Today's Liberal News

Aysha Qamar

Elderly Sikh man visiting from India becomes victim of hate crime in unprovoked NYC attack

As hate crimes against the country continue to increase, people of East Asian descent are not the only victims. Asians across the country are being attacked without provocation. Most recently, a 70-year-old Sikh man visiting from India was brutally attacked in an incident being investigated as a possible hate crime, officials with the New York City Department and a Sikh-American advocacy group said.

GOP states move from banning surgical abortions to focusing on the pill, too

Almost five decades after the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide, abortion rights are at great risk. Across the country, Republican-majority states are introducing bills to ban abortion at a rapid rate. At least 15 GOP-controlled states have introduced bills that ban abortion despite circumstances of incest or rape, with some proposed bans beginning as early as 30 days after conception.

Father and son hospitalized after intervening in attack on Asian woman

As calls for support and justice for the rising number anti-Asian hate crimes nationwide increase, some people are stepping up and going beyond being bystanders. A father and his son are being called heroes after stopping an Asian woman, 61-year-old Hee Chen, from being robbed outside of their pizzeria in Queens, New York. The two were stabbed as a result and are now recovering at the hospital.

Proposed GOP bill eliminates age requirements for marriages in Tennessee

As abortion ban proposals make their way nationwide, some GOP states are taking the opportunity to propose other horrific laws. A bill, HB 233, has been proposed in the Tennessee state legislature that would establish a common-law marriage between “one man” and “one woman,” WKRN reported.

Bill sponsors claim the proposed bill would add a new marriage option for residents.

Trump minion Manafort removed from flight to Dubai for having revoked passport

Donald Trump’s crew just gets messier and messier. In the most recent incident of embarrassing Trump minion moments, former Trump campaign chair in 2016 Paul Manafort was removed from a plane in Miami on Sunday for carrying a revoked passport, officials said Wednesday. Miami-Dade Police Department Detective Alvaro Zabaleta confirmed to The Associated Press that Manafort had been removed from an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai on Sunday night.

“His U.S.

‘Madam President’: Stacey Abrams featured on Star Trek season 4 finale as president of United Earth

Just when you think Stacey Abrams can’t get any cooler, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia announced Thursday that she made a cameo in the final minutes of the Season 4 finale of Star Trek: Discovery.

According to The Washington Post, in the episode Abrams can be seen walking off a spaceship with a cape over her shoulders. She is then greeted as “Madam President.

New Mexico passes most expansive higher education program in nation, offers free in-state tuition

In an exciting move for education, one state has declared college to be tuition-free for most of its residents. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 140, the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act, on Friday. According to  CNN, the plan first introduced in 2019 will waive tuition costs for any students attending in-state public schools or tribal colleges, including community colleges.

The Joy Collective: A roundup of happy videos that are guaranteed to make you smile

Social media is filled with funny moments and stories. Sometimes we just need to step away and take some time to relax; such posts allow us to mentally recharge.

As part of a weekly series that aims to make you laugh, Daily Kos will be compiling and sharing viral funny videos from across social media platforms. The news cycle can be a bit much at times. Self-care is needed. 

We all need balance, so let’s have some joy where we are able.

Colorado mom who faked the illness that led to her child’s death sentenced to 16 years in prison

After abusing her daughter and lying about her child’s health in order to receive gifts and payments from charities, a Colorado woman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. The woman, identified as Kelly Turner, was given 16 years on the child abuse count, 10 years for charges of charitable fraud and theft, and three years on charges of theft. Her sentences will run concurrently.

‘I just got hit by a car’: Journalist goes viral for continuing to report after on-air accident

A video of a reporter in West Virginia being hit by a car while doing a live report has gone viral on social media, with many talking about the depths reporters go to get the news out. In the video, the journalist, identified as Tori Yorgey, immediately pulls herself up and continues speaking on camera—despite having just been hit by a car.

“Oh my God. I just got by a car, but I’m okay!” Yorgey says as she falls to the ground.

‘We need donors’: U.S. faces another health care crisis, lack of blood supply and donors

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers fail to realize the strain their decisions are having on the health care system. Nationwide, hospitals have been not only forced to cancel surgeries due to COVID-19 hospitalizations but also because they lack an adequate blood supply.

