How KGB founder Iron Felix justified terror and mass executions

The legacy of Felix Dzerzhinsky, who led Soviet secret police in the "Red Terror," still confounds Russia.

Getty Images
  • Felix Dzerzhinsky led the Cheka, Soviet Union's first secret police.
  • The Cheka was infamous for executing thousands during the Red Terror of 1918.
  • The Cheka later became the KGB, the spy organization where Russia's President Putin served for years.
Keep reading Show less
war terrorism politics russia government justice system history

Proposed carbon tax plan would return proceeds to people once goals are met

It could put the American fossil fuel industry on a clear path to extinction.

Photo credit: Roman Khripkov on Unsplash
  • A bipartisan group of renowned economists has proposed the U.S. implement a carbon tax.
  • The tax would increase until climate goals are met, and all proceeds would be given back to the people in equal lump-sums.
  • Recent research suggests that a majority of people would support a carbon tax policy that redistributes proceeds back to citizens.
Keep reading Show less
economics policy government climate change

What is the Green New Deal?

The Green New Deal is an ambitious attempt to fight climate change, but is it destined to hit the political skids?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stops by the Sunrise Movement's sit-in protest at Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's office. Credit: Sunrise Movement / Twitter
  • Recent protests by the Sunrise Movement have taken the Green New Deal from forgotten policy to trending hashtag.
  • The Green New Deal aims to move the U.S. to 100% renewable energy within a decade.
  • Proponents also hope to catalyze a top-down restructuring of the U.S. economy and advance social justice issues.
Keep reading Show less
activism democracy economics government policy protests resources social change sustainability united states politics environment

The U.S. states hit hardest by the federal government shutdown

Not all states are feeling the effects equally.

  • A new map from WalletHub, generated by comparing various federal data, shows the states most affected by the government shutdown.
  • About 800,000 federal employees are furloughed or are working without pay.
  • Government shutdowns have become an increasingly common political tool, but it wasn't until the early 1980s that they started resulting in the closing of federal agencies.
Keep reading Show less
economics politics united states government

Could a “brain drain” hit the U.S.?

When a country's educated or entrepreneurial citizens leave all at once, the phenomenon is called "human capital flight" or "brain drain".

Shutterstock
  • Brain drain is a terrible phenomenon with a long and ignoble history.
  • Recently, it has occurred in several countries that were doing well even a few years ago.
  • Can it happen here?
Keep reading Show less
economics global issues government education politics