Today's Liberal News
Pandemic supercharges campaign battles over Obamacare
Obamacare jumps to forefront of 2020 races as voters worry about coverage.
Vaccine distribution isn’t as easy as Trump wants people to think
State officials say they’re still unclear about key details, and the CDC chief warned states need billions of dollars more to ensure people get shots.
Mask skeptic lawmaker takes on side gig overseeing drug company trial
Several bioethicists question Rep. Andy Harris’ lack of experience.
Summer wave of dementia deaths adds thousands to pandemic’s deadly toll
“There’s something going on and it needs to be sorted out,” Robert Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at the CDC, said.
Top health officials warn America won’t return to normal soon
The testimony from top federal health officials clashed with President Donald Trump’s rosier predictions about the pandemic’s trajectory.
Don’t Get Caught Without These Eight Safety Tools
Car escape tools, carbon monoxide detectors, and more.
The Wild Energy That Teachers Are Putting Into Zoom Shouldn’t Be a Surprise
“People really just don’t understand what teachers do in a classroom on a day-to-day basis.
Help! My Longtime Hairstylist Has Turned Into a Conspiracy Theorist.
I’ve seen her twice a month for nearly seven years.
Internal memo reassured Trudeau that virus’s economic hit would be ‘manageable’
Critics have argued the Trudeau government lacked preparedness or a sense of urgency before the country was hit by the pandemic’s crises.
Fed expects to keep rates near zero through 2023
The central bank shed more light on its pledge not to raise interest rates until prices begin to rise more rapidly.
Businesses reject Trump payroll tax plan while postponing their own tax bills
Tens of thousands have taken advantage of provisions allowing employers to punt their payroll tax bills into next year and beyond.
25 years wiped out in 25 weeks: Pandemic sets the world back decades
Progress on global health and the worldwide economy has regressed, Gates Foundation report finds.
Trump and Pence try a messaging reboot on economic recovery
After months of setbacks amid Covid-19, the White House used Labor Day to focus on worker resilience and tout pre-pandemic conditions.
Trump Calls Howard Zinn’s Work “Propaganda.” Hear the Legendary Historian in His Own Words.
This week President Trump described the work of the legendary historian Howard Zinn, who died in 2010, as “propaganda” meant to “make students ashamed of their own history.” But Zinn believed the opposite, that teaching the unvarnished truth about history was the best way to combat propaganda and unexamined received wisdom. We air excerpts from a 2009 interview with Zinn in which he explained his approach to education.
As Fires Rage Across the West, Trump Bails Out Big Oil & Picks Climate Denier for Top Role at NOAA
As climate-fueled wildfires continue to ravage the West, the Trump administration has tapped a well-known climate change denier for a top position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. University of Delaware professor David Legates has written papers calling for more fossil fuel emissions and has had his work supported by the Robert Mercer-funded Heartland Institute and Koch Industries, as well as major gas companies.
Trump vs. Masks: Attacks on CDC, Doctors & Scientists Undermine a “Pillar of Pandemic Control”
As the official United States death toll from COVID-19 approaches 200,000 people, we speak with infectious disease expert Dr. Monica Gandhi, who says President Trump’s refusal to promote face masks has made the pandemic much worse. “Masks are a pillar of pandemic control. They are incredibly important,” says Dr. Gandhi, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as a division head at San Francisco General Hospital.
Daniel Ellsberg Warns U.S. Press Freedom Under Attack in WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Extradition Case
Legendary Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg says Julian Assange’s extradition hearing in London could have far-reaching consequences for press freedoms. The WikiLeaks founder faces an ever-evolving array of espionage and hacking charges related to the release of diplomatic cables that revealed war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange faces almost certain conviction, if extradited, and 175 years in prison.
Saturday Night Owls: The coronavirus pandemic is widening the racial wealth gap
Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week
Rhitu Chatterjee at NPR reports: How The Pandemic Is Widening The Racial Wealth Gap:
[…] Sixty percent of Black households are facing serious financial problems since the pandemic began, according to a national poll released this week by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Trump and GOP rush on replacing RBG out of weakness and fear
To Republicans, the rush to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a simple proposition: If they don’t replace her right now with a conservative jurist, they’ll lose their chance to replace her.
In other words, they think they’re going to lose in November.
Their behavior makes this obvious.
Trump Can’t Recall Boasting He Has ‘World’s Best Memory’ In Awkward Deposition Video
Infamous self-own captured on film during questioning over fraud accusations against Trump University.
Community Spotlight: Rescuing your excellent stories for over 12 years
Every day, a team of Daily Kos members reviews all stories published by the community. When awesome work doesn’t receive the attention it deserves, we rescue that story to the Community Spotlight group blog. Today, I am turning the spotlight on the collection of stories we rescued in the past week and telling you how to find them.
From newly joined members to a 14-year veteran member, these stories show off the talents and interests of the Daily Kos community.
Trump Calls It A ‘Beautiful Thing’ That Cops Struck Journalist Ali Velshi With Rubber Bullet
He also praised Minnesota supporters’ “good genes,” adding, “A lot of it is about the genes,” in a troubling, disjointed rally speech.
Trump says he expects to name a nominee for the Supreme Court next week, and it will be a woman
Based on unnamed sources, Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman at The New York Times report that Donald Trump could move as quickly as next week to name his nominee to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Trump made clear with a Saturday morning tweet that he wants to move fast.
Congress’ new THRIVE agenda aims to help reset America’s values
Introduced last week, the THRIVE agenda proposes a set of economic policy prescriptions that shift the American imagination of what is possible in legislation. Demanding a bold economic agenda, members of Congress joined a grassroots coalition and labor unions in setting forth the THRIVE agenda in response to the current economic crisis.
Susan Collins: Supreme Court Vacancy Should Not Be Filled Until After Election
In the wake of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, the Maine Republican senator said the next Supreme Court justice should be picked by the winner of November’s presidential election.
Conservatives Signal Roe v. Wade Showdown After Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death
A number of anti-abortion politicians and activist groups see their goal of ending nationwide abortion rights in sight.
Lindsey Graham Says He’ll Push To Confirm A New Supreme Court Justice
The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman previously has said such vacancies should not be filled during a presidential election year.
What Republican Senators Say in Private
Updated on September 19, 2020, at 6:08 p.m. ET.Nearly every reporter in Washington has experienced it: A Republican member of Congress says “off the record,” shifts into a quieter voice, and expresses how much he or she doesn’t like President Donald Trump. Soon after, you watch this same elected official speak up in favor of the president—or, more often, avoid saying anything meaningful at all.
RBG’s Life, in Her Own Words
Just days ago, on Thursday evening, the National Constitution Center awarded the 2020 Liberty Medal to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. At the justice’s request, we recorded her favorite opera singers and special friends offering personal tributes in words and music. The tribute video is a moving, inspiring, and now heartbreaking celebration of her achievements as one of the most influential figures for constitutional change in American history.