US Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Reinstate Tens of Thousands of Federal Workers After ‘Sham’ Mass Firings

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate tens of thousands of probationary federal employees on Thursday, according to Politico’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney. In his ruling, Alsup referred to the mass firings as “unlawful” and a “sham.” Gerstein and Cheney describe Alsup’s order as “one of the most far-reaching rejections of the Trump administration’s effort to slash the bureaucracy… Read More US Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Reinstate Tens of Thousands of Federal Workers After ‘Sham’ Mass Firings

Paul Mattick Sr. (1904–1981)

By Jairus Banaji Paul Mattick Sr. (1904–1981), left Germany for the US when he was 22. Mattick saw the revolutions in Russia and China as ‘not proletarian revolutions in the Marxist sense, leading to the “association of free and equal producers”, but state-capitalist revolutions, which were objectively unable to issue into socialism’. ‘Marxism served here… Read More Paul Mattick Sr. (1904–1981)

The Bolsheviks & workers’ control: State & counter-revolution, by Maurice Brinton

The Russian Revolution in is entirety from 1905 to 1917 continues to be one of the great periods of history for the struggle for freedom by the working class against the capitalist class.  Maurice Brinton: The Bolsheviks and Workers’ Control A remarkable pamphlet by Maurice Brinton exposing the struggle that took place over the running… Read More The Bolsheviks & workers’ control: State & counter-revolution, by Maurice Brinton

After the Diamond Rush

South Africa and the internationalization of mineral extraction Duncan Money At the 2025 African Mining Indaba, leaders from across the Continent met representatives from multilateral lending institutions, energy companies, and US national security agencies to discuss how to “position mining as the continent’s foremost industry, driving sustainable investment and fostering economic growth.” The conference location, in… Read More After the Diamond Rush

1918-1921: The Italian factory occupations and Biennio Rosso (Two Red Years)

A brief history of the Italian Biennio Rosso (two red years) and the mass factory occupations of 1920 where half a million workers ran their workplaces for themselves. The reformist unions then negotiated an end to the conflicts, clearing the path for the fascist reaction – the Biennio Nero (two black years) of 1921-22. After… Read More 1918-1921: The Italian factory occupations and Biennio Rosso (Two Red Years)

‘Fields were solitary’: Migration raids send chill across rural California

Brian Osgood Recent raids carried out by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a rural California county have struck fear into immigrant communities as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House. CBP says that the operation in Kern County, which took place over three days in early January, resulted… Read More ‘Fields were solitary’: Migration raids send chill across rural California

Mainstream, Vol 63 No 3, Jan 18, 2025

Readers outside of India can donate here to support Mainstream Weeklyhttps://tinyurl.com/2rsy4ss6 Letter to the Readers, Mainstream, Jan 18, 2025 Demand for MG-NREGA work growing, additional budget needed | Bharat Dogra Fifty days of Dallewal’s fast | Prem Singh Confronting India’s silent killer | Arkaprabha Sau The Tata group hounds a whistleblower | Upal Chakraborty Escalation of Indian Surveillance in… Read More Mainstream, Vol 63 No 3, Jan 18, 2025

CEOs want us to work weekends without overtime. Don’t we ask the same of our cooks, cleaners?

Karanjeet Kaur We are back to that time of the year when a man who earns Rs 51 crore tells the rest of us that we need to work harder. At least once a quarter, India’s business leaders poke their heads out of their luxurious offices, and scold us into believing that a 40-hour work… Read More CEOs want us to work weekends without overtime. Don’t we ask the same of our cooks, cleaners?