Chris Winters

is a senior editor at YES!, where he specializes in covering democracy and the economy. Chris has been a journalist for more than 20 years, writing for newspapers and magazines in the Seattle area. He鈥檚 covered everything from city council meetings to natural disasters, local to national news, and won numerous awards for his work. He is based in Seattle, and speaks English and Hungarian.

Articles By This Author

Elder Power

These first-time activists show that the front line isn鈥檛 just for the young.

Chris Winters | Nov 30, 2023

Opinion | Democracy

How Voters Can Protect Democracy鈥擳oday and Tomorrow

鈥淰ote in numbers too big to manipulate鈥� is not just an appeal to electoral politics鈥攊t鈥檚 an appeal to activism.

Chris Winters | Oct 12, 2023

Opinion | Democracy

Indictment Days Are Here Again

Trump keeps getting charged with crimes. Should we still care?

Chris Winters | Aug 22, 2023

Issues

The Great Guzzlers: Who鈥檚 Using All Our Water?

Among the forecast effects of climate change, one in particular poses special concern: We鈥檙e running out of water.

Chris Winters | May 18, 2023

Opinion | Democracy

Turns Out, Trump Isn鈥檛 Above the Law

Whether or not a jury eventually finds Trump guilty or not guilty, the mere fact that a former president has been indicted sends a powerful message: No one is above the law.

Chris Winters | Apr 10, 2023

Issues

Could We End Wealth?

Billionaires are just one symptom of our upside-down economic system.

Chris Winters | Feb 27, 2023

Opinion | Democracy

Battle-Ready Biden Is Playing the Long Game锟�

The president鈥檚 address showcased two years of policy wins, an ambitious wishlist, and that Biden is in a fighting mood.

Chris Winters | Feb 9, 2023

Opinion | Democracy

A Coup for All Seasons

The next two years will mark a return to chaos in government, as an empowered right wing takes over the House.

Chris Winters | Jan 18, 2023

Collage of stickers that read "I Voted Today"

Opinion | Democracy

Democracy Lives to Fight Another Day

Take a breather as we roll into the end of 2022, because the year ahead is going to keep all of us on our toes to defend democracy. Again.

Chris Winters | Dec 1, 2022

Digital painting of crowd of voters with American flags in the background

Opinion | Democracy

The Most Important Midterm Election

There are some positive signs heading into Election Day. But there are just as many indicating a far grimmer outcome.

Chris Winters | Nov 7, 2022

Opinion | Democracy

Can a Third Party Be the Charm for Polarized Politics?

Outsider parties can have an effect on electoral outcomes aside from being labeled spoilers. But they almost never change the two-party dynamic.

Chris Winters | Sep 7, 2022

Issues

The Past, Present, and Future of Work

Our work environment is deeply dysfunctional. But making systemic change requires understanding how we got here.

Chris Winters | Aug 16, 2022

Opinion | Democracy

The Supreme Court鈥檚 Crisis of Legitimacy

The Supreme Court has demonstrated that the highest law of the land is whatever they feel like saying it is. What do we do when the court and other institutions are widely seen as illegitimate?

Chris Winters | Jul 5, 2022

Issues

Seeking Just Trials

Meet three people working to re-balance the scales of justice.

Chris Winters | May 18, 2022

Opinion | Democracy

Tell Better Stories to Win Public Opinion (and Elections)

The antidote to a false narrative on the right is to create a better one on the left to counter it.

Chris Winters | Apr 21, 2022

Economy

Call for Submissions: The 鈥淲ork鈥� Issue

Send us your leads and pitches by April 29.

Chris Winters | Apr 4, 2022

Opinion | Democracy

Can We Make an Alien Nation Familiar Again?

The decline of civil society has been well-documented, but its political turn poses a unique danger for the U.S.

Chris Winters | Mar 10, 2022

Issues

Preventing Prison and Recidivism

These three activists are working to support people at risk of either going to prison for the first time or returning to prison after release.

Chris Winters | Feb 16, 2022

Opinion | Democracy

Can We Still Save U.S. Democracy?

Voting rights reform has died an ignoble death in Congress. The way forward isn鈥檛 clear or inspiring, but at least we still have one.

