Today's Liberal News

Contributing Writers

Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny Dies in Arctic Prison; “No Doubt” He Was Killed, Says Masha Gessen

More than 400 people have reportedly been detained in Russia for publicly mourning the death of Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony on Friday at age 47. He was the most prominent critic of Vladimir Putin in Russia and was serving a 19-year sentence at the time of his death on “extremism” charges. U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders directly have blamed Putin for Navalny’s death.

“Borders on Pathological”: Trump Must Pay $450 Million for Lying to Lenders in Fraud Case

The legal setbacks facing leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are piling up. He now has 30 days to pay $450 million in fines and penalties from a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. His two eldest sons face a two-year ban and were each ordered to pay $4 million. Trump says he plans to appeal the ruling, which he described as a “complete and total sham.

“They Were So Close”: Israel Kills Medics Trying to Save Dying 6-Year-Old Hind Rajab

We look at the case of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza whose case reverberated around the world when audio of her pleading for emergency workers to save her was published online. Her body was found two weeks later alongside those of her aunt, uncle and three cousins. The bodies of two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics, also missing since they had been dispatched to rescue her, were located in their ambulance just yards away. All had been killed by Israeli fire.

Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny Dies in Arctic Prison; “No Doubt” He Was Killed, Says Masha Gessen

More than 400 people have reportedly been detained in Russia for publicly mourning the death of Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony on Friday at age 47. He was the most prominent critic of Vladimir Putin in Russia and was serving a 19-year sentence at the time of his death on “extremism” charges. U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders directly have blamed Putin for Navalny’s death.

“They Were So Close”: Israel Kills Medics Trying to Save Dying 6-Year-Old Hind Rajab

We look at the case of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza whose case reverberated around the world when audio of her pleading for emergency workers to save her was published online. Her body was found two weeks later alongside those of her aunt, uncle and three cousins. The bodies of two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics, also missing since they had been dispatched to rescue her, were located in their ambulance just yards away. All had been killed by Israeli fire.

Australian Parliament Calls for U.S. to Drop Case Against WikiLeaks’ Assange Ahead of U.K. Court Hearing

Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to find out next week whether he has exhausted opportunities to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faces life in prison for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. A two-day hearing before the British High Court of Justice is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has been held in London’s infamous Belmarsh Prison since 2019 awaiting his possible extradition.

“I Died That Day in Parkland”: Shotline Uses AI-Generated Voices of Gun Victims to Call Congress

The shooting in Kansas City on Wednesday came on the sixth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre that left 17 dead and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. To mark the anniversary, gun control advocates have launched a project called “The Shotline,” which calls lawmakers with AI-generated audio messages that feature the voices of gun violence victims, pushing them to pass stricter gun control laws and prevent future tragedies.

“Uniquely American Hell”: Kansas City Shooting Highlights Missouri’s Pro-Gun Laws in “Pro-Life” State

In the first 46 days of 2024, there have been 49 mass shootings in the United States — over one per day. In total, almost 5,000 people have died from gun violence this year, including Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, a radio host and mother of two who was shot and killed Wednesday at a rally held after the Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City, Missouri. Twenty-two others were wounded, many of them children, when the shooting broke out near the end of the rally.

“They Were So Close”: Israel Kills Medics Trying to Save Dying 6-Year-Old Hind Rajab

We look at the case of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza whose case reverberated around the world when audio of her pleading for emergency workers to save her was published online. Her body was found two weeks later alongside those of her aunt, uncle and three cousins. The bodies of two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics, also missing since they had been dispatched to rescue her, were located in their ambulance just yards away. All had been killed by Israeli fire.

Australian Parliament Calls for U.S. to Drop Case Against WikiLeaks’ Assange Ahead of U.K. Court Hearing

Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to find out next week whether he has exhausted opportunities to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faces life in prison for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. A two-day hearing before the British High Court of Justice is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has been held in London’s infamous Belmarsh Prison since 2019 awaiting his possible extradition.

“I Died That Day in Parkland”: Shotline Uses AI-Generated Voices of Gun Victims to Call Congress

The shooting in Kansas City on Wednesday came on the sixth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre that left 17 dead and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. To mark the anniversary, gun control advocates have launched a project called “The Shotline,” which calls lawmakers with AI-generated audio messages that feature the voices of gun violence victims, pushing them to pass stricter gun control laws and prevent future tragedies.

“Uniquely American Hell”: Kansas City Shooting Highlights Missouri’s Pro-Gun Laws in “Pro-Life” State

In the first 46 days of 2024, there have been 49 mass shootings in the United States — over one per day. In total, almost 5,000 people have died from gun violence this year, including Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, a radio host and mother of two who was shot and killed Wednesday at a rally held after the Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City, Missouri. Twenty-two others were wounded, many of them children, when the shooting broke out near the end of the rally.

Trump’s Legal and Political Strategies

Editor’s Note: Washington Week with The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here.
A New York judge has set March 25 as the start date in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, making it the first criminal trial against a former American president in U.S. history.

Trump campaign panics over leak of his support for a 16-week abortion ban

Just as quickly as news broke Friday that Donald Trump has been privately expressing support for a 16-week national abortion ban, the Trump campaign scrambled to shoot it down.

According to The New York Times, Trump is liking the idea of a 16-week ban with exceptions in the cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. Naturally, Trump had devoted a lot of deep thinking to the matter.

“Know what I like about 16?” Trump told a confidant, according to the Times.

Even Steve Bannon is worried about Trump’s ability to govern

Normally, the Steve Bannon Experience feels a bit like shooting psychedelic toad venom into your eyeballs while Randy Quaid’s vestigial twin reads random 8chan posts, but occasionally he says something that sounds vaguely true-ish. 

It may be an accident. After all, a roomful of chimpanzees banging on typewriters could recreate all of Shakespeare’s works over trillions of years—or one teleprompter-ready Trump speech in about 15 minutes.

‘Trolling under the cover of serious reasoning’: Putin claims Russia backs Biden over Trump

No one should be fooled when President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly declared that it would be better for Russia if President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2024 election. In an interview with Russian state TV (an English-language transcript of the interview was published on the Kremlin’s presidential website) on Wednesday, Putin was asked by journalist Pavel Zarubin, “Who would be better for us? Biden or Trump?”

Putin replied: “Biden.

ICYMI: GOP conspiracy crumbles, Johnson bumbles, plus Gaetz’s latest stumbles

FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukrainian company

Republicans’ favorite Biden conspiracy theory has now totally collapsed.

Alexei Navalny, opposition leader and Putin’s fiercest foe, dies in prison

Footage reportedly shows Navalny in good spirits just yesterday.

Donald Trump fraud verdict: $364 million penalty in civil fraud case

The penalty could wipe out Trump’s cash on hand.

“They Were So Close”: Israel Kills Medics Trying to Save Dying 6-Year-Old Hind Rajab

We look at the case of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza whose case reverberated around the world when audio of her pleading for emergency workers to save her was published online. Her body was found two weeks later alongside those of her aunt, uncle and three cousins. The bodies of two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics, also missing since they had been dispatched to rescue her, were located in their ambulance just yards away. All had been killed by Israeli fire.

Australian Parliament Calls for U.S. to Drop Case Against WikiLeaks’ Assange Ahead of U.K. Court Hearing

Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to find out next week whether he has exhausted opportunities to avoid extradition to the United States, where he faces life in prison for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. A two-day hearing before the British High Court of Justice is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. He has been held in London’s infamous Belmarsh Prison since 2019 awaiting his possible extradition.