White House says Covid-19 home-testing market on track to quadruple by year’s end
The new investment builds on $2 billion the administration is using to boost production of a number of different Covid-19 tests.
Today's Liberal News
Top Covid experts privately urge Biden admin to scale back booster campaign
Several of these outside experts objected to the administration’s approach during a private, off-the-record call last week with federal health officials.
Francis Collins to step down as NIH director by year’s end
National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins plans to announce his resignation on Tuesday after nearly three decades at the agency.
West Virginia governor gets testy over questions about handling of Covid surge
In a CBS interview, Gov. Jim Justice pushed back on vaccine mandates for schoolchildren.
Fauci sees hope in new Merck drug
The nation’s top infectious disease expert called the results of a recent study “really quite impressive.
Limiting Medicare benefits deepens rift among Hill Democrats
Critics of Sen. Joe Manchin’s approach argue that imposing more income thresholds adds burdens for the middle class and affects more beneficiaries each year.
Wall Street’s wild party in jeopardy as Fed threatens aid cutoff
The central bank plans to begin yanking back assistance to the economy as early as next month, and many Fed officials are open to increasing interest rates next year.
Americans’ fortunes soared during the pandemic. Some lawmakers see lasting lessons.
Key aspects of the economy are doing better than before the pandemic, which supporters say shows how government spending can help.
Why Biden isn’t hitting the panic button on the debt ceiling — yet
With the deadline looming, the White House is starting to ramp up pressure on Republicans.
Fed signals plan to pull back economic support even as virus looms
The central bank said it’s making progress toward its goals of averaging 2 percent inflation over time and reaching maximum employment.
Biden hails ‘strong’ economic recovery despite disappointing jobs numbers
Biden laid blame for the sluggish growth of U.S. jobs on the “impact of the Delta variant” of the coronavirus.
“Blah, Blah, Blah”: Youth Climate Activists Slam Political Inaction at U.N. Summit Ahead of COP26
Thousands of youth climate activists marched through the streets of Milan last week demanding world leaders meet their pledges to the Paris Climate Agreement and keep global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. The protest came at the end of a three-day youth climate conference, ahead of the United Nations’ COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Bans Off Our Bodies: Planned Parenthood Pres. on Abortion Bans, Bills in Congress & the Supreme Court
After thousands of people marched in hundreds of rallies across the United States to protest against tightening abortion restrictions, we speak with Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson, who says the weekend actions represent “a movement moment” for reproductive rights. “More than 80% of Americans believe that Roe should be the law of the land,” she says.
News Roundup: Facebook makes money sowing discord; debt limit stalemate
In the news today: There’s still no plan for keeping the United States from defaulting on its debts by mid-October in the face of unanimous Senate Republican opposition to allowing an alternative. A whistleblower confirms that Facebook knows it’s sowing social discord and violence, and that those are the posts that make it the most money.
Trump’s knee-jerk corruption in 2016 led to his fall from Forbes 400 list
Donald Trump isn’t worth his weight in off-brand ramen noodles, but Forbes magazine still thinks he’s “worth” around $2.5 billion. I’m not sure what the current exchange rate is between enchanted sparkly unicorn farts and the U.S. dollar, but Forbes seems to think Trump still has more of the latter than the former.
Biden Says ‘Real Possibility’ Senate Democrats Change Filibuster Rules To Raise Debt Ceiling
The off-the-cuff remarks are a notable shift in the president’s thinking as Democrats are frustrated by GOP efforts to prevent simple majority votes.
Black homecoming king says he was called racial slur during game. He, not opponents, was suspended
Just about the only thing students should have to worry about when going to school is learning. That’s an ideal scenario, but not all students are given the resources and support to live. School is an especially contentious subject given that we’re still facing the novel coronavirus pandemic and that both parents and community members are still raging about mask mandates.
