Today's Liberal News

“Holding Liat”: Former Israeli Hostage Says “There Aren’t Any Conflicts That Are Unsolvable”

Israeli American Liat Beinin Atzili was taken captive during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Over the next two months, her family members, including film director Brandon Kramer, tirelessly advocated for her release, an endeavor now documented in Kramer’s new film, Holding Liat. We speak to Atzili and Kramer about their family’s ordeal and Atzili’s captivity in Gaza, where she was held in isolation alongside another Israeli woman by members of Hamas until November 2023.

A Breathtaking Week of Pure Trump Id

Scarcely a week ago, U.S. warplanes and drones were streaking across the Caracas night sky to deliver a swift end to the reign of the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. The extraordinary display of kinetic violence delivered a stunning reminder about the reach of the world’s most powerful military—and symbolized the start of a new chapter for the man who commands it.
Donald Trump has been emboldened.

The Candor of Jerome Powell

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Jerome Powell isn’t known for his expressiveness. The chair of the Federal Reserve has kept quiet over the past year as President Trump has repeatedly attacked him—often with crude language (think moron, numbskull, dumb, and loser).

Some Other Things Donald Trump Will Probably Try to Buy

President Trump keeps talking about buying Greenland. Perhaps via a lump sum to Denmark, perhaps through individual payments to each Greenlander? We have reached the stage of the imperial presidency where we just start pointing at the map and demanding the things we see there. Formerly, when something bad happened in the news, the only people allowed to become immediately richer were defense contractors.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Our Deer Departed

Welcome back to Atlantic Trivia! Are you hungry for more?
I hope that while I’ve been away, you have been enjoying plenty of food for thought—literally. Research shows that berries help improve memory and that a walnut-heavy diet is associated with higher cognitive performance. Fatty fish and leafy greens are linked to slower cognitive decline. Caffeine is a brain boost too.
A challenge: Combine all these ingredients, Chopped-style, into the perfect pre-trivia meal.

The Soul of the Grateful Dead

In the summer of 1968, three years into the Grateful Dead’s existence, the band fired singer and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir. Jerry Garcia, the band’s other guitarist and its reluctant leader, and bassist Phil Lesh had decided that Weir and keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan were dragging the band down musically. Weir was just 20 years old, the youngest member of the group and the least technically accomplished.

“All the Walls Came Down”: L.A. Fire Survivors Fight Foreclosure & Demand Justice in Altadena

We look at All the Walls Came Down, a new short documentary directed by filmmaker Ondi Timoner that looks back at the devastating 2025 fires in Los Angeles, which destroyed Timoner’s home and left the historically Black community of Altadena in ruins. The film, which has been shortlisted for an Academy Award, follows community organizer Heavenly Hughes as residents confront the aftermath of the fires and organize to rebuild their town.

“We Had Whistles. They Had Guns”: Nationwide Protests Held over ICE Killing of Renee Good

We speak with civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong in Minneapolis as protests continue in the city following the killing of activist Renee Good last week. The ICE agent who fatally shot Good in her car has been identified as Jonathan Ross, an Iraq War veteran described by family and friends as a hardcore conservative Christian and MAGA supporter. This comes as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem continues to claim Good was engaged in “domestic terrorism.

Iran Escalates Deadly Crackdown on Mass Protests as Trump Threatens to Launch Military Attack

Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in Iran as authorities crack down on protests against inflation and the government’s handling of the economic crisis, with thousands more arrested amid a nationwide communications blackout. The protests started in late December and quickly spread across the country, marking the strongest internal challenge to the Iranian government in years. Meanwhile, U.S.