Today's Liberal News

We Are Not Your Mascots: Washington NFL Team Removes Racist Name After Years of Indigenous Protests

The Washington NFL team, whose name and mascot have been a slur against Native Americans for nearly 90 years, announced Monday it will change its racist name, facing mounting pressure from corporate sponsors. The decision is a hard-fought victory for Indigenous activists who for years have demanded the team remove the R-word from its name. It also comes as the Black Lives Matter movement has forced a reckoning about monuments and tributes to racism around the country.

“Most Important Indian Law Case in Half a Century”: Supreme Court Upholds Tribal Sovereignty in OK

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that much of eastern Oklahoma, constituting nearly half the state, is Native American land, recognizing a 19th century U.S. treaty with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump nominee, joined the court’s liberal wing in a narrow 5-4 ruling that found state authorities cannot criminally prosecute Indigenous peoples under state or local laws.

Poland’s Rulers Made Up a ‘Rainbow Plague’

Rare is the election campaign that truly hinges on a single issue. But in the run-up to Sunday’s presidential election in Poland, “LGBT”—an English acronym that sounds strange and foreign in Polish—was unquestionably the dominant theme. The coronavirus pandemic is still ravaging the world, an economic crisis looms, and international politics are in turmoil.

Cautionary COVID tales: Friends and families share deadly consequences of hoaxes and misinformation

States across the country are experiencing an increase in new cases since reopening, and as a result, some states have paused their plans to reopen or have reissued restrictions in hopes of stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus. On Saturday, Florida shattered the U.S.’s single-day record of coronavirus cases. Despite this, counties in the state and elsewhere have been refusing to abide by health expert recommendations to wear face coverings or a mask.

Despite corporate messaging in support of Black Lives Matter, companies are banning ads in stories

As the Black Lives Matter movement and related concerns make headlines around the world, and while corporations make mostly superficial statements of support for Black communities in the United States, corporations are actually not putting their money where their mouths are. In fact, corporations like Target and Viacom seem to be betting against the journalism that uncovers racial injustice across our country.

‘Lack of teaching in darker skin’ prompts Black medical student to create handbook addressing bias

As conversations on racial injustice and systemic racism continue globally, medical professionals identifying as POC are highlighting healthcare disparities. Various factors including but not limited to race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status contribute to a person’s ability to achieve good health. POC individuals often face further obstacles in seeking healthcare services due to stereotypes and other biases toward their race or identity.

State, local governments fight over scraps left over in federal COVID-19 aid, desperately need more

Cities and states, scrambling again for adequate personal protective equipment and medical supplies to meet the resurgent coronavirus, are also having to scrap for dwindling federal funds. The $150 billion passed in the CARES Act back in March was not large enough and had too many restrictions, and since April, Sen. Mitch McConnell has refused to consider any further aid, blocking the follow-up HEROES Act the House passed in May.

The Atlantic Daily: How to Better Think About Herd Immunity

NEWSHA TAVAKOLIANOur staff writer James Hamblin set out to try to understand when we’ll reach herd immunity—the point at which enough of a population has been infected to ward off more major spikes of a disease. “It turns out the number is largely up to us,” he explains.  Here are three big takeaways from his new piece on the subject:1. Herd immunity is calculated differently for an uncontrolled virus.