Where Biden and Dems stand on abortion access 3 weeks into the deadlocked fight
Biden signed an executive order with new protections, but Democrats still lack support for more sweeping safeguards.
Today's Liberal News
Before Guernica Won Over the World, It Flopped
When it comes to art against tyranny, no work is more seared into our consciousness than Guernica, Pablo Picasso’s dark, howling mural against fascist terror. Created in 1937 at the height of the Spanish Civil War, it has in the 85 years since become a universal statement about human suffering in the face of political violence. Throughout World War II, it stood for resistance to Nazi aggression; during Vietnam controversies such as the My Lai massacre, protesters invoked it against the U.
The Trump Enablers Truly in Contempt of Congress
Over the weekend we learned that Donald Trump’s former political strategist Steve Bannon had written to the January 6 committee indicating that he might, after all, be willing to testify. Bannon, who has been indicted for contempt of Congress, had previously claimed to be bound by executive privilege—though no court has accepted that argument—but he now presented a letter from the former president granting a waiver.
FDA to authorize Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine
The decision comes as White House officials stress the importance of vaccination to prevent severe disease.
Abortion Providers in Mississippi & Alabama Post-Roe Want Biden to Federally Codify Right to Choose
Heeding outrage from reproductive rights activists, President Biden signed an executive order Friday to ensure access to abortion medication and emergency contraception in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. We speak to the heads of two major reproductive health centers in the Deep South about how they are providing patient care now that abortion is criminalized.
As U.S. Funnels Money & Arms to Ukraine, Independent Media Faces Pressure to Parrot Official Narrative
As the Pentagon authorizes an additional $400 million for Ukraine’s defense on Friday, bringing estimated total U.S. security spending on Ukraine under President Biden to a staggering $8 billion, we speak to Joe Lauria, editor-in-chief of Consortium News, about the pressure on news media to follow a single approved narrative on the Ukraine war.
How Sri Lanka Protests Led to a “Reawakening of the Citizen” & Pushed Out President & Prime Minister
Thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka have stormed the homes of the president and prime minister and are refusing to leave until they officially resign, as the president faces accusations of corruption that bankrupted the country and led to a massive economic crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is set to formally step down Wednesday and has reportedly tried to flee the country.
988 set for quiet launch in light of state, federal concerns about crisis call spike
States say they are ready for the launch but long-term funding remains an open question.
Trump-era federal Covid contract recipient has yet to meet major deadlines
Two years in, Phlow Corp. has not delivered on high-tech methods to domestically manufacture cheap generic drugs.
No recession here: Hot jobs market tames fears of slump
Biden officials have repeatedly touted the jobs numbers as evidence of the economy’s underlying strength, but slowing the labor market is essential to helping tame consumer prices.
Failure ‘not an option’: Fed vows all-out fight on inflation
Fears have mounted that the central bank might trigger a recession sometime in the next year with its aggressive rate action.
‘When do you stop?’: Fed inflation fight could trigger slump
Things are so dire that central bank policymakers might hike rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, a move not taken in almost 30 years.
U.S. Accused of Whitewashing Israel’s Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh Ahead of Biden’s Middle East Trip
The United States is facing accusations of whitewashing the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh after concluding the bullet that killed her likely came from Israeli military gunfire, but stopping short of reaching a “definitive conclusion” in her killing. Abu Akleh was wearing a press uniform while reporting on an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank when she was fatally shot in the head on May 11.
As Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty in Russia, Biden Pressured to Help Free “State-Sponsored Hostage”
Pressure is growing on the Biden administration to help free U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner from Russian detention as Griner pleaded guilty Thursday in a Russian court to what her supporters say are trumped-up charges of “large-scale drug possession” and “drug smuggling.” Russian officials arrested the two-time U.S.
Assassination: Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Shot Dead. Will Killing Push Japan Further to the Right?
Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died at the age of 67 after being fatally shot while delivering a speech Friday in the western city of Nara. Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s history, was campaigning for a parliamentary election Friday and had a security detail. Police arrested a 41-year-old suspect at the crime scene.
Ex-Trump Adviser Peter Navarro Accuses Mike Pence Of Treason In Bonkers Rant
The former trade adviser also accused Trump’s vice president of “traitorous activity.
