Today's Liberal News
Dear James: I Have Debilitating Stage Fright
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Dear James,
I have stage fright. I’ve had it since I was a little kid trying to perform at elementary-school talent shows.
Indonesia’s ‘Silvermen’ Beg for Survival
Yasuyoshi Chiba, a photojournalist with AFP, recently spent a rainy day in Jakarta with three men who had coated themselves in metallic paint, becoming “manusia silver,” or silvermen, seeking donations from passersby. Rising prices and growing levels of unemployment have resulted in a recent rise in begging across Jakarta. The group followed here say that on a good day, they can earn as much as 200,000 rupiah ($12).
If I Stayed, I Would’ve Died: Journalist Abubaker Abed on “Agonizing” Decision to Leave Gaza
We speak with 22-year-old Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed in Ireland after he evacuated Gaza last month suffering from malnutrition and under threat for his reporting on Israel’s genocide. Abed describes himself as an “accidental war correspondent” and hoped to become a sports journalist and commentator before the start of the war, but spent much of the last two years reporting on daily death and destruction.
“People Are Starving to Death”: Oxfam Warns Israel’s Blockade on Gaza Is Catastrophic
“People are starving to death, and this is a fact that we are witnessing and experiencing nowadays,” says Oxfam’s food security coordinator in Gaza, Mahmoud Alsaqqa. More than 10 weeks after Israel instituted a total siege on Gaza, blocking all food and other aid from entering, hunger has reached catastrophic levels in the Palestinian territory.
“Unprecedented” in U.S. History: Trump & Family Rake In Money from Gulf States, Crypto & Real Estate
As President Donald Trump meets with leaders in the Middle East this week, we look at how his administration and family have opened wide to foreign powers and wealthy interests willing to spend big to gain influence. Top buyers of Trump’s novelty cryptocurrency have spent millions as part of a contest to have dinner with the president. Trump’s sons Donald Jr.
Gift or Grift? Trump Under Fire over Qatar’s Plan to Give Him $400M “Flying Palace”
We speak with Robert Weissman, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, about President Donald Trump’s “corrupt deal” to accept a $400 million jumbo luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar — possibly the most valuable such gift a foreign government has ever given.
This Republican has long wanted to overhaul Medicaid. Now he has to sell members on a compromise
The Energy and Commerce Committee chair is about to be put to the test.
Universal Tariffs Go from Bonkers to Blanket
The UK has struck a deal with the US to avoid bigger tariffs but keeps the 10% blanket tariff in place.
You Can Still Get on a Plane Without a Real ID
There’s a simple reason why this deadline never sticks.
The Demise of Outdoor Dining Isn’t Really Anyone’s Preference. So How Did We End Up Here?
“This rollout has been nothing short of disastrous,” one council member said.
How Trump’s last-minute contract decision sent brains to the grave
Brain banks stopped taking donations as their contract expiration date approached.
RFK Jr., DOGE gutted legally required offices. Courts may undo it all.
Federal workers, Democratic lawmakers, state officials and independent legal experts say keeping offices afloat in name only – with minimal or no staff – is an unconstitutional power grab.
Measles hits 1,000 cases — for the second time in 30 years
The new figure comes as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly delivered mixed messages about the outbreak.
Is Aziz Ansari Sorry?
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
Your Opinions on Her Wardrobe Are Probably Unwelcome
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
What Role Does HR Play in the #MeToo Era?
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
Warren Buffett shocks shareholders by announcing his intention to retire at the end of the year
Earlier, Buffett warned Saturday about the dire global consequences of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
‘Anything can happen’: Trump doesn’t seem fazed by recession worries
Trump has blamed shaky economic numbers on his predecessor.
Democrats look to Trump’s poor economic numbers with anxious optimism
Following its latest round of focus groups, Navigator Research is urging Democrats to proactively push their own economic policies.
Warning signs for Trump as pessimistic outlook on the economy grows among Americans
Trump’s winning issue is becoming one of his biggest liabilities as multiple polls this week reveal growing disapproval numbers on the economy.
Trump, defiant on tariffs, claims trade deals are in the works
The president is foreshadowing deals with multiple trading partners in an apparent effort to quell economic anxiety and prove his tariff plan is working.
Tyre Nichols Case: Shock & Anger in Memphis as 3 Cops Acquitted on State Murder Charges
We go to Memphis for an update after jurors acquitted three former Memphis police officers of the murder of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black father who died after the officers brutally beat him during a traffic stop in January 2023. The group beating was caught on video, provoking widespread outrage and calls for police reform.
Weight-Loss Drugs Aren’t Really About Weight
Ever since the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk realized that GLP-1 drugs were useful for more than diabetes, doctors and researchers have struggled to answer a deceptively simple question: Who should be taking them? The medications are highly effective at inducing weight loss, and most Americans are overweight or have obesity.
Wellness CEO files ethics complaint against top RFK Jr. adviser
An internal MAHA battle is breaking out between an HHS employee who co-founded a health care payments company and a CEO of a rival company.
There’s No Such Thing as a Free Plane
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Donald Trump is in talks to accept a $400 million gift from a foreign government.