Highlights from a year full of yellow vests and Brazilian fascists, extinction rebellion and women stampeding the halls of Congress, sit-ins, power outages and #MeToo punk rock, children in cages and wall-busting activism, the rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the fall of many powerful old white dudes (with many more to go).

The Editors Dec 28, 2018

Our annual winter fund drive is underway and to get things started we’re sharing the best of this year’s hard-hitting reporting, insightful analysis and deep-dive cultural criticism — all of which you’ve come to expect from The Indy. Each article on this list represents another reason to support New York’s left-wing newspaper.

Every single dollar counts. $50 allows us to print another 500 papers, $100 another 1,000. If you give $250, we can purchase and install another Indy street dispenser.

New York

Alexandria vs. Goliath
John Tarleton & Lydia McMullen-Laird

Government for Sale: The real estate industry is Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s number one backer and it is getting its money’s worth.
Georgia Kromrei

Why the State Senate Matters
Ross Barkan

Over Half a Million Dollars from Trump-Related Donors Has Flowed to Andrew Cuomo
Decca Muldowney

As Developers Blackball Unions, #CountMeIn Breeds Solidarity
Steven Wishnia

Rats in the Hallway: Working-class women of color and young white socialists join forces against a private equity slumlord.
Georgia Kromrei

For The Birds: An Uptown art project highlights the perils of climate change.
Nancy Hoch

National

Gearing Up for a Green New Deal: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the plan to change everything.
Peter Rugh

Six Months on, Many of Hurricane Maria’s Refugees Still Have No Place to Go
Erin Sheridan

The Trump Administration is Dismantling the Refugee Resettlement System
Richard Salame

Saudi Inc: The US’s Controversial Ally Is Buying Up America
Rico Cleffi

You’ve Got Mail: After Supreme Court ruling, union members are receiving ‘stomach-turning’ messages from right-wing groups.
Steven Wishnia

International

Illustration by Daniel Fisher.

Life After Deportation: Their father was returned to Haiti. Now what?
Lydia McMullen-Laird

Rojava, a Socialist-Feminist Bastion in Syria, is Under Siege
Meredith Tax

In Palestine, Go to Hospital, Go to Jail
Jaclynn Ashly

The Ghost of Maurice Audin: After decades, French authorities admit to the torture and execution of a young activist in Algeria. But the mystery is far from solved.
Youcef Oussama Bounab

Mexico’s AMLO Bucks The Right Wing Trend, But Will He Buck The System?
Laura Carlsen

Jair Bolsonaro, the Trump of the Tropics, Prepares to Take Power in Brazil
Michael Fox

Dawn of the Yellow Vests
Richard Greeman

Commentary

We Will Be Heard: #MeToo After Kavanaugh
Linda Martín Alcoff

Fear of a Black Planet
Nicholas Powers

It’s The Other Way AroundCentral American immigrants aren’t invading us. We invaded them.
John Tarleton

What Our Drivers Need: The leader of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance weighs in on the crisis afflicting ride-for-hire employees.
Bhairavi Desai

Building The City We Need
Bennett Baumer

The Long Game: What The Left Can Learn From The GOP’s Rise To Power
John Tarleton

Why Old, Rich, White Guys Are So Pathologically F’d Up: And other musings from our advice columnist.
Reverend Billy Talen

People

Zephyr Teachout. Credit: Elia Gran.

Zephyr Teachout: ‘The Wrong People Are in Jail Right Now’
John Tarleton

Judah Friedlander: World Champion
Peter Rugh

Raiders of the Lost Art: Intricate works of art produced by Guantánamo detainees have been allowed to trickle out of the prison camp for years. The Trump administration has other plans in mind.
Nancy Hoch

Meet Marty Stolar, a Lawyer Who Carries Protests into the Courtroom
Apoorva Tadepalli

Brother of Douglas Schifter, Livery Driver Who Took His Own Life in Protest at City Hall, Speaks Out
Peter Rugh

Alsarah: The Sounds We Smuggle Inside Us
Charina Nadura

Shea Diamond Speaks Her Truth
Camille May Baker

Truth, Lies, Wrestling and the American Way
Philip Yiannopoulos

Class Struggles:For CUNY’s working-class and immigrant students, making their way through college often means navigating challenges that extend well beyond the classroom.
Mohammed Kabir | Anthony Pascual | Cheyenne Short

A Teacher’s Education
Farid Nassif

Vallery Lomas is Sweeping Up the Crumbs: Meet the most talented baker you’ve never heard of. And try her recipe for pumpkin chocolate swirl bread.
Manvi Jalan