Whitmer sues over abortion law as governors prepare for state policy free-for-all
The Supreme Court is expected to roll back or completely reverse Roe v. Wade this summer, kicking abortion policy to the states.
Today's Liberal News
We Need Student Debt Cancellation: Astra Taylor Responds to Biden Extending Payment Moratorium
President Biden announced Tuesday he would extend the pandemic pause on federal student loan payments until August 31, but debtors are demanding total cancellation. We speak with Astra Taylor, co-director of the Debt Collective, who discusses the implications of the latest extension, economically and politically. Taylor says Biden should stop letting loan servicers profiteer from borrowers and cancel student loans, which would immediately narrow the racial wealth gap.
Hungary’s Far-Right Nationalist PM Viktor Orbán, an Ally of Putin & Trump, Wins 4th Consecutive Term
Far-right nationalist prime minister and longtime Putin-ally Viktor Orbán won his fourth consecutive election in Hungary, aided by biased media coverage and campaign regulations that favored the sitting prime minister. We speak to historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat about the future of Hungary under the Fidesz party, which, aside from passing anti-LGBTQ legislation and stoking xenophobia, has also been an important ally for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bill McKibben: Latest IPCC Climate Report Underscores “Fossil Fuel Is at the Root of Our Problems”
A new report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns the opportunity to mitigate the worst effects of global warming by maintaining global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius is quickly closing and that humanity has less than three years to slash greenhouse gas emissions. “Fossil fuel is at the root of our problems.
Europe Buys $38B in Russian Energy Since Invasion; 30% of the Gas Comes Via Pipelines in Ukraine
Over a month into Russia’s war in Ukraine and after multiple countries imposed sanctions on Russian fossil fuels, Ukraine’s pipelines are still carrying Russian gas into Europe. Ukrainian climate activist Svitlana Romanko says Ukraine cannot shut off the gas flow if EU governments refuse to implement an embargo on Russian imports. “There should be a collaboration on both sides of this supply chain,” says Romanko.
Making a Killing: Big Oil Reaps Record Profits Using Ukraine War as Pretext to Hike Gas Prices
House Democrats grilled CEOs of Big Oil companies, like ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell, Wednesday about rising gas prices and profiteering from the Ukraine war. We get response from environmentalist Bill McKibben and speak with Ukrainian environmental lawyer Svitlana Romanko about how the war in Ukraine is impacting energy markets around the world.
Biden’s planned global Covid summit postponed
It’s unclear when the White House will hold the meeting. The decision comes as the administration tries to shore up its global Covid work.
Congress could finally pass a Covid bill. They’ll soon have to do it all again.
Public health leaders warn that short-term bursts of cash are creating gaps in preparedness, leaving millions vulnerable to a new Covid surge.
Biden admin plots fix to Obamacare’s ‘family glitch,’ expand coverage
The move would target loophole that keeps about 5 million people from qualifying for subsidized health plans
States are ready to live with Covid. Congress’ funding fight is making that hard.
Health officials from Alabama to Washington state say that congressional gridlock over providing billions in new money has undermined efforts to transition to a steady, long-term approach to Covid-19.
Biden’s mounting midterm threat: Inflation angst outweighing historic job growth
White House officials deny any sense of panic over the economy or their midterm chances.
Democrats want to crack down on Wall Street. Guess who’s getting in the way.
The administration’s difficulties in getting bank cop nominees through a Democratic-controlled Senate underscore the fault lines within the party over how to approach financial regulation.
Opinion | When It Comes to Inflation, Our Focus Should Be On the Cost of Housing
The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates — but Congress has a chance to bring real relief.
U.S. inflation soared 7.9 percent in past year, a fresh 40-year high
The increase reported by the Labor Department reflected the 12 months ending in February and didn’t include most of the oil and gas price increases that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb.
Russia oil shock looms over Fed inflation fight
The Fed is already expected to begin a campaign of interest rate increases next month in a bid to remove its support for economic growth amid a blistering job market and rapidly rising prices.
A Poor People’s Pandemic: Report Reveals Poor Died from COVID at Twice the Rate of Wealthy in U.S.
The newly released “Poor People’s Pandemic Report” shows poor people died from COVID at twice the rate of wealthy Americans and that people of color were more likely to die than white populations. “Our country has gotten used to unnecessary death, especially when it’s the death of poor people,” says Rev. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign.
Poor in El Salvador Face Brunt of Crackdown on Gang Violence as Gov’t Suspends Rights, Arrests 6,000+
We go to El Salvador for an update on how the government under President Nayib Bukele has arrested over 6,000 people since a 30-day state of emergency was imposed following a wave of violence. The state of exception has suspended freedom of assembly and weakened due process rights for those arrested, including an extension of how long people can be held without charge.
Senate Poised To Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson To Supreme Court
The Senate is expected to confirm Jackson on Thursday, securing her place as the first Black woman on the high court.
Barack Obama Said He Underestimated Threat Of Disinformation While In Office
The former president said he had seen firsthand the “degree to which information, disinformation, misinformation was being weaponized.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Reported Jimmy Kimmel Joke To Capitol Police
The congresswoman who once supported executing Democrats said she had reported the comedian’s Will Smith slap joke as a “threat of violence.
Ukraine update: Russian moves reek of desperation as battered troops head east
The atrocities committed by Russian troops in Bucha have resulted in world fury. They may not, however, be an outlier.
Fox News Host Confronts Tom Cotton Over Nazi Remark About Ketanji Brown Jackson
The Arkansas senator’s insinuation about the Supreme Court nominee was apparently “a bridge too far,” even on Fox News.
Border Patrol’s use of encrypted app that can automatically delete messages is a very bad idea
The former Border Patrol agent who in August 2019 pleaded guilty after intentionally hitting a Guatemalan man with his truck and then lying about it to investigators used text messages to call migrants “disgusting subhuman shit unworthy of being kindling for a fire” and “mindless murdering savages.
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.
We’re All Being Manipulated the Same Way
Editor’s Note: This piece was adapted from Ressa’s remarks at Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy, a conference hosted by The Atlantic and the University of Chicago, on April 6, 2022. In the Philippines, we’re 33 days before our presidential elections. Filipinos are going to the poll and we are choosing 18,000 posts, including the president and vice president.
Gov. Greg Abbott Says Texas Will Bus Undocumented Immigrants To D.C.
The governor’s dubious plan follows the Biden administration lifting a public health policy that limited asylum-seekers from entering the U.S.
DeSantis delayed records request involving Florida official tied to Gaetz sex-trafficking probe
For a law-and-order party, Republicans don’t seem all that interested in actual laws. At least not the ones that apply to them. They may believe the world is safer from loose cigarettes and indiscriminate hoodie-wearing, but open government corruption? Meh.
For example, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears to be modeling his administration after the serial lawlessness of the Trump cabal, whose lodestar has always been Vladimir Putin.
‘My life matters too’: Black migrants note disparate treatment under U.S. immigration policy
Reports last winter revealed that while the Biden administration was internally warned that Haitian deportations under Stephen Miller’s anti-asylum policy could violate human rights and international refugee law, they continued into the thousands. But just a few months later, the administration would then also issue a memo reminding U.S. border officers that they have the discretion to exempt Ukrainians from the policy.
3 takeaways ahead of potential fall Covid booster campaign
Panel members agreed that myriad unknowns persist about the coronavirus and how it might evolve.
That’s Not What Grooming Means
This is an edition of Up for Debate, a newsletter by Conor Friedersdorf. On Wednesdays, he rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Soon after, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.