Today's Liberal News

Friday Night Owls: Summers does it again, worrying about too much stimulus instead of not enough

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

Josh Bivens at the Economic Policy Institute writes—The Biden rescue plan is neither risky nor a distraction from structural issues:

Economist Larry Summers raised fears today that the Biden administration’s economic rescue plan might go too far, leading to economic overheating or squandering political and economic space for long-run reforms down the road.

‘Why is the president going to Delaware?’ Oh, noes! They have Biden cornered now!

I get it. The media have a job to do. And for the first time in four years, the government doesn’t have a cabinet-level Department of Gaslighting.

But this is a question this reporter already knows the answer to, right? 

Right?

I believe this is AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller, but he’s wearing a mask, so I don’t know for sure. For all I know this is what Carrot Top looks like when he’s not on stage.

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg identifies the biggest challenge facing students: teachers unions

Billionaire former self-appointed Emperor of New York City Michael Bloomberg was on MSNBC the other day and told the world that what our country needs now is union-busting. According to Bloomberg, the issues facing schools and students and income inequality and social inequality in our education system, which is exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, will only be solved when the teachers unions across the country bow to state and federal pressures to reopen schools.

Meet Saima Mohsin, the first woman, immigrant, and Muslim U.S. attorney in American history

Shortly after Joe Biden was sworn into office as president of the United States, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider submitted his resignation letter. In his letter, he noted that his position would be given to “one of the finest federal prosecutors I’ve ever known,” Saima Mohsin. “As the first woman, immigrant, Muslim United States Attorney in American history, her service is truly historic,” he continued.

Lou Dobbs’ show is canceled, and he didn’t even get to do a farewell episode

It looks like Fox News finally discovered the secret Howdy Doody talisman that their now-former host Lou Dobbs kept, because according to the Los Angeles Times, they are canceling his show on Fox Business. News of the cancellation comes one day after voting software company Smartmatic filed a lawsuit against Fox News and hosts Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro for $2.

Malcolm & Marie Isn’t Art. It’s a Meltdown.

Some of the most bittersweet, beautiful moments in cinema history have come from rambling, difficult-to-watch lovers’ spats. Quarrels can illuminate the rot in a relationship, and panning one of his films. Malcolm & Marie is akin to watching two sentient think pieces scream at each other. The self-indulgence of the script takes up so much air, it’s a small miracle that Washington and Zendaya don’t disappear.

The Absurd Logic of Internet Recipe Hacks

There are many points at which one’s understanding of reality could conceivably start to slip while watching a stranger on the internet construct a pie out of Spaghetti-Os. It could be when the cook, a young woman named Janelle Elise Flom, holds up her container of garlic powder to the camera in the exact same way that YouTube makeup artists introduce a lip gloss. It could be when she adds a splash of milk, to make things “juicy.

The Books Briefing: Murder, They Wrote

When there’s so much going wrong in the real world, it can feel like a relief to escape into the wrongs of another world. Why else would crime fiction be having a moment right now? The Netflix series Lupin is on track to be watched more than 70 million times, and many viewers will likely follow up their bingeing with a dive into the show’s literary origins.

‘Some Team Has to Want Me’

In Sunday’s Super Bowl, three of the four offensive and defensive coordinators—the highest-ranking assistant coaches on the field—will be Black. That their teams are competing for a championship isn’t the only thing Eric Bieniemy of the Kansas City Chiefs and Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have in common. They also are striking examples of how the National Football League continues to fail Black coaches.

Friendship and Stonework Grow More Beautiful With Time

Each installment of The Friendship Files features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship.This week she talks with Mary Beth Kelly, who wanted to reclaim her family home after her husband passed away, and Jane DeWitt, the stonemason who helped her do that.

Yemen: Biden to End U.S. Offensive Support for Saudi-Led Assault, But Will the War Actually End?

President Joe Biden has pledged to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, supported by both the Obama and Trump administrations, describing it as a “humanitarian and strategic catastrophe.” The six-year war in Yemen has devastated the country, killing at least 100,000 people and pushing 80% of the country into instability requiring some form of aid or protection, according to the United Nations. Biden’s remarks on Yemen come amid a freeze of U.S.

“A Moral Catastrophe”: Africa CDC Head Says Lack of Vaccines for the Continent Will Imperil World

Countries across the African continent are facing a second COVID-19 outbreak, linked to a variant first found in South Africa that has been detected in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Comoros and Zambia and more than 20 non-African countries so far. There is concern new variants, which scientists believe are more infectious, could spread the virus further before widespread vaccination begins.