The Lord of the Rings is a book obsessed with ruins, bloodlines, and the divine right of aristocrats. Why are so many on the left able to love it?
Dissent
Freedom for Sale
The government funds institutions that stretch across American society. The Trump administration is demanding the relinquishment of constitutional rights to keep the money flowing.
Noblesse Without Oblige
The super-rich opt out of the social contract by picking and choosing which laws apply to them, whether in offshore tax havens or at home.
Fissures in Trumpworld?
There will surely be turf wars and palace intrigue within the administration, but there is little reason to think that its core figures will fracture in the pursuit of their basic goal: to break the twentieth-century state.
The Abduction of Mahmoud Khalil
If the secretary of state can simply declare a legal permanent resident deportable based on their constitutionally protected activities, the First Amendment no longer applies to noncitizens.
Know Your Enemy: Becoming Elon Musk, Part One
In the first of two episodes on Elon Musk, Matt and Sam explore the billionaire’s fraught adolescence and first years in Silicon Valley.
Trump’s Antisocial State
The administration is attempting to incapacitate the redistributive and social protective arms of the state, while exploiting its vast bureaucratic powers to silence, threaten, and deport.
Tenants on the March: An Interview With Cea Weaver
“Organizing tenants has the potential to shape the political landscape for decades to come.”
Know Your Enemy: Becoming Elon Musk, Part Two
In the second of two episodes on Elon Musk, Matt and Sam examine key moments in the billionaire’s political derangement, his purchase of Twitter, and his role in Trump’s second term.
A Place to Call Home
Tenant organizers demand that housing be more than just a bare roof over your head, and in doing so they make space for a full life.
Dissent: Now More Than Ever!
Join Dissent on April 8 for a special fundraiser in New York City.
Will Federal Workers Rediscover Their Militancy?
Trump has destroyed a federal system of labor relations that helped contain conflict for decades. The move could have unintended consequences.