In Illinois especially, donors are desperately needed.

Asian man attacked in horrific NYC incident dies eight months later, police rule death a homicide

As the rate of the novel coronavirus continues to rise nationwide, crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander (APPI) community follow suit. Multiple reports have indicated hate crimes targeting Asian Americans across the country due to misinformation about how the virus spread. While awareness of these attacks is spreading, the rate at which they are occurring has not decreased.

Lowell Mayor Sokhary Chau makes history as first Cambodian American mayor in the nation

Going into the new year the trend of people of color making historic wins nationwide continues. Just two months ago, Aftab Pureval was elected as Cincinnati’s first Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) mayor, his win was followed a month later by the election of Maine’s first Somali American mayor, Deqa Dhalac. Now, a new month brings us another first, Sokhary Chau as the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States.

New Zealand journalist becomes the first person with a Māori face tattoo to present primetime news

As 2021 comes to an end, we celebrate another first for representation—this time not in the U.S. but in New Zealand. A Māori journalist made history in New Zealand by becoming the first person with traditional facial markings to host a primetime news program on national television. Making headlines worldwide, Oriini Kaipara was the first person to have Indigenous markings on her face while reading Newshub Live 6 PM news bulletin in a prime spot on Christmas Day.

Changes to COVID-19 guidance lead to hilarious ‘the CDC recommends’ trend on Twitter

Amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases across the U.S. due to the omicron variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced some recent changes to coronavirus guidelines on Dec. 27. While one would assume the recommendations would be stricter given the surge in cases, the announcement came as a shock to many because the CDC instead shortened the recommended isolation and quarantine period for people with COVID-19.

Trailblazing lawyer Sarah Weddington, who argued Roe v. Wade, dies at 76

As 2021 comes to an end, we pay tribute to and remember the lives lost. Texas lawyer Sarah Weddington, who won the landmark court case Roe v. Wade passed away “after a series of health issues” in her Austin home Sunday, former student and friend Susan Hays shared on Twitter. Weddington, who died at the age of 76, fought the historic Supreme Court case at the age of 26, only five years after she graduated from law school, CNN reported.

Oregon man calls Biden to say ‘Let’s go, Brandon’ on Christmas Eve, cries about it later

An Oregon man who took the opportunity to say “Let’s go, Brandon!” to President Joe Biden on Christmas Eve is now playing the victim, claiming he has received numerous threats since. The seemingly innocent phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” is an offensive catchphrase commonly used by conservatives to tell Biden off.  “And now I am being attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech,” the man told reporters.

Meet Shahana Hanif, the first Muslim woman elected to New York City Council

Asian Americans have made history by being elected in record numbers in major cities nationwide. “Firsts” have made headlines across the nation, including in cities as diverse as New York. This year, marking the highest percentage of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation the council has ever had, the New York City Council welcomed not one but five Asian Americans.

Among the five elected was Shahana Hanif.

A D.C. teacher allegedly made third-graders reenact events from the Holocaust

In a shocking and disturbing incident, a teacher at a Washington, D.C., elementary school made third-graders pretend to die in gas chambers and shoot their classmates in disturbing reenactments of the Holocaust, according to The Washington Post. While the teacher has not been identified, an email to the students’ parents from Watkins Elementary School’s principal notes that they were placed on leave last week.

Hundreds of Virginia high school students protest after Muslim girl is allegedly attacked at school

More than 350 students from Fairfax High School in Virginia walked out in protest Thursday to show their solidarity with a student who was allegedly attacked in an Islamophobic incident. According to a Change.org petition, a Black Muslim student, identified as Ekran Mohammad, was allegedly harassed by a group of boys, who threw her onto a desk and removed her hijab on Tuesday.

AAPI advocates say Massachusetts city council member should resign over racist Halloween costume

Calls for the resignation of a Massachusetts city council member continue after the discovery of an anti-Asian Halloween costume she once wore. Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) activists in Malden, Massachusetts, are urging Jadeane Sica to step down after a photo from 2019 resurfaced last month showing the woman wearing an Orchids of Asia T-shirt and a bamboo hat while holding a bottle of lotion, NBC News reported.