Today's Liberal News

“Trillions, Not Billions”: Climate Activists Protest as COP29 Closes in on a “Bad Deal”

On the final official day of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, it is still unclear if this year’s United Nations climate summit will lead to an agreement before the end of the official conference or if talks will extend into the weekend. The COP29 presidency has released a draft text that calls for a $1.3 trillion in annual climate financing by 2035, but it only obligates rich countries to provide $250 billion of that total.

Trump Wants to Have it Both Ways on Education

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Among Donald Trump’s many campaign-trail promises was his threat to dismantle the Department of Education, which he has claimed without basis is filled with “radicals, zealots, and Marxists.

One Food to Change the World

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present, surface delightful treasures, and examine the American idea.
I love a good bean: tossed with vinaigrette in a salad, spooned over pasta, served on a plate with rice and corn. The bean is a powerful little food, all the more for its shapeshifting capacities.

Trump’s First Defeat

Well, that was fast.
Last Wednesday, President-Elect Donald Trump shocked even his allies by nominating Representative Matt Gaetz to be attorney general. Today, Gaetz has pulled out of consideration, one day after meeting with senators on Capitol Hill.
“It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” the Florida man wrote on X.

The Celebrity Look-Alike Contest Boom

The fad began with a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in New York City on a beautiful day last month. Thousands of people came and caused a ruckus. At least one of the Timothées was among the four people arrested by New York City police. Eventually, the real Timothée Chalamet showed up to take pictures with fans. The event, which was organized by a popular YouTuber who had recently received some attention for eating a tub of cheeseballs in a public park, captured lightning in a bottle.

Donald Trump’s Most Dangerous Cabinet Pick

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For a few hours, Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense was the most disturbing act of Donald Trump’s presidential transition. Surely the Senate wouldn’t confirm an angry Fox News talking head with no serious managerial experience, best known for publicly defending war criminals, to run the largest department in the federal government.

“Pay Up!”: At COP29, Poor Countries Demand $1 Trillion a Year in Climate Finance

As the U.N. climate summit nears its close, we examine a proposed climate finance deal that is already being contested by participants. Among the major issues is the absence of a firm number in the draft text on how much rich countries will pay. Poorer nations bearing the brunt of the climate crisis say at least $1.3 trillion a year is needed, a target that comprises just 1% of the global economy.