Today's Liberal News

Women’s Soccer Won the World Cup

During the era of American dominance in women’s soccer, success was largely a product of athleticism, fitness, and bursts of individual skill. The triumph of Spain, which won the World Cup today, represents an evolutionary leap forward, a higher level of refinement and technique. Aitana Bonmati, Spain’s midfield brain and the player of the tournament, dominated games with subtle flicks and visionary through balls; teammates rotated around her intricately.

Don’t Underestimate the Japanese Beetle

This story was originally published in High Country News.On an early July day, Amber Betts spent the afternoon in the community rose garden in Grandview, Washington. Several weeks earlier, invasive Japanese beetles had emerged in droves everywhere in Grandview, a town in central Washington’s Yakima Valley. The infestation had since quieted, but she still spotted a few insects: A cluster of fingernail-size iridescent green beetles, their coppery wings shining, were devouring a rose.

Heritage

The gold chain sitting
On her outstretched palm
Is a good place to start.
Her father—your grandfather—kept
It in a secret drawer for a day
Like this—a day
You would have a piece of him
Around your neck.Your grandfather, in your mother’s words,
Refused to let his daughter
Feed her present with the future.
And on the night that you were born,
He drove all the way from Benin to Abuja.
That night, silence became your mother.

Trump Is Beatable in Iowa

The recent history of the Iowa Republican caucus offers the candidates chasing former President Donald Trump one big reason for optimism. But that history also presents them with an even larger reason for concern.In each of the past three contested GOP nomination fights, Iowa Republicans have rejected the candidate considered the national front-runner in the race, as Trump is now.

A TV Drama That’s Aged Surprisingly Well

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.Welcome back to The Daily’s Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer reveals what’s keeping them entertained.Today’s special guest is Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic’s projects editor.

Inside the Smithsonian’s “Racial Brain Collection” & the Eugenics Project Behind It

The Smithsonian has formed a task force to address the massive collection of human remains held by its museums, which includes 255 human brains that were removed primarily from dead Black and Indigenous people, as well as other people of color, without the consent or knowledge of their families. The so-called racial brain collection was revealed by a Washington Post investigation.

Teach No Lies: Historian Marvin Dunn Takes on Ron DeSantis & Florida’s Attack on Black History

We speak with renowned Florida educator Marvin Dunn about the fight to protect the teaching of Black history in the face of racist curriculum changes in the state that justify slavery and downplay violence against African Americans. Ahead of the first day of school, Dunn helped lead a “Teach No Lies” march to the Miami-Dade County School Board Wednesday to protest the new education standards.

Revealed: The Authors Whose Pirated Books Are Powering Generative AI

One of the most troubling issues around generative AI is simple: It’s being made in secret. To produce humanlike answers to questions, systems such as ChatGPT process huge quantities of written material. But few people outside of companies such as Meta and OpenAI know the full extent of the texts these programs have been trained on.

Making Sense of Donald Trump’s 91 Felony Charges

Editor’s Note: Washington Week with The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here. Former President Donald Trump is facing what could be his most consequential legal challenge yet, after having been indicted in Fulton County, Georgia this week for his alleged efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results.