Today's Liberal News

It didn’t start in Portland. There’s a long history of secret police

by Jack Herrera

For a few days in Portland, Oregon, this month, it wasn’t clear who was abducting protesters and journalists. The heavily armed men rushing out of unmarked vans and grabbing people off the sidewalks wore army fatigues and bulletproof vests. They looked like U.S. soldiers, but, then again, they also looked like the far-right militia members who have appeared at many protests in recent years. Information was murky and chaotic.

This Week in Statehouse Action: Summertime Badness edition

Did you know that we’re only 95 days away from Election Day 2020?

There was some hubbub earlier this week as the 100-days-out-from-the-election point passed, but that’s not actually significant outside of the fact that 100 is a big round number.

Nevertheless, each day that passes brings us closer to the final election before the next round of redistricting.

Raging conspiracy theorist’s nomination to top Pentagon job fizzles

The Trump administration plans to withdraw its nomination of a racist conspiracy theorist to the No. 3 job at the Pentagon. Just one Republican senator had announced opposition to Retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata’s nomination as undersecretary of defense for policy, and Sen. Kevin Cramer wasn’t upset about Tata’s racism and Islamophobia—he was upset about a group of sailors he feels should be added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The Tragedy of Herman Cain

Most Americans never took Herman Cain very seriously. He made that easy: He quoted Pokémon: The Movie 2000 in campaign speeches. He said goofy things (“Aw, shucky ducky!”) before it was “modern-day presidential.” His signature policy idea, the “9-9-9” plan, sounded more like a takeout special than a tax overhaul.By the time he died today at 74, from COVID-19, he was remembered, if at all, by that last phrase.

The Atlantic Daily: The Real Implication of Trump’s Election Tweet

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.(JIM WATSON / AFP / GETTY)1. President Trump floated postponing the election, something he lacks the legal authority to do. The maneuver is not what it looks like on the surface, David A.

Even Facebook Is Pining for the Internet It Destroyed

There’s a new app, and when isn’t there? This one is called E.gg, and it looks like a mix of Tumblr and GeoCities: The “About” page features a dancing-baby GIF, against a background of a starry night sky, with text in deliberately nauseating shades of highlighter yellow and green.

Read Barack Obama’s Eulogy for John Lewis

Former President Barack Obama delivered a eulogy today honoring Representative John Lewis of Georgia, who died July 17 after a decades-long career in the House of Representatives. Lewis, a civil-rights icon who led the 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and spoke at the March on Washington, spent his congressional years advocating for voting rights and equality for Black Americans.

Chomsky on Israel’s Hindering of Palestinian Pandemic Response & Threat to Annex Occupied West Bank

Noam Chomsky says Israel’s planned annexation of the occupied West Bank “basically formalizes” what has already been official policy over the last half-century, from both left-wing and right-wing parties in Israel. He compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to anti-immigrant policies in the United States, and says the main goal of annexation is to take over as much territory while excluding its Palestinian inhabitants.