Mike Pence Tells Tucker Carlson Jan. 6 Was ‘A Riot,’ Not An Insurrection
“I’ve never used the word insurrection, Tucker, over the last two years,” the former vice president said. “But it was a riot that took place at the Capitol.
Today's Liberal News
Chuck Schumer Backs Declassifying UFO Records In Manner Like JFK Files
“The American public has a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence, and unexplainable phenomena,” the Senate majority leader said.
Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez’s Run Sparks Democratic Contest To Take On Ted Cruz
Rep. Colin Allred has a Democratic primary opponent, the state lawmaker who represents Uvalde, in his bid for a U.S. Senate seat.
GOP congressman says he doesn’t want drag show supporters ‘with their hand on a missile button’
When the various states send off their newest Republican elected officials to the U.S. Congress, they are not sending their best and brightest. They are sending weirdos. They are sending conspiracy cranks. They are sending … Matt Rosendale.
xRosendale: We have drag shows at Malmstrom Air Force Base. There are 150 ICBM missiles that are being controlled by that Air Force Base and by these individuals.
Are We There Yet?
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.A child’s job is to be oblivious to their parents’ stress. On a recent trip, our roles were reversed.First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic:
Russia has a new gulag.
Is a glass of wine harmless? Wrong question.
Climate change feels more real now than ever.
Nancy Mace and the myth of the moderate Republican
One of the supposed “moderates” in the House Republican caucus railed on Thursday against several right-wing amendments to the military budget bill. First, she did so privately.
“We should not be taking this fucking vote, man. Fuck,” Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina fumed, venting to her staff about an extremist measure overturning Pentagon policies to facilitate abortion access for service members.
Special counsel Jack Smith has new target in Trump classified documents case
ABC News and The New York Times are reporting that another Trump Organization employee has been sent a target letter in the criminal federal case against Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents. Special counsel Jack Smith sent the unnamed “low-level” employee a target letter in recent weeks indicating that the employee could be facing an indictment.
That as-of-yet unnamed employee testified to a grand jury in Washington, D.C., in May.
Birth Control Isn’t the Only Thing That Just Went Over-the-Counter
The FDA announced yesterday that it had for the first time approved a daily birth-control pill for over-the-counter sales. That’s a big change; once the product, called Opill, is on the market—which may be as soon as early 2024—Americans will be able to buy daily hormonal birth control without a prescription.
Ukraine Update: There’s a rich harvest of Russian propaganda across Ukraine
UPDATE: Saturday, Jul 15, 2023 · 2:58:21 AM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
That area just across the canal and south of Klishchiivka where Russia supposedly rushed additional VDV forces? Ukraine took that area. There are reports that Ukrainian forces are moving on Kurdymivka and Avdriivka after taking a significant slice of territory east of the canal.
SAG President Fran Drescher’s speech is a must-watch for workers everywhere
On Thursday, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists officially approved a strike vote for the first time since 1980.
Russia Has a New Gulag
In 1978, Bohdan Klymchak walked out of the Soviet Union and asked for political asylum in Iran. Klymchak was Ukrainian, born near Lviv. In 1949, his family had been deported to Khabarovsk, in the Russian Far East, after the arrest of his brother as a “Ukrainian nationalist.” In 1957, Klymchak himself was arrested for “anti-Soviet agitation”; even after his release, he remained under constant surveillance.
Going Undercover to Expose America’s Ugly Side
This is an edition of the revamped Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.On Twitter and talk radio and cable TV, Americans today can easily express and hear echoes of their basest thoughts without too much difficulty—racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, the whole cacophony of hate. But at one time, really knowing what your neighbors were thinking, or seeing who was hiding under the white hood, took some investigating.
U.N. Warns Pandemic, Climate & Ukraine War Have Dramatically Increased World Hunger
The United Nations this week released its annual report on nutrition, finding that the pandemic, extreme weather shocks and the war in Ukraine have all contributed to food insecurity around the world — now higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials estimate that the world saw an increase of more than 100 million people facing hunger in 2022 compared to 2019.
