Today's Liberal News

How Elaine Massacre of 1919 Influenced Richard Wright, Acclaimed Author of “Black Boy” & “Native Son”

This weekend marked the 103rd anniversary of the 1919 Elaine massacre, one of the deadliest episodes of racial violence in U.S. history. The violence started on September 30, 1919, when guards stopped two white men from breaking into a meeting between Black sharecroppers in Elaine, Arkansas, who were organizing to demand fair payments for their crops. After an exchange of gunfire, a white man was killed. White mobs, backed by the U.S.

“I Didn’t See You There”: Filmmaker Reid Davenport on His Directorial Debut, Ableism & More

We speak with the award-winning filmmaker Reid Davenport about his directorial debut, “I Didn’t See You There,” in which he reflects on the portrayal of disability in media and popular culture. “Documentary film has traditionally subjugated disabled people, so I wanted to completely turn that on its head” by filming from his perspective without being seen, says Davenport.

Brent Renaud, First U.S. Journalist Killed in Ukraine War, Honored at New NYC Documentary Cinema

The lobby of DCTV’s new documentary film center in New York will be dedicated to the filmmaker Brent Renaud, who worked out of the historic firehouse alongside Democracy Now! for many years. Renaud was the first journalist to be killed in the Ukraine war after he was shot dead on March 13, 2022, while filming refugees near the capital Kyiv for a documentary series.

It looks like Herschel Walker paid for girlfriend’s abortion before he decided to become ‘pro-life’

Since he was tapped by the world’s most self-absorbed rich kid Donald Trump to run for Senate in Georgia, Herschel Walker has been nothing if not the worst candidate in the world. On every issue, Walker is a failure. He is a clearly incompetent public figure, lacking in decency and in the self-reflection needed to lead people beyond his very spotted past. That past includes secret children and very frightening moments of domestic violence.

Ukraine Update: Russians in disarray, as Ukraine presses their advantage

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This is a bit of a potpourri update, as there’s only so many ways to say “Ukraine keeps advancing.” Note that as much as we want to see Kharkiv-style lightning advances, what we’re seeing now—10-15 kilometers per day—is the upper end of what could be reasonably hoped for. The reality is far less, as advancing forces have to, at bare minimum, clear roads and approaches of land mines. In Kharkiv, Russia was caught 100% unawares.

Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American actor who famously refused Brando’s Oscar in 1973, has died

Nearly 50 years ago, Sacheen Littlefeather took to the stage at the Oscars and stunned the global audience when she revealed that Marlon Brando would not accept his Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather in protest of how Native Americans were depicted on the screen.

Littlefeather, a 75-year-old Native American actor and civil rights activist born Marie Louise Cruz, died Sunday at her home in Novato, California.

Trump, Putin, and the Assault of Anarchy

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.I am taken aback, and not for the first time, that terrible and shocking things now just flow over Americans as if chaos is part of a normal day. We don’t have to accept the new normal.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.

Noam Chomsky & Vijay Prashad on Brazil Election, Lula’s Leftist Platform & Fears of a Bolsonaro Coup

Brazil’s presidential contest will be settled by a runoff vote on October 30 after leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva fell short of a majority in Sunday’s election, winning 48% of votes compared to incumbent far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who received 43%. Bolsonaro outperformed expectations set by recent polls, which had suggested an outright win for Lula.