Today's Liberal News

Inside the CDC whiplash

Workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told POLITICO that they’re grappling with lack of communication from the top, leadership vacancies and stalled progress – and the worry that they’ll soon again be fired. HHS disputes their concerns.

“Inviting the Arsonists”: Indian Climate Activist Slams Fossil Fuel Lobbyists at U.N. Climate Summit

Nations are struggling to reach a final text agreement at the COP30 U.N. climate summit in Belém, Brazil. Decisions are made by consensus at COPs, requiring consent among 192 countries, and the biggest fight over the draft text is the exclusion of a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels. Reportedly Saudi Arabia, China, Russia and India are among those that rejected the roadmap. But more than 30 countries are saying they will not accept a final deal without one.

“We Need to Be Heard”: Indigenous Amazon Defender Alessandra Korap Munduruku on COP30 Protest

Thousands of Amazonian land defenders, both Indigenous peoples and their allies, have traveled to the COP30 U.N. climate conference in Belém, Brazil. On Friday night, an Indigenous-led march arrived at the perimeter of the COP’s “Blue Zone,” a secure area accessible only to those bearing official summit credentials. The group stormed security, kicking down a door before the United Nations police contained the protest.

So, DOGE, What Would You Say You Did Here?

Yes, it’s true—DOGE “doesn’t exist” anymore. But we would never dream of letting it evaporate without an exit interview. DOGE: It’s your turn to send us a pointless, time-consuming email explaining what exactly it was that you did here.
Dear America,
How to begin to recount our monumental achievements? Never have so few done so much to so many.
A few highlights …
We were willing to be vulnerable.

Why One Political Office Is So Mired in Scandals

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
In his new memoir, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania shows little love for his current job, but he’s even more dismissive of his previous gig: serving as lieutenant governor. It was, he writes, “the easiest job in all of America, with few mandated duties.

The One Place Trump’s Power Remains Constrained

President Donald Trump may be stretching executive power to its outermost bounds, but in one very significant area he is simply not getting his way: criminal prosecutions. In many cases—such as those of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, charges against whom were thrown out by a federal judge in Virginia today—the basic, ground-level machinery of the criminal-justice system has thwarted the administration.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: The Toast of -ollywood

A seminal mid-century paper by the psychologist George Miller asserted that the human brain can hold seven items in short-term memory, give or take a couple. A person can chunk—that is, group items together in sensible, memorable units—to get a bit more bang, but modern psychologists think the species can handle only about four of those.

Elon Musk’s Worthless, Poisoned Hall of Mirrors

Over the weekend, Elon Musk’s X rolled out a feature that had the immediate result of sowing maximum chaos. The update, called “About This Account,” allows people to click on the profile of an X user and see such information as: which country the account was created in, where its user is currently based, and how many times the username has been changed. Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, said the feature was “an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square.

Climate Deal Excludes Fossil Fuel Phaseout as Wealthy Nations Place Burden “On the Backs of the Poor”

Global negotiations at the annual U.N. climate summit ended Saturday in Belém, Brazil, with a watered-down agreement that does not even mention fossil fuels, let alone offer a roadmap to phase out what are the primary contributors to the climate crisis. The COP30 agreement also makes no new commitments to halt deforestation and does not address global meat consumption, another major driver of global warming.
“I’m angry at a really weak outcome.

From Affordability to Genocide, Trump-Mamdani Meeting at White House Was Full of Surprises

After months of mutual animosity, President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met for the first time in a widely anticipated meeting late last week. But after the two discussed Mamdani’s plans to lower the cost of living in New York City, where both men grew up, Trump said that he and Mamdani “agree on a lot more than I would have thought” and promised to work together once Mamdani takes office in January.