Chris Winters | Jan 25, 2022

Opinion | Economy

Blowing Up a Few Myths About Inflation

Unchecked inflation can be damaging, but what we鈥檙e seeing in the U.S. is a fundamentally different issue: one in which inflation is being politicized.

Chris Winters | Nov 22, 2021

Issues

Lending on Character, Not Credit Scores

Conventional banking hasn't worked for businesses owned by people of color. But a new network is designed to get money flowing fairly to BIPOC economies.

Chris Winters | Nov 15, 2021

Opinion | Economy

What the Pandora Papers Tell Us About Ourselves

We can鈥檛 talk about corruption and tax dodging around the world when we鈥檙e encouraging it at home.

Chris Winters | Oct 14, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

California鈥檚 Recall Election Is a Wake-Up Call for Democrats

If Tuesday鈥檚 recall vote in California passes, the Golden State will go the way of Texas, and Democrats will have only themselves to blame.

Chris Winters | Sep 13, 2021

Opinion | Economy

If We Can Pass Big Infrastructure Bills, Why Can鈥檛 We Keep People in Their Homes?

We keep saying we can鈥檛 go back to the way we were before the pandemic. But we just might be doing that.

Chris Winters | Aug 20, 2021

Issues

Getting to Enough

What is enough? The question is relative, and can be asked and answered in a number of ways. Answers may vary from quantitative to qualitative responses. We had this in mind when considering the question of enoughness: What is enough money, time, work, food, stuff?

Zenobia Jeffries Warfield, Chris Winters | Aug 10, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

Does Every Vote Still Count?

Democrats don鈥檛 seem too worried about the current Republican war on voting rights. They should be.

Chris Winters | Jul 12, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

The Time to Secure Voting Rights Is Now or Never

Anti-democratic voter suppression bills are sweeping the country, taking aim at many of the methods that supported record turnout in the 2020 election.

Chris Winters | Jun 3, 2021

Opinion | Economy

Biden Bets Big on the Care Economy

The president鈥檚 American Families Plan takes its cue from feminist economists who have long advocated for a renewed focus on the social safety net.

Chris Winters | May 7, 2021

Social Justice

What Purpose Does a Border Serve?

Border walls aren鈥檛 necessary, and neither are the borders themselves in a world built on justice and equality, says author Todd Miller.

Chris Winters | May 4, 2021

Opinion | Economy

There鈥檚麻豆社事件 to the American Jobs Plan Than Jobs

Biden鈥檚 infrastructure plans promise not just to boost the economy, but to fundamentally redefine the role of government.

Chris Winters | Apr 13, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

The War on Voting Reaches Home

The long struggle to secure voting rights enters a new stage, as Republicans across the country try to strip protections from state laws.

Chris Winters | Mar 8, 2021

Issues

Three Cities Switching To Life-Affirming Economies

鈥淒oughnut economics鈥� invites nature and social well-being into urban planning.

Chris Winters | Feb 16, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

Ah, Sweet Normalcy: Obstruction and Dysfunction

Initial progress in Biden鈥檚 first weeks may be overshadowed by rising obstructionism, and timidity in his own party.

Chris Winters | Feb 9, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

Unity Is Impossible Without Accountability

President Biden鈥檚 inaugural address focused on bringing the nation together. But that won鈥檛 happen if 鈥渦nity鈥� means we revert to the way things used to be.

Chris Winters | Jan 20, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

This Insurrection Demands Justice

We can鈥檛 afford to wait 13 days until Trump is gone. The time to act is now.

Chris Winters | Jan 7, 2021

Opinion | Democracy

Biden Won. Now Comes the Hard Part

The electoral college has affirmed Biden鈥檚 election. But he鈥檚 inheriting a country in crisis that will test his administration in a way we haven鈥檛 seen since the Civil War.

Chris Winters | Dec 22, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

Why Georgia Is Now on Everyone鈥檚 Mind

Activists in the Peach State showed us how local organizing can yield results. Can the rest of the nation follow their example?

Chris Winters | Nov 18, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

The Next Challenge: Keeping the Nation Together

No matter who wins the election, the results were not the repudiation of Trump's racism, authoritarianism, and corruption that America needed.

Chris Winters | Nov 4, 2020

Issues

Workers Flex for Social Justice

Never underestimate the power of direct action.

