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.
Today's Liberal News
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.
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.
Futuro Media Probes Deadly U.S. Border Policy & NY Drug Trafficking Trial of Mexico’s Former Top Cop
In “Death by Policy,” the newly launched investigative unit of Pulitzer Prize-winning Futuro Media reveals how the U.S. Border Patrol’s policies push migrants attempting to cross from Mexico to the U.S. into dangerous areas, especially the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The longstanding “prevention through deterrence” approach, which funnels people into unsafe migration routes, has contributed to thousands of deaths since the 1990s.
Chicago Tribune Calls For Trump’s Name To Be ‘Jackhammered’ Off City Skyscraper
Newspaper has had it with Trump’s name on his Chicago tower after jury in tax trial found that the Trump Organization “was corrupt at the core.
Donald Trump Jr. Blasts Deal Freeing ‘America Hating’ Brittney Griner
He labeled Griner as “America hating” apparently for exercising her First Amendment right to protest by joining calls for racial justice in the U.S.
Mitt Romney Doesn’t Have To Think Twice About Where He Stands On Trump
“He’s simply not a person who ought to have the reins of the government of the United States,” the Utah senator declared.
Jan. 6 committee considering charges against Trump, Meadows, Eastman, Clark, and Giuliani
When Rep. Bennie Thompson first stated that the House select committee on Jan. 6 intended to send referrals for criminal charges to the Department of Justice, he said the committee was in general agreement, but hadn’t yet determined just how many charges it would forward.
“I wish I could tell you one, two, three, four,” said Thompson, “but that’s all still being discussed.
What we know (and what we don’t) about the University of Idaho student quadruple homicide
In the wake of the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students—21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves; 21-year-old Madison Mogen; 20-year-old Xana Kernodle; and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin—Moscow Police have worked seemingly day and night alongside the FBI to solve this particularly disturbing (and befuddling) crime.
Doctor who defied Texas abortion ban gets big win in a Lone Star state courtroom
On Thursday, a state court in Texas threw out a lawsuit brought against abortion provider Dr. Alan Braid. The San Antonio doctor had been sued under Texas’ near-total abortion ban law, Senate Bill 8. Dr. Braid admitted to defying the law just days after it took effect. Dr. Braid was not clandestine about his actions, penning an opinion piece that was promptly published in The Washington Post, titled “Why I violated Texas’s extreme abortion ban.
DOJ recommends that Trump’s legal team be held in contempt over holding onto classified documents
The Department of Justice has asked District Court Judge Beryl Howell to hold “Trump’s office” in contempt over refusals to comply with a May subpoena to produce classified documents. Details of just who this affects and what action is being requested are not yet available, as the filing has been made under seal.
The Washington Post reports that, according to their sources, Judge Howell has not yet responded to this request.
Ukraine update: Losing this war is destroying the Russian ‘mythos,’ and could destroy Russia
UPDATE: Thursday, Dec 8, 2022 · 6:55:45 PM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
In addition to the explosions at the airport outside Berdyansk, there are now reported explosions underway at the airport in occupied Melitopol. Again, it’s unclear if this is preparatory to other actions, or intended to reduce Russian drone / missile attacks on civilian locations.
First Gen Z Congressman-Elect Has DC Apartment Application Rejected
Maxwell Frost said he lost the apartment and the application fee due to his bad credit rating.
Florida GOP Lawmaker Who Sponsored ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Resigns After Fraud Charges
State Rep. Joe Harding was charged with illegally obtaining or trying to obtain more than $150,000 in pandemic loans.
Five Remarkable Chats That Will Help You Understand ChatGPT
Move over Siri and Alexa, there’s a new AI in town and it’s ready to steal the show—or at least make you laugh with its clever quips and witty responses.That is how ChatGPT, the powerful chatbot released last week by the AI company OpenAI, suggested that I begin this story about ChatGPT.
Why the Far Right Is Fixated on Drag Queens
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.On Tuesday, a suspect accused of fatally shooting five people at a Colorado Springs queer nightclub in November was charged with hate crimes, assault, and murder. Elsewhere, armed protesters have been intimidating drag performers.
Xochitl Gonzalez Joins The Atlantic as Staff Writer, With Eleanor Barkhorn Hired as Senior Editor
Xochitl Gonzalez is joining The Atlantic’s editorial team as a staff writer, having contributed to the magazine this past year through her subscriber newsletter, Brooklyn, Everywhere. In her newsletter, which she’ll continue as a staff writer, Xochitl reflects on the many meanings of gentrification and what we stand to lose in our relentless pursuit of the American dream.
Arctic Adventurers Have a Russia Problem
In the next few weeks, Jeff Glasbrenner, a 49-year old amputee and father of two, will strap on a harness—“kind of like a backpack without a backpack”—and begin dragging a 20-pound SUV tire around his neighborhood just outside Little Rock, Arkansas. He will drag his tire for anywhere from two to 10 hours a day, powered by a playlist of Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls; then, after a few weeks, he’ll start dragging two tires, and later, three.
Harry and Meghan Are Playing a Whole Different Game
Fame at last! Two minutes into Netflix’s Harry & Meghan documentary, the headline of an article I wrote in January 2020 flashed on the screen. “Harry and Meghan Won’t Play the Game,” it said. Observing the departure of the duke and duchess of Sussex from the Royal Family—and from Britain itself—the story declared that “no royal has ever taken on the press quite so directly, much though they might have wanted to.