Northwoods Socialist Collective

The explosion of artificial intelligence over the past couple of years has been breathtaking. Seemingly from nothing, it has now become the carrier not only of Big Tech’s most unhinged fantasies but also that of capital more generally. The claims of its most fervent believers—that it will replace most human labor and that it will initiate a new age of unlimited capitalist growth—will inevitably fall short of expectations. But even if we won’t see multi-billion dollar corporations run entirely by AI agents anytime in the near future, the future AI capital foresees for the rest of humanity reveals itself in its new “satanic mills,” the AI data centers popping up like weeds all over the United States. Marx once wrote that mechanization under class society provides new weapons by which the ruling class can dominate the working class. AI’s increased role in U.S. and global capitalism Companies like Apple, Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Amazon, “all of which have staked their fu...

In what could be a portent for other counties and cities seeking federal funds for infrastructure projects, the GOP Trump government’s Transportation Department threatens to yank $7.7 million for five St. Louis County, Minn., road and bridge projects, unless the county drops its requirements that contractors sign Project Labor Agreements. And, given the strong union tradition in Minnesota’s Northland, the county board is—so far—refusing.  But it also faces the fact that $7.7 million is a lot of money for a rural county, and that it may seek more federal funds for other projects down the line, and face the same dilemma. The board scheduled a vote on the issue for April 7. Nevertheless, the Trump government’s demand “is union-busting 101,” said county board Chair Mike Jugovich, a Steelworker. “I don’t bust unions. I build them.” Members of the area’s Building and Construction Trades unions jammed the March 24 meeting of the county board in Hibbing to speak up strongly...

Dr. Tom Alter, a respected and tenured university professor, was fired by Texas State University (TSU) President Kelly Damphousse on Sept. 10, 2025, for remarks he delivered at a socialist conference in his capacity as a private citizen. After clips of his comments were taken out of context and circulated online by a self-described fascist streamer, they came to the attention of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who politically pressured TSU to fire Dr. Alter. He was fired without due process, in violation of both Texas State University policy and Texas state law. This attack is another in a wave of politically motivated attacks on professors and teachers as part of what is often called the New McCarthyism (referring to the Red Scare-era attacks on free speech in the 1950s). These attacks today are attempting to strangle free speech in schools and academia by rewriting history and restricting what can be taught to ideas that are palatable to the far right. Speaking about his termination at a...

This past Saturday was the No Kings protests, which took place all across the United States in 3,300 different communities.   It is estimated that upwards of 8 million people participated!   Similarly, here in the Northwoods, large numbers of folks turned out at numerous different communities.   The largest was in Duluth, where several thousand participated in a 2pm rally, and a couple of feeder marches which were held before hand.   Organizers estimate the running tally for the event may have been as high as 7,500.   We also feel it is worth noting that the Duluth protest had a significant number of union members present, including from the United Steelworkers, MN Nurses Association and AFSCME.   The second biggest was in Grand Rapids, MN, where over 1,700 folks turned out.   Almost a 1,000 turned out for both the protest in Superior and in Ashland.   Cloquet had an impressive 600 people. Hayward had a turnout of 445. Two Harbors had just ...

 For some time the Douglas County jail in Superior has had a contract with the U.S. Marshalls that allows the feds to temporarily keep prisoners and detainees in the jail for a fee.  In recent years, ICE (Immigrant, Customs and Enforcement) has started to take advantage of this contract to put immigration detainees there as well.  Most detainees are only kept there for a few days, but some have been kept there much longer (one was held for 100 days before being transferred).  In 2025 over 100 ICE detainees passed through the jail, and the county received $285,000 for holding them. As far as activists can tell, none of these detainees were from the Twin Ports.  Most are from farther afield in the Midwest, and are just temporarily kept there before being sent to a larger detention center.  The presence of these detainees has also resulted in a steady stream of ICE agents coming to town, staying in our hotels and eating in our restaurants - making a Superi...