China announces rollback of strict anti-Covid measures
Public frustration with the restrictions appears to have finally swayed the opinion of officials.
Today's Liberal News
Ex-FDA vaccine inspectors call for better training
The team overseeing licensed vaccines is overwhelmed by high turnover and a pandemic-induced backlog of inspections.
Some Republicans say the midterms were a mandate for further abortion restrictions
Many GOP lawmakers who sailed to victory in states with anti-abortion laws are planning to use their expanded power.
Fed jacks up rates again but Powell hints it might slow down
Inflation has cooled only slightly and job growth remains strong.
Voters remain gloomy despite recent economic gains
A new POLITICO-Morning Consult poll suggests voters’ views of the economy are baked in.
U.S. economy returned to growth last quarter, expanding 2.6 percent
Housing investment, though, plunged at a 26 percent annual pace, hammered by surging mortgage rates.
More voters trust Republicans on economy as interest in midterms hits high, polls say
According to an NBC News poll released Sunday, 70 percent of registered voters expressed interest in the upcoming election as a “9” or “10” on a 10-point scale.
Supreme Court Weighs Voting Rights Case Based on Fringe Theory That Could Upend Democracy
The Supreme Court is considering a North Carolina redistricting case that could have far-reaching implications for voting rights in the 2024 election and beyond. At stake in Moore v. Harper is whether North Carolina Republican lawmakers had the authority to overturn a state Supreme Court ruling that redrew the state’s congressional map due to partisan gerrymandering.
Special Counsel’s DOJ Probe Subpoenas Michigan Election Info Regarding Trump
This is the first known round of subpoenas since the appointment of new Special Counsel Jack Smith by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Brother Scorches Trump For Turning U.S. Russian Prisoner Paul Whelan Into Political Football
It seems Trump “mentioned my brother Paul Whelan’s wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency,” says brother.
Emails Bare RNC Member Fury At Silence On Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Dinner: Report
Communications obtained by Politico reveal party turmoil.
Kari Lake Sues Maricopa County In Fight To Be Declared Arizona Governor
Failed candidate is demanding court throw out certified election results, and she be declared the winner or a new vote held.
In Wake Of Shocking Dinner, Trump Says It’s Jews Who Should Be ‘Ashamed’ For Disloyalty
Trump issued a startling first public message to the Jewish community since his Mar-a-Lago dinner with antisemitic Ye and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
Nothing Sinema does can take away Democrats’ Senate majority—she’s just an isolated weirdo
Like you, I spat a few curses when I woke up this morning to the news that Kyrsten Sinema had left the Democratic Party to become an independent. Had she just snatched defeat from the jaws of our victory and dumped it on our laps? Turns out the answer is no, not remotely. And it’s all a matter of basic math.
Ukraine update: Situation in Bakhmut ‘critical.’ Situation in Moscow … interesting
UPDATE: Friday, Dec 9, 2022 · 7:57:47 PM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
From the person of the year…
Thankful to @POTUS for another security aid package. And for unwavering leading support 🇺🇦 in our fight against Russian aggression.
Fox News’ criticism of Brittney Griner’s release is really just a hateful reaction to Black joy
It didn’t take long for Fox News and Republicans to try to erase President Joe Biden’s success in securing the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner. The right-wing machine has spent nearly every moment since the announcement trash-talking Griner—who they claim “hates America”—and Biden, who they blame for the continued Russian incarceration of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
A new pandemic is killing hundreds of millions of birds, and some species may be completely lost
The flu virus can infect practically every species of mammal. It’s also capable of infecting birds. For a disease to readily infect two groups whose last common ancestor lived somewhere between 320 and 340 million years ago is pretty unusual, but far from unheard of. After all, there are good half a dozen bacterial diseases that you can get from handling a turtle. Even so, flu is extraordinary in how it has adapted to such a variety of hosts.
Now faced with doing actual work, no House Republican wants to chair border funding committee
Republican Kevin McCarthy and others in his caucus have carried out campaign stunt after campaign stunt at the southern border, at times happening when the wannabe speaker is desperately attempting to distract from certain scandals that also pertain to him. What a coincidence.
But now Republicans have won slim control of the U.S.
We Need a Little Christmas (Music)
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.It’s time for the takeover of the airwaves by Christmas TV specials and music. I have some nostalgic favorites—and some nominations for songs that should get a Scrooge-like burial after being boiled in a vat of Christmas pudding.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.
Elon Musk’s Twitter Files Are Bait
Last night, Elon Musk celebrated the release of a new entry in the “Twitter Files” series, which aims to … Well, that’s complicated. It’s a supposed transparency project from Musk that, to date, has included giving two independent writers access to internal Twitter communications, as well as to the company’s Slack channels.
Dems’ final Covid report slams government failures. Congress may repeat them.
The Coronavirus Crisis committee lays out 30 recommendations for protecting the country during future pandemics.
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Another COVID Surge
When I called the epidemiologist Denis Nash this week to discuss the country’s worsening COVID numbers, he was about to take a rapid test. “I came in on the subway to work this morning, and I got a text from home,” Nash, a professor at the City University of New York, told me. “My daughter tested positive for COVID.”Here we go again: For the first time in several months, another wave seems to be on the horizon in the United States.
Kyrsten Sinema’s Decision Is All About 2024
A fashionable critique of much political punditry is that it’s theater criticism, too focused on personality and superficial action, not focused enough on the real stuff of policy.But we’re talking about Kyrsten Sinema today, the senator from Arizona who loves to create drama. And that’s the best way to understand her announcement this morning that she has changed her affiliation from Democrat to independent.
Sarah Leah Whitson on Growing Saudi-China Ties & Holding MBS Responsible for Jamal Khashoggi Murder
We speak with Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, or DAWN, about the campaign to hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This week a U.S.
“A Personified Weapon of Mass Destruction”: Ex-Arms Trafficking Inspector on Freed Russian Viktor Bout
Brittney Griner’s release from Russia has brought renewed attention to the notorious Russian arms dealer whom the U.S. exchanged for the basketball star in a prisoner swap. Viktor Bout, the former Soviet military officer who became known as the “Merchant of Death,” was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States for conspiracy to commit terrorism.
“A Vindication for Agitation”: Dave Zirin on How Brittney Griner’s Supporters Secured Her Freedom
Basketball star Brittney Griner landed in the United States early Friday after nearly 10 months of detention in Russia. Griner was freed Thursday in a dramatic prisoner swap between the United States and Russia, with the Biden administration agreeing to free Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer who was serving a 25-year sentence.
China announces rollback of strict anti-Covid measures
Public frustration with the restrictions appears to have finally swayed the opinion of officials.
Ex-FDA vaccine inspectors call for better training
The team overseeing licensed vaccines is overwhelmed by high turnover and a pandemic-induced backlog of inspections.
Some Republicans say the midterms were a mandate for further abortion restrictions
Many GOP lawmakers who sailed to victory in states with anti-abortion laws are planning to use their expanded power.
HHS to end public health emergency for monkeypox in January
With new infections down, health officials will wind down emergency and let it expire by end of next month.