What Is the Point of NATO? Historian Grey Anderson on How U.S. Has Used Alliance to Strengthen Power
This week’s NATO summit in Lithuania ended with the military alliance agreeing to extend membership to Ukraine at some point in the future but declining to give a firm timeline. Meanwhile, Sweden is set to become the newest member, bringing the alliance to 32 countries, after it started in 1949 with just 12 founding members.
“We Demand Respect”: Actors Join Writers on Strike, Grinding Film & TV Production to a Halt
Television and film actors are going on strike after a breakdown in negotiations between the SAG-AFTRA union and Hollywood studios. More than 160,000 members of the union are taking part in the first major actors’ strike since 1980. This also marks the first time since 1960 that actors and screenwriters have been on strike at the same time, with members of the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines since early May.
Iowa lawmakers approve ban on most abortions after about 6 weeks
Gov. Kim Reynolds immediately said she will sign the legislation.
Biden reverses Trump-era limits on short-term health plans
Democrats have long wanted Biden to go after “junk insurance.
Biden puts all his chips on the table with a push on ‘Bidenomics’
The push to own the economy, by literally branding it with the president’s name, is not without risk.
U.S. consumer price growth slowed last month, though underlying inflation measures stayed high
Inflation slowed to just 4% in May.
“A Climate-Changed World”: Vermont Confronts Historic Flooding Again, 12 Years After Hurricane Irene
Parts of Vermont experienced their worst flooding this week in nearly a century after two months’ worth of rain fell over the course of 48 hours. Nearly 100 people have been rescued, and locals are deeply concerned for the unhoused residents. “The state has really been hammered,” says journalist David Goodman in Waterbury.
As Sudan Fighting Escalates, Displacing 3 Million in 3 Months, Peace Talks Must Include Civil Society
The United Nations has warned that Sudan is on the brink of a “full-scale civil war” as fighting between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has forced over 3 million people from their homes. After multiple failed ceasefires, Egypt is hosting a summit this week with the goal to “develop effective mechanisms” with neighboring countries to settle the conflict.
‘Like A 007 Movie’: House Democrat Tears Apart GOP For Working With A ‘Villain’
Rep. Jared Moskowitz sent a scathing message to Republicans as he questioned their work with a whistleblower at a House Oversight Committee hearing.
Democratic Lawmaker Tells Matt Gaetz Off To His Face On House Floor
Steven Horsford called the Florida lawmaker “exhausting” during a heated exchange.
RNC Chair Makes No Exception For Trump As She Doubles Down On GOP Loyalty Pledge
Ronna McDaniel said she hopes Trump attends the first GOP debate, which requires qualifying candidates to sign a loyalty pledge for the party’s eventual nominee.
Hunter Biden’s Lawyer Sends Cease-And-Desist Letter To Trump Legal Team
The attorney told the ex-president to stop posting dangerous rhetoric on social media, adding that it could bring harm to Hunter Biden and his family.
Gavin Newsom Threatens To Intervene After School District Rejects Classroom Materials
A Southern California school board had voted against an elementary school curriculum that included materials about gay rights leader Harvey Milk.
What Happens If UPS Goes on Strike
Americans’ shopping habits have made us reliant on delivery workers—and helped UPS’s business boom. Now UPS workers are threatening to strike to get a piece of that success.First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:
When will the Southwest become unlivable?
Learn a foreign language before it’s too late.
The Republican lab-leak circus makes one important point.
‘Things Don’t Always Change in a Nice, Gradual Way’
It’s getting hard to keep track of all the overlapping climate disasters. In Phoenix, Arizona, the temperature has broken 110 degrees for nearly two weeks running. The waters off the Florida coast are approaching hot-tub hot, and before long, marine heat waves may cover half the world’s oceans. Up north, Canada’s worst wildfire season on record burns on and continues to suffocate American cities with sporadic smoke, which may not clear for good until October.
Birth control pills could soon be over the counter. What’s next?
The FDA on Thursday approved Opill, the first over-the-counter daily birth control pill.