Chris Winters | Nov 3, 2020

Social Justice

The Feminist Horror Comedy Novel That Centers LGBTQ and Disabled Teens

Author Sady Doyle says LGTBQ teens need more representation in horror. So they wrote the book they鈥檇 wished they鈥檇 read when they were young.

Chris Winters | Oct 29, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

In This Election, We Can鈥檛 Let Down Our Guard

There are some positive signs, but otherwise this is still the biggest trash fire of an election since鈥� well, since 2016.

Chris Winters | Oct 22, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

A New Supreme Court Nominee Before the Election May Spark a Crisis of Legitimacy

With Trump and Senate Republicans planning to push through a successor to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it鈥檚 an open question if American democracy can survive.

Chris Winters | Sep 21, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

Where the Election Can Go Badly鈥擜nd What We Can Do About It

It starts with knowing how we actually elect a president, and what your vote really means.

Chris Winters | Sep 14, 2020

Issues

Community Self-Love During Coronavirus

Chris Winters | Aug 26, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

Where the Post Office Goes, So Goes America

Trump鈥檚 war on the post office is primarily about cheating to win re-election. But it鈥檚 also part of the Republican Party鈥檚 long-term plan to destroy government.

Chris Winters | Aug 20, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

SCOTUS: Trump Is Not Above the Law

We still likely won鈥檛 see his tax returns before the election, but the rule of law scored a win today.

Chris Winters | Jul 9, 2020

Opinion | Economy

It鈥檚 Time For a Black New Deal

We鈥檝e known for years what we needed to do to address poverty and systemic racism in America. It's long past time to just do it.

Chris Winters | Jun 8, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

In Response to the Coronavirus, Governors Are the Real Leaders

When the Trump Administration fails the test of guiding the nation during a crisis, local officials have picked up the reins of power鈥攆or better or for worse.

Chris Winters | May 18, 2020

Opinion | Economy

The Coronavirus Outbreak Has Shown That Capitalism Is Failing

Our social safety net and the government鈥檚 response so far have been woefully inadequate for addressing a national emergency.

Chris Winters | Mar 26, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

Can Moderate Democrats Sign On to a Progressive President?

Bernie Sanders still has a lot of momentum, but many moderates are skeptical of socialism. They don鈥檛 have to be.

Chris Winters | Mar 4, 2020

Issues

A Vision for the Economy

Chris Winters | Feb 19, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

Can We Rebuild the Country After Trump?

No system is perfect, but there are many others around the world that do better than ours. We should follow their examples.

Chris Winters | Feb 3, 2020

Opinion | Democracy

Why Impeachment Matters, Regardless of the Outcome

The impeachment of President Trump is unlikely to lead to his removal. But it can serve a higher purpose.

Chris Winters | Dec 10, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

Can We Get the Money Out of Politics?

Like a lot of our problems, this one鈥檚 rooted in the institutions that have kept the U.S. going for 230 years. But maybe there are workarounds.

Chris Winters | Dec 3, 2019

Issues

Healing a Divided Nation Begins Face to Face

So say the Better Angels of the partisan divide.

Chris Winters | Nov 12, 2019

Issues

The Bridges We're Building

The United States has yet to live up to its foundational ideals of a union where 鈥渁ll [people] are created equal,鈥� and deserving of 鈥渓ife, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.鈥� Today, we find ourselves polarized along so many different axes鈥攔ace, politics, gender鈥攖hat many people have retreated to the extremes. We look at those different from us not just as others, but sometimes as enemies.

Chris Winters, Zenobia Jeffries Warfield | Nov 12, 2019

Democracy

How the Supreme Court Became Supreme

For a branch of government originally conceived as the weakest of the three, the high court has taken much more power for itself in the past 230 years.

Chris Winters | Nov 2, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

Impeachment Won鈥檛 Save Our Democracy

Congress is officially moving toward impeaching the president. But even then, it鈥檚 up to the people to keep our republic.

Chris Winters | Sep 27, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

What If We Made the Electoral College Moot?

Twice in 20 years, a president has won office without winning the popular vote. A new movement is looking to change that.

Chris Winters | Sep 4, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

Impeachment: The Word That Dare Not Speak Its Name

We may be in the beginning stages of the process that could remove the president. But it may be moot, since the most important battle is over control of the statehouses.

