Today's Liberal News

A Harmless Act of Halloween Rebellion

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Last Halloween, I answered a knock on the door to find a young trick-or-treater dressed as a toilet. Not just any toilet—Skibidi Toilet, a disembodied head that pops out of a toilet and is a villain of the eponymous YouTube miniseries about an army of such creatures conquering Earth. I was visibly puzzled and asked him a series of questions.

Photos: Preparing for the Day of the Dead

Ulises Ruiz / AFP / Getty
Children with their faces painted pose in a field of cempasuchil (marigold) flowers during preparations for the Day of the Dead celebration at Rancho San Juan Diego, in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Jalisco, Mexico, on October 24, 2026. On November 2, Mexico will celebrate the Day of the Dead to pay tribute to deceased family members and friends.

Democrats Are Ready to Run Hegseth ‘Out of Town’

Many Democrats have a post-midterm dream that goes something like this: Pete Hegseth, the push-up-loving, beardo-mocking former Fox News host who has led the Pentagon for almost two years with bombast and theatrics, is either fired or hauled before their new majority in the House to face impeachment—which would make him just the third Cabinet secretary in history to face such a sanction.

The Rise of the Sexy-Cozy Autumn Read

Unto every season is given a certain kind of book. When the new year beckons a new you, self-help thrives. Breezy beach reads rule the summer. Cookbook recommendations abound in the lead-up to Thanksgiving. Curiously, publishers told me, Easter is big for picture books (which are easy to stick in a basket next to the chocolate bunny). And Halloween is for horror. Time to bust out some Shirley Jackson (or perhaps some Stephen King or Edgar Allan Poe).

The Variety Bag Has Ruined Halloween

All Halloween candy is the same now. Nothing stands out, apart from the quantity of candy dumped out on the floor back home. Every house seems to buy a variety bag of seemingly random candy, and consequently every stop metes out a little more of the same treats as the previous one did or the next one will. A harvesttime holiday that evolved from traditional reflections on death is now merely another household chore to carry out on the way to mortal life’s certain end.

Meet AI Engineer Who Resigned from DeepMind over “Google’s Complicity in the Gaza Genocide”

Several tech workers at Google’s AI unit DeepMind have resigned in protest over the tech giant’s work with the U.S. and Israeli militaries. Last week, DeepMind research engineer Sofia Liguori announced her resignation in a letter to her colleagues titled “Stay Human.” She denounced what she called “Google’s complicity in the Gaza genocide” and the increasing integration of Google’s technology into military and surveillance systems.