Today's Liberal News

Indigenous Leaders Converge in Belém, Brazil, Demanding Greater Role at U.N. Climate Talks

We speak with one of the Indigenous leaders at the U.N. climate summit in Belém for the climate negotiations, in greater numbers than ever before, taking center stage at COP30. They are calling “to end the persecution of our land defenders,” says Diana Chávez, member of the Pastaza Kichwa Nation, with Pakkiru, an Indigenous organization based in Ecuador’s Amazon. “We’re fighting to keep our territories.

Brazil’s Contradictory Climate Policies: Lula Gov’t Reduces Deforestation, Boosts Oil & Gas Production

As we broadcast from the United Nations climate summit in Belém, we look at Brazil’s contradictory climate policies. The Lula government has reduced deforestation in the Amazon while also approving oil drilling near the Amazon. “Many parts of the Amazon are now reaching a tipping point, so a point of no return,” says Ilan Zugman, Brazilian climate activist and 350.org’s regional head for Latin America and the Caribbean.

America Has a Baby-Formula Problem—Again

Three years ago, America was in the midst of an infant-formula crisis. Abbott, one of the world’s biggest formula producers, had issued a nationwide recall after two children who consumed its products died of Cronobacter, a bacterial infection that can lead to complications such as meningitis. Because Abbott produced about 40 percent of the U.S. supply of infant formula, the recall contributed to a monthslong nationwide shortage stemming partially from pandemic-related supply-chain issues.

How Mamdani Won: Field Director Tascha Van Auken on Grassroots Organizing Behind Historic Victory

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is less than two months away from taking office in New York City. Mamdani’s history-making campaign, grounded in community organizing, propelled the little-known Assembly-member to victory. Candidate Mamdani famously began the campaign polling at just 1% and overcame the intense scrutiny, Islamaphobic attacks, criticism for his support for Palestinian rights, and more.

Trump’s Epstein-Files Punt

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Donald Trump is not worried about the Jeffrey Epstein files. Please don’t put in the newspaper that he is worried.

Tesla Wants to Build a Robot Army

Elon Musk, already the world’s richest man, is now on the path to becoming its first trillionaire. Tesla’s shareholders recently approved a massive pay package for the CEO, including some $1 trillion in stock options. But the payout will happen only if certain targets are met—including Musk’s successful deployment of 1 million Optimus robots.

How Crypto Could Trigger the Next Financial Crisis

On July 18, President Donald Trump signed into law the boastfully named GENIUS Act. If the law wreaks havoc on the financial system, as seems highly likely, that name will become a grim joke: What genius thought that letting the cryptocurrency industry write its own rules would be a good idea?
The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act purports to create a regulatory framework for a type of cryptocurrency called stablecoins.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Whisk the Pennies Away

If I have provided you with any factoids in the course of Atlantic Trivia, I apologize, because a factoid, properly, is not a small, interesting fact. A factoid is a piece of information that looks like a fact but is untrue. Norman Mailer popularized the term in 1973, very intentionally giving it the suffix -oid. Is a humanoid not a creature whose appearance suggests humanity but whose nature belies it? Thus is it with factoid.

Photos: India’s Polluted Skies

Amarjeet Kumar Singh / Anadolu / Getty
Silhouettes of people and monkeys make their way past India Gate amid smoggy conditions in New Delhi, India, on October 22, 2025. Thick smog blanketed the city, with Delhi’s air-quality index dropping to 345, placing it in the “very poor” category.Bhawika Chhabra / Reuters
A farmer burns stubble in a field in the northern state of Punjab, India, on November 13, 2025.