State Department official calls Title 42 policy ‘illegal,’ urges end to Haitian deportations
A senior State Department official authored a memo slamming the continued use of the anti-asylum Title 42 policy, calling it “illegal,” “inhumane,” and “simply not worthy of this administration that I so strongly support.” The Washington Post reports that Harold Koh, who served in the Office of the Legal Adviser, left his position on Friday.
Americans Had It Easy During the Facebook Outage
Before WhatsApp went dark yesterday, the last messages I sent were to my editor in London, my doctor here in Mexico City, and to the family group chat, asking whether my father—recovering from COVID-19 back home in Pakistan—had finally tested negative. For me, WhatsApp is as much a verb as Google, and the platform is the engine that fuels my personal and professional lives.
Sen. Lindsey Graham Booed By Republicans After Asking Them To Consider Vaccine
The South Carolina Republican hadn’t even finished his sentence when the crowd shouted, “No!
PA attorney general announces slew of environmental charges against pipeline developer
Pennsylvania’s attorney general, the man behind the explosive investigation into the Catholic Church’s decades-long cover-up of sexual abuse of over 1,000 children, and who took Postmaster Louis DeJoy to court, arguing that DeJoy’s cuts could damage citizens’ trust and confidence in the mail, announced a slew of environmental charges against a notorious energy company on Tuesday.
Ana Navarro Unleashes On Stephanie Grisham And Her ‘Late-Developing Conscience’
“I know we like the tea she’s spilling,” the CNN commentator said, adding, “but she’s got no credibility.
Rivian Wants to Be the Apple of Electric Pickup Trucks
This is an excerpt from The Atlantic’s climate newsletter, The Weekly Planet. Subscribe today.Many fights about climate policy have been raging, basically unbroken, for the past 40 years. But something that sets this moment apart is that a subset of people who care about climate change, and who have founded companies to fight it, is becoming extremely wealthy.On Friday, the electric-car start-up Rivian filed for its initial public offering.
FBI Raids NYPD Union Office And Home Of Its Right-Wing Leader
The agency said the raids were part of “an ongoing investigation.
What Happened When Facebook Became Boomerbook
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that Facebook is only 17 years old: If it were a person, it could drive but not drink. If Facebook were a person, it would also be fabulously wealthy, incredibly successful, and exhaustingly argumentative. And it probably wouldn’t use Facebook.The disclosures in The Wall Street Journal’s “Facebook Files,” leaked by a whistleblower named Frances Haugen, are incendiary.
Introducing How to Build a Happy Life and The Review––Two New Podcasts From The Atlantic
The Atlantic is expanding its audio portfolio and launching two podcasts this week: How to Build a Happy Life, out today and hosted by the Harvard professor and Atlantic contributing writer Arthur C. Brooks, and The Review, a weekly pop-culture show coming tomorrow featuring a rotating group of The Atlantic’s film, TV, music, and book critics.
Trump Left Off Forbes List Of Richest Americans For First Time In 25 Years
He’s still worth a lot of money, according to the business publication.
Pandora Papers: Massive Leak Exposes How Elite Shield Their Wealth & Avoid Taxes in Colonial Legacy
The Pandora Papers, described as “the world’s largest-ever journalistic collaboration,” have revealed the secret financial dealings of the world’s richest and most powerful people. “We’ve uncovered a system that benefits a few at the expense of the many,” says Ben Hallman, senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, who details some of the project’s main revelations so far.
“Appalling and Unacceptable”: Leak Shows Facebook Knew Its Algorithms Spread Hate & Harmed Children
An unprecedented leak at Facebook reveals top executives at the company knew about major issues with the platform from their own research but kept the damning information hidden from the public. The leak shows Facebook deliberately ignored rampant disinformation, hate speech and political unrest in order to boost ad sales and is also implicated in child safety and human trafficking violations.
Johnson & Johnson seeks FDA authorization of Covid booster shot
J&J said Monday that giving a second dose two months after the first increased protection against symptomatic moderate to severe Covid-19 to 94 percent, with 100 percent protection against severe illness.