Chris Winters | Aug 3, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

The Debates Were a Mess鈥攂ut Big Progressive Ideas Were on Stage

A clear and shared vision among Democrats is the only way to compete against 鈥淢ake America Great Again.鈥�

Chris Winters | Jun 28, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

What Sort of President Can Most Advance Progressive Causes?

Maybe not the one you think: When all you do is pitch to your base, it turns out no one else has much to gain by playing ball with you.

Chris Winters | May 29, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

The Biggest Question After the Mueller Report Is Not Impeachment

Life after Trump will mean reckoning with our divisions. Can we?

Chris Winters | Apr 26, 2019

Opinion | Economy

This Is How White Privilege Goes to College

The recent college cheating scandal surprises no one. The superrich have long relied on 鈥渓egacy admissions鈥� to get them into their elite college of choice.

Chris Winters | Mar 14, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

Abrams Counters Trump With a Compelling Vision for America

A clear alternative to the prevailing nihilism followed the president鈥檚 State of the Union address.

Chris Winters | Feb 6, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

Ocasio-Cortez Was Not at Davos, and That Means 麻豆社事件 Than You Think

What does a Donkey Kong fundraiser have to do with the annual gathering of the world鈥檚 elite capitalists in Davos? They both mark a cultural turning point.

Chris Winters | Jan 25, 2019

Introduction: The Good Money Issue

Chris Winters, Zenobia Jeffries Warfield, Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz | Jan 15, 2019

Opinion | Democracy

How This Year鈥檚 Struggles Set Us Up for a Bold, Hopeful 2019

Our fragile democracy needs the will of the people to protect it, but the events of 2018 prove that Americans are up to the challenge.

Chris Winters | Dec 28, 2018

Economy

How to Use Money as a Tool for Healing

A conversation with Edgar Villanueva on decolonizing the nation鈥檚 biggest charities.

Chris Winters | Nov 27, 2018

Issues

Foundations Have a Not-So-Charitable Secret

Philanthropic organizations invest about 93 percent of their money in Wall Street. But they are starting to make better choices.

Chris Winters | Nov 27, 2018

Democracy

Flipping the House Is Nice, But the Real Power Is Local

Record turnout in the midterm elections shows there鈥檚 a strong desire for change. Here鈥檚 where it鈥檚 happening.

Chris Winters | Nov 8, 2018

Issues

The Midterms Are 麻豆社事件 Than a Vote Against the President

Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 on the line.

Chris Winters | Oct 23, 2018

Opinion | Democracy

Voter Registration Is Inherently Racist

And several other reasons that the midterm elections are testing how far some states can go in disenfranchising certain voters.

Chris Winters | Oct 15, 2018

Opinion | Health & Happiness

Men, We Can Do Better

Survivors of sexual assault like Christine Blasey Ford deserve our support, not our opposition.

Chris Winters | Sep 28, 2018

A Home for Everyone

We asked readers what they wanted to see in our affordable housing issue. 麻豆社事件 than 3,000 of you responded. You wanted to know about community solutions 鈥� how cities are stopping gentrification, taking the greed out of development, and innovating ownership and financing models. You also told us that living in community was important 鈥� that maybe Americans had lost sight of that 鈥� and that multigenerational housing was a solution that could address the needs of an aging population along with those of a new generation of adults. This helped us decide what stories to put in the issue. Something else did, too.

Chris Winters, Shannan Lenke Stoll, Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz | Jul 24, 2018

Opinion | Democracy

The Challenge for Communities to Rise and Take Care of Their Own

As the federal government abandons its responsibilities, it will be up to the states, the cities, the communities, and the people to rebuild a unified state.

Chris Winters | Jul 24, 2018

Democracy

With Kennedy鈥檚 Vacancy, Only Voting Can Check One-Party Rule

Trump will replace the last centrist on the Supreme Court. Now only voter pushback can restore balance to Congress.

Chris Winters | Jun 27, 2018

Opinion | Democracy

The Hope of a 鈥淏lue Wave鈥� Is Dangerous to Democracy

The best way to discourage voting鈥攁nd thwart democracy鈥攊s to predict a big win for any party. Here鈥檚 what the primaries are indicating about the political landscape ahead of the midterms.

Chris Winters | Jun 18, 2018