Shockingly Violent ‘Boys’ Season Finale Inspired By Donald Trump, Says Showrunner
Creators of Amazon’s superhero satire wondered if their sociopathic protagonist could “kill someone on Fifth Avenue” and be hailed for it, said Eric Kripke.
Dying John McCain Relieved He Had Enough ‘Self-Respect’ Not To Kiss Trump’s ‘Ass’: Book
Republicans who fawned over Trump were worried about reelection, McCain told journalist Mark Leibovitch, but sometimes they “went too far,” notes new book.
News Roundup: Republicans grapple with their own midterm choices; more trouble in Texas
As the midterm elections edge ever nearer, America waits for the answer to what may be an existential question: Is there any Republican candidate too embarrassing for the party’s voters to support? And as the Texas power grid struggles under the load of yet another record-busting heat wave, the state’s Republican governor is getting an earful over his constant immigrant-bashing stunts.
Ohio trans man says he, not attackers, was arrested after being beaten up for using bathroom
Republicans love to churn false hysteria over trans folks, especially when it comes to trans adults being villainous predators. Conservatives paint a sadly familiar (and false) picture: Trans people “pretend” to be who they are in order to access spaces not intended for them and use that opportunity to prey on vulnerable people, like women and children.
Lawmakers urge Biden admin to spare San Antonio survivors from possible detention and deportation
Nearly two dozen members of the U.S. House have added their voices to a recent call urging the Biden administration to protect the survivors of the horrific San Antonio tragedy last month, which resulted in the deaths of 53 people and hospitalized at least 16 others. San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro leads 22 colleagues in asking the survivors be spared from deportation and detention, and be allowed to quickly access certain humanitarian visas.
Biden administration discussing Covid boosters for everyone
Currently, only those over age 50 or who are immunocompromised are eligible.
GOP Senate Candidate Herschel Walker Floats A Jaw-Dropping Air Pollution Theory
We shouldn’t battle pollution because our good air will just “decide” to go to China, the Trump-backed Georgian told supporters, drawing massive blowback.
‘We have to do more’: Father of Parkland shooting victim interrupts Biden’s victory lap on gun law
The father of a 17-year-old boy who was killed in the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school in 2018 interrupted President Joe Biden on Monday to send a clear message about what the president had hoped would be a celebration of the newly passed gun law.
“We have to do more than that,” Manuel Oliver screamed.
Biden Gets Democratic Pushback On Potential Anti-Abortion Judge Pick
“I do not think this is the kind of person that a Democratic majority should put on the bench,” Sen. Tim Kaine said of a Kentucky lawyer reportedly in the wings.
No, the Republican National Committee isn’t going to turn against Trump. He owns them
Politico has a piece that consists solely of various Republicans pretending to wonder whether the Republican National Committee (RNC), an organization that Donald Trump allies purged of his detractors so relentlessly that you’d have a better shot getting an anti-Trump quote out of Jared Kushner than from all remaining RNC leaders put together, will truly stay “neutral” if Trump runs for president again and some other Republican dares to also enter the race.
Make Politics Boring Again
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.Joe Biden promised voters they wouldn’t have to keep thinking about politics all the time. That hasn’t worked out for them, or him.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.
This Is the Picture Astronomers Have Been Waiting For
There are so many galaxies in here.Those bright, spiky points are nearby stars, but every tiny oval, every gleaming blob is a distant galaxy, a swirling creation brimming with stars and dust and planets. Some of the galaxies in the foreground are part of a cluster called SMACS 0723, so massive that its gravity warps the light coming from other, more distant galaxies. The effect magnifies their brightness, bringing thousands of them out of the darkness.
Biden admin looks to protect doctors providing emergency abortions, and warn those who don’t
The new guidance assures doctors they’ll be protected by federal law even if their state bans the procedure.
Is BA.5 the ‘Reinfection Wave’?
Well, here we go again. Once more, the ever-changing coronavirus behind COVID-19 is assaulting the United States in a new guise—BA.5, an offshoot of the Omicron variant that devastated the most recent winter. The new variant is spreading quickly, likely because it snakes past some of the immune defenses acquired by vaccinated people, or those infected by earlier variants.