Today's Liberal News
Drug prices steadily rise amid pandemic, data shows
Some drugmakers have delayed or staggered increases amid increased scrutiny and the fear of catching President Donald Trump’s eye.
Pence, Azar reassure governors Trump won’t end virus emergency declaration
Governors and public health officials have warned the country’s virus response would be damaged if Trump lets the public health emergency expire later this month.
I Fear My Girlfriend Will Think I’m a Creep if I Tell Her What I Really Want
I think this is going to blow up on me.
Defund Karen: On the Insults and Acronyms of America’s Racial Reckoning
Karen has emerged as a pejorative moniker for an unwoke white lady.
Treasury decides to stick with July 15 tax deadline
An extension would give taxpayers until Oct. 15 to file their returns, though they would still have to pay what they owe by July 15.
Top White House economist set to depart amid coronavirus recession
The acting chair of the CEA will leave Trump without another senior economist as discussions start about a new economic aid package.
‘It’s going to be a slow slog’: Economists knock down hopes of quick rebound
“We have a long road ahead of us to get those people back to work,” Jerome Powell said earlier this week.
Powell’s warning on pandemic clashes with Trump’s upbeat tweets
“Significant uncertainty remains about the timing and strength of the recovery,” Powell said.
Kudlow says $600 additional unemployment checks will end in July
He said that “almost all businesses” understand the $600 additional benefit is “a disincentive.
“They Don’t Care About Our Health”: Hunger Striker at Otay Mesa ICE Jail Speaks Out as COVID Spreads
As COVID-19 infections continue to rise behind bars, we go inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center in California to speak with Anthony Alexandre, a longtime U.S. resident of Haitian descent, who describes conditions at the for-profit jail, run by private prison company CoreCivic, which has seen a mass outbreak of COVID-19, leading to at least 167 infections and one death. “Basically, CoreCivic is telling us they do not care about our health,” says Alexandre.
Millions of Americans will soon find out just how badly they’ve been screwed by Trump and the GOP
Robert Reich, writing for The Guardian, weighs in on the fairy tale that our country is somehow “roaring back,” as Donald Trump characterized it when he hawked a report last week based on misleading unemployment statistics—numbers that were already woefully out of date at the time they were released.
The US economy isn’t roaring back. Just over half of Americans have jobs now, the lowest figure in more than 70 years. What’s roaring back is Covid-19.
Trump smashes Obama-era payday lending rule, letting predatory lenders cash in on COVID-19 crisis
How on-brand can the Trump team get? They are again letting payday lenders be as predatory as they want to be, lending to consumers at ridiculous interest rates—sometimes as high as several hundred percent—without verifying that the borrower has the ability to repay the loan.
‘I felt belittled’: Muslim woman alleges Starbucks barista wrote ‘ISIS’ on her cup
Some Minneapolis Target employees seem to share one similarity with the city’s police: discrimination based on identity. A Muslim-American advocacy organization is calling for a Target Starbucks employee and her manager in Minnesota to be fired after a 19-year-old Black Muslim woman alleges the employee purposely wrote “ISIS” on her Starbucks cup, WCOO/CNN reported.
Only Policing Probe Launched By Trump DOJ Finds ‘Routine’ Excessive Force, Lying
Narcotics unit officers in Springfield, Massachusetts, likely engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force, the Justice Department said.
Q&A: Patrisse Cullors and Kendrick Sampson on mental health, defending Black life, and Black joy
By Patrisse Cullors and Kendrick Sampson
Amidst this war on Black bodies, we are being saturated with content about Black death and violence. It is critical in this moment of rebellion and uprising to find moments to consume and live within Black joy. Black joy amongst our loved ones, Black joy in celebration of our resilience, Black joy within the music and stories we make and tell. Black Joy is revolutionary. This is where we can find our center.
Racial disparities follow pandemic’s path across political divide
No matter where the virus strikes, communities of color bear the brunt.
Republican Group’s New Ad Hits GOP Senators Who ‘Chose Trump’ Over America
“Learn their names. Remember their actions. And never, ever trust them again,” The Lincoln Project video warns.
Coronavirus blows a hole in state and local budgets, and Senate Republicans won’t act
State and local budgets are an emergency as the coronavirus economy hits them hard, reducing revenues and straining resources. The new fiscal year started July 1 in most places, with state and local governments waiting to hear from Congress, which is on recess for two weeks. The House passed $1 trillion in help for state and local governments back in May, but Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Senate has done nothing.
Tulsa health official: Trump rally ‘likely’ source of virus surge
“In the past few days, we’ve seen almost 500 new cases,” Dr. Bruce Dart said.
Grim projection: 200,000 dead by Election Day
Recent surge in infections and Trump policies prompt a serious reassessment by forecasters, who now see no end in sight for coronavirus crisis.
Trump’s Florida Convention Could Be The First That Actually Helps Lose A State
Trump yanked the Republican convention from North Carolina because it wouldn’t let him give a speech to a packed house. Now coronavirus is spiking in Florida.
Trump’s Tulsa Rally ‘Likely’ Source Of Coronavirus Surge: Health Official
Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said the president’s campaign rally last month “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in new COVID-19 cases.
Why It Took So Long to Defeat the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Six years of organizing, infighting, and lawsuits led to a rare, massive win for rural communities.
The Atlantic Daily: The Politics of School Reopening
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.(BODO SCHACKOW / PICTURE ALLIANCE / GETTY)America still doesn’t have a plan to safely reopen its schools. Earlier today, President Donald Trump criticized the CDC’s guidelines on Twitter, calling them “very tough” and “expensive.
Artificial Lights Tell the Story of the Pandemic
Even during the worst of the pandemic in New York City, when the threat of the virus had emptied out the streets, the lights of Times Square stayed on, its many towering advertisements flashing and flickering.
CDC Will Relax School Reopening Guidelines, Mike Pence Says
President Donald Trump is waging a pressure campaign against state and local governments.
Who Wants to Be Seen With Trump Anymore?
Donald Trump has never been much for encouraging social distancing. He might end up getting political distancing as a result.This week, five senators announced that they will skip the Republican National Convention in August. A Republican governor up for reelection said he wouldn’t attend a Trump rally in his state. And Senator Lindsey Graham disagreed publicly with Trump for what his home-state newspaper reckoned was the fifth time in three weeks.
Photos: Deadly Flooding in Japan
Days of torrential rainfall in central Japan have led to extensive flooding and mudslides, leaving as many as 58 people dead so far. Rivers that overflowed their banks have swept away bridges and roads, cutting off communities and making it difficult for rescue workers to reach many areas. Emergency crews are now working against the clock, trying to find people who may still be trapped.
Padma Lakshmi’s New Food Show Is a Trojan Horse
Food, at its essence, is sustenance; that much is simple. Where things get complicated is in all the manifold ways it sustains us. Consider the burrito. In the first episode of Padma Lakshmi’s new Hulu show, Taste the Nation, the food writer and longtime Top Chef host travels to El Paso, Texas, where she attempts to isolate all the different ingredients in one of America’s favorite dishes.