Today's Liberal News

When Social Media Felt Real

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Scrolling through social-media apps can be a monotonous exercise. My feeds are full of well-lit, curated posts that aim to be clickable and likable, an algorithmic bore that prioritizes grabbing my attention and persuading me to buy something.

The Ocean Is Too Crowded

This article was originally published by Hakai Magazine.
The ocean feels infinite. If you were to start swimming from shore, it’s easy to believe—fitness and oxygen aside—that you could continue forever. That’s a much different experience from overland travel, where mountains, rivers, and six-lane highways buzzing with traffic thwart easy passage.
It’s equally easy to believe that fish and other highly mobile marine creatures experience the ocean in an unrestrained fashion.

Saving the Idea of the University

As students return to college campuses across the country and reunite with friends and classmates, I am struck by the number of my own Ivy League classmates who will not return this fall. Three of my newly minted presidential peers, to be exact: University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill, Claudine Gay of Harvard, and Columbia’s Minouche Shafik.

The Springfield Effect

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.
To say that Donald Trump is reckless with his public comments is about as big an understatement as you could make. But this week, we are watching the real-world effects of that recklessness play out with alarming speed.
Consider the timeline. On Monday, Trump’s running mate, J. D.

What We All Forgot About Beetlejuice

It’s easy to be cynical about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and those who bought tickets to see it on opening weekend, to the tune of a dazzling $110 million. We’re in the age of intellectual property, after all, and a 36-years-later sequel to a beloved film doesn’t come across as an inspired project so much as the result of industry pressure.
That feels more true when comparing the new film with its predecessor.

Microsoft Is Luring Fossil-Fuel Companies With AI

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Today, The Atlantic published a new investigation by contributing writer Karen Hao detailing Microsoft’s recent engagements with the oil and gas industries.

The Cases Against Trump: A Guide

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Donald Trump’s luck in the courts has turned.
Trump became the first former president to be convicted of a felony when a jury in Manhattan found him guilty of 34 counts in May. That followed decisive and costly losses in civil cases: Trump was fined more than half a billion dollars when courts found that he had defamed the writer E. Jean Carroll and committed financial fraud in his business.

A New Front in the Meme Wars

When the Department of Justice indicted two employees of Russia’s state-backed media outlet RT last week, it didn’t just reveal a covert influence operation—it also offered a clear picture of how the tactics used to spread propaganda are changing.
This particular operation allegedly exploited popular U.S. right-wing influencers, who amplified pro-Russian positions on Ukraine and other divisive issues in exchange for large payments.

“How We Do Freedom”: V (Eve Ensler) on Fighting Fascism Through Community

We speak with V, the playwright formerly known as Eve Ensler, about “How We Do Freedom: Rising Against Fascism,” a daylong educational event to be held at New York City’s Judson Memorial Church on Saturday. V is the founder of the global activist movements V-Day and One Billion Rising that is organizing the event. “The rise of fascism, from India to Italy, from Afghanistan to U.S., [is] the most pressing concern everywhere,” says V, who ties the crisis to growing loneliness and isolation.

Uhuru 3 Found Guilty of Conspiracy, Acquitted of Foreign Agents Charge in Landmark Trial

A federal jury in Florida has found members of the pan-Africanist group African People’s Socialist Party guilty of conspiring with the Russian government to “sow discord” and “interfere” in U.S. elections. They face up to five years in federal prison. In a major victory for the activists, however, the jury acquitted them of the more serious charge of acting as foreign agents.

Imprisoned for 50 Years: Amnesty Calls for Leonard Peltier’s Freedom as He Turns 80 Behind Bars

Supporters of Leonard Peltier are calling on President Biden to grant clemency to the Indigenous leader and activist, who marked his 80th birthday behind bars on Thursday after nearly a half-century in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. The ailing Peltier, who uses a walker and has serious health conditions, including diabetes, has always maintained his innocence over the 1975 killing of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

War in Sudan: Both Sides Accused of Crimes Against Humanity as UAE, Russia, China, Serbia Send Arms

In Sudan, a recent United Nations fact-finding mission documented “harrowing” human rights violations committed by both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians, schools, hospitals, water and power supplies. Civilians have also been subjected to torture, arbitrary detention and gruesome sexual violence. Over 20,000 people have been killed and 13 million displaced over the past 16 months.