Today's Liberal News

The Atlantic Presents: Shorter Stories

In a lecture written shortly before his death, the Italian writer Italo Calvino extolled the virtues of lightness in literature. After decades of writing stories, novels, and essays, he had reached a realization: “My method has more often than not involved the subtraction of weight.” Life is heavy, and the writerly task of conveying its truths can be equally weighty.

Google Workers Demand Privacy for Abortion Searches & Want to Stop Ads for Anti-Abortion “Clinics”

We speak with one of the more than 650 workers calling on Google’s parent company Alphabet to protect the location and browser history of people searching for information on abortion. A petition led by the Alphabet Workers Union also demands the company block advertisements that misleadingly direct users to so-called crisis pregnancy centers, a tactic employed by anti-abortion activists to lure patients to discourage them from seeking abortions.

Walmart, CVS and Walgreens Must Pay $650M for Filling Prescriptions to Pill Mills in Opioid Crisis

A landmark ruling orders pharmacy chains Walmart, CVS and Walgreens to pay a combined $650 million for their role in fueling the opioid crisis, as other cases have focused on opioid makers and wholesalers that distribute the addictive painkillers. A federal judge in Ohio found the pharmacy chains accountable for filling prescriptions even after suspecting doctors were operating pill mills.

The Classified-Files Scandal Is the Most Trumpy Scandal of All

The iron law of scandals involving Donald Trump is that they will always be stupid, and there will always be more of them. Trump scandals—the Russia investigation; Trump’s first impeachment, over his efforts to blackmail Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; the insurrection on January 6—have something else in common: All these catastrophes result from Trump’s refusal to divorce the office of the presidency and the good of the country from his personal desires.

“No Tech for ICE”: Data Broker LexisNexis Sued for Helping ICE Target Immigrant Communities

A coalition of immigrant rights organizations have sued the data broker LexisNexis for collecting detailed personal information on millions of people and then selling it to governmental entities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The lawsuit alleges LexisNexis has helped create “a massive surveillance state with files on almost every adult U.S. consumer,” and accuses ICE of using information collected by LexisNexis to circumvent local policies in sanctuary cities.

Palestinian NGOs Speak Out After Israeli Forces Raid Offices & Declare Them to Be “Terrorist” Groups

Israeli forces raided and closed the offices of seven Palestinian civil society rights groups in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, six of which Israeli authorities had designated as terrorist groups last year. The raid came as the United Nations condemned Israel for killing 19 Palestinian children in recent weeks, and 100 days after Israeli forces shot dead Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while covering an Israeli military raid in the Jenin refugee camp.

What Will the Future of Kenya Look Like? Nanjala Nyabola on 2022 Disputed Election, Drought & More

Kenya is facing a political crisis following last week’s presidential election, with the apparent runner-up rejecting the results of the vote and the apparent president-elect announcing plans to form a new government. We speak with Nairobi-based writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola, who says the Kenyan elections yield “terrible candidates,” with the most recent election results following a decades-long tradition of election interference and miscommunication.

The Glaring Flaw at the Heart of House of the Dragon

This article contains spoilers through the first episode of House of the Dragon.While I was parsing how I felt about House of the Dragon, HBO’s lavish, sweeping new entry in the Game of Thrones universe, I came across an interview given to the Daily Mail by an alleged “Hollywood executive” connected to the series.

Nuts & Bolts—Inside a Democratic campaign: Education will always be an issue

Welcome to Nuts & Bolts, a guide to Democratic campaigns. I’ve helped write this series for years, using information from campaign managers, finance directors, field directors, trainers, and staff, responding to questions from Daily Kos members, and addressing issues that are sent to me via kosmail through Daily Kos.

When I first started doing Democratic campaign work, talking about education was one of the only issues that Democratic campaigns felt safe discussing.

Graham gets temporary stay that ‘significantly delays’ grand jury probe

Sen. Lindsey Graham has been trying his best to evade a subpoena requiring him to testify before a special purpose grand jury (SPGJ) assembled in Georgia’s Fulton County to investigate GOP efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election. A federal appeals court gave him reason for brief relief on Sunday in the form of a temporary stay, according to a court order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Rhode Island students sued for the right to civics lessons. Now they will ensure others benefit

by Kio Herrera

This article was originally published at Prism.

On June 15, 2022, Rhode Island’s Department of Education reached an agreement with the plaintiffs of a class action lawsuit filed by parents and students claiming the state’s public schools had violated their constitutional rights by failing to adequately prepare students to be active and productive civic participants in society.

Cook v.

The GOP’s calls to defund the FBI are not hypocritical

In the wake of the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residency, GOP leaders across the nation, along with mainstream conservative media outlets, are calling for the defunding of the FBI, political violence, civil war, and the overthrow of the U.S. government.

DEFUND THE FBI!— Rep.

Privacy

Only one person knew
the second timeI had an abortion;
over the phone, we tradedcalm through long-distance
shapelessness, our flattenedforms. Years later,
he and I talk about rivers  we want to visit. Again,
each other’s bodies only  near in recollection. He reads
different names into my ear:Missouri. Platte. I offer
back: Rogue.Oxbow.

Xi Jinping’s Radical Secrecy

Xi Jinping has never given a press conference. He is the head of China’s ruling Communist Party—a colossal, sprawling political machine with 96.7 million members—yet he does not have a press secretary. His office does not preannounce his domestic travel or visitor log. He does not tweet.What are billed by the official media as important speeches are typically not released until months after Xi has delivered them in closed forums.