrats-could-do-if-they-actually-wanted-to-stop-trumps-power-grab/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-fueling-corporate-counter-revolution-against-progressives/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-fueling-corporate-counter-revolution-against-progressives/#respond Fri, 29 May 2020 09:00:46 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1034286 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-fueling-corporate-counter-revolution-against-progressives/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/wall-street-firms-make-money-from-teachers-pensions-and-fund-charter-schools-fight/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/wall-street-firms-make-money-from-teachers-pensions-and-fund-charter-schools-fight/#comments Sun, 30 Oct 2016 09:00:46 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=991703 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/wall-street-firms-make-money-from-teachers-pensions-and-fund-charter-schools-fight/feed/ 1 https://znetwork.org/zvideo/as-public-pensions-shift-to-risky-wall-street-local-politicians-rake-in-political-cash/ https://znetwork.org/zvideo/as-public-pensions-shift-to-risky-wall-street-local-politicians-rake-in-political-cash/#respond Tue, 17 Feb 2015 09:00:07 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=video&p=969880 https://znetwork.org/zvideo/as-public-pensions-shift-to-risky-wall-street-local-politicians-rake-in-political-cash/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/grotesque-nfl-reaction-to-openly-gay-player/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/grotesque-nfl-reaction-to-openly-gay-player/#respond Tue, 11 Feb 2014 11:00:10 +0000 http://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=297416 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/grotesque-nfl-reaction-to-openly-gay-player/feed/ 0