Today's Liberal News

Thursday Night Owls: What the Trump regime meant for freedom of information requests

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Philip Eil at the Columbia Journalism Review writes—What the Trump administration meant for freedom of information requests:

THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP PROMISED AN EPIC TEST for the Freedom of Information Act. On one side, the powerful, yet deeply flawed, transparency law that turned 50 years old a few months before Trump’s 2016 election.

This Week in Statehouse Action: Frosted Takes edition

I don’t know if this is just a quirk peculiar to me or what, but when the weather’s cold and sucky, I find myself taking a little extra time with my breakfast.

Whether it’s oatmeal or yogurt fancied up with fruit and granola or just plain cereal, winter weather somehow makes me want to actually sit down and enjoy breakfast with my coffee (as opposed to slurping it down hurriedly while I peruse morning headlines).

DeSantis threatens to only vaccinate rich white Floridians while only vaccinating rich white …

Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his inability to properly address the COVID-19 pandemic with his unveiling of a “pop-up” vaccine clinic. Since the start of the pandemic, DeSantis has followed Donald Trump’s actions in downplaying the virus and its severity. He refused to not only issue a statewide mask mandate but to close beaches and businesses despite a rise in cases.

The Good News of COVID-19 Is Sticking, For Now

Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. All major indicators of COVID-19 transmission in the United States continue to fall rapidly. Weekly new cases have fallen from 1.7 million at the national peak in early January to fewer than 600,000 this week, and cases have declined in every state.

Ted Cruz’s Trip to Mexico Looks Bad. But This Is Worse.

First they hid behind obscure interpretations of the Constitution and false claims of voter fraud. Then, even after a violent mob came for them, they chose a pathological liar and would-be authoritarian over the rule of law.Now that Donald Trump’s second impeachment has ended in acquittal, we can look to the objections lodged by 147 Republicans against certifying the presidential-election results on January 6 as an omen.

Texas Is a Mess

The state of Texas was hit hard, as was much of the central United States, when frigid Arctic air pushed southward and a winter storm blew through. Millions of Texas residents have been without electricity for days amid record-setting cold temperatures and widespread blackouts. The power situation is improving now, but officials warn there may be further rotating power outages as systems come back online.

Why Democrats Are Fighting Over an Obscure D.C. Bureaucrat

Burnt buildings were still smoldering when Bill Clinton toured South Central Los Angeles, the historic center of the city’s Black community, in early May 1992. The presidential candidate had flown cross-country from the East Coast as the city was being consumed by waves of unrest following the acquittal of four police officers who had savagely beat Rodney King the year before.

“Not Doing This Is a Choice”: Biden Drags His Feet on Canceling Student Debt Despite Campaign Pledge

Students, campaigners and top Democrats have been pushing President Joe Biden to use executive authority to cancel at least $50,000 in student loan debt per person. Student loan debt in the U.S. stands at $1.7 trillion, with some 45 million people owing money. Filmmaker and organizer Astra Taylor, an author, documentary director and organizer with the Debt Collective, says Biden has clear legal authority to cancel student debt. “Not doing this is a choice,” she says.

How to Wear a Mask & When to Wear Two to Reduce COVID Transmission & Increase Vaccine Effectiveness

While COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations appear to be waning, the United States has a long way to go before people can safely return to everyday life without masks. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, says it’s vital to stay vigilant even as vaccinations ramp up. “If we can get our transmission down as low as possible, that is actually going to make the vaccines more effective.

Failed State: Texas Power Grid Collapse Impacts Millions. Black & Brown Communities Are Worst Hit

Millions of people in Texas were plunged into freezing cold and darkness as a major winter storm overwhelmed the state’s power grid. More than 12 million Texans face water disruptions and have been ordered to boil tap water for safe consumption, and some parts of the state have no running water at all. The state is also running out of food as the storms disrupt key supply chains.