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.
Today's Liberal News
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.
Powell walks high wire as Fed plans to ease support for Biden’s economy
Central bank chief seeks to avoid market turmoil as president weighs tapping him for a second term.
Yanis Varoufakis on Angela Merkel’s Legacy, European Politics & the “Sordid Arms Race” on the Seas
The center-left Social Democratic Party in Germany has narrowly claimed victory in an election that marks an end to the 16-year era of Angela Merkel’s conservative chancellorship. We look at what this means for Europe and the world with Yanis Varoufakis, a member of the Greek Parliament and the former finance minister of Greece.
“Hold the Line!”: Can Progressives Force Passage of $3.5T Package to Expand the Social Safety Net?
Progressives in the House of Representatives say they will oppose the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would seek a vote on the measure separately from the Build Back Better Act, the $3.5 trillion bill that expands the social safety net and combats the climate crisis.
The Democratic Agenda Isn’t Dead Yet
The Democrats, you may have heard, are in disarray. President Joe Biden’s approval ratings have sunk to new lows, and his expansive economic agenda is stalled on Capitol Hill. Opposition from progressives forced House leaders to scrap a planned vote Thursday on the president’s lone bipartisan success in the Senate, a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. That failure, and the ensuing finger-pointing, threatens to drive the party’s warring wings even further apart.
News Roundup: Manchin still Manchining; new Jan. 6 subpoenas; Alabama chooses prisons over pandemic
In the news today: A federal shutdown was avoided as Congress agreed to keep the government funded until December, but the debt ceiling fight still looms. Meanwhile, it’s Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema versus Democrats (and global weather patterns), yet again. The House Select Committee on the January 6 insurrection blasted out nearly a dozen new subpoenas focused on how Trump’s mob of violent deplorables assembled.
Progressive Democrats Stare Down Moderates In Battle Over Biden Agenda
Though a self-imposed deadline was missed, Democrats still have time to figure out how to get President Joe Biden’s agenda through Congress.
Daily Kos mobilizes Arizonans to call Sen. Kyrsten Sinema: “You work for us. Not corporations.”
Congress is close to passing the historic and popular Build Back Better Act, but two Senate Democrats are standing in the way: Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin.
Manchin has at least been specific about some of his concerns, and represents a deep-red state where the politics are more difficult. But Sinema has been infuriatingly vague, and represents a state that voted for Joe Biden and is trending blue. She really has no excuse.
Maskless audience scolds masked dad after he’s attacked by unmasked man right in front of them
At this point in facing the novel coronavirus pandemic, it sometimes feels like nothing enrages parents like mask-wearing requirements for students. Given that classrooms are generally inside, most students are too young to get vaccinated, and teachers may be immunocompromised or otherwise unable to get vaccinated themselves, it makes perfect sense that if you want your child or teenager to attend in-person school, they need to mask up.
Secret Joe Manchin ‘Agreement’ With Chuck Schumer Leaves Democrats Scrambling
“It’s pretty sad if you ask me,” Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii said when asked about the West Virginia senator’s outline of a $1.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
Biden admin announces program providing legal aid to asylum-seeking kids in number of cities
The Biden administration has announced a new policy that is set to provide government-funded legal help to vulnerable asylum-seeking children in a number of U.S. cities, BuzzFeed News reports. This is a significant initiative: Unlike in criminal court, people in immigration court aren’t guaranteed an attorney. This includes most unaccompanied children, who have had to appear in court alone.
‘Step it up’: Chicago teachers demand mayor stop ignoring West Side after two COVID-19 parent deaths
Two mothers with children at the same Chicago Public Schools site have died of COVID-19 after 11 of 17 of the classrooms at Jensen Elementary School were in quarantine due to reported cases of the virus, according to the Chicago Teachers Union.
“Both mothers had children sent home from quarantined Jensen classrooms,” the union wrote on its website Tuesday. “One mother complained bitterly on social media that she was never contacted by a contact tracer.
Rubio: ‘There Is Something Called Personal Responsibility in This Country’
Editor’s Note: This article is part of our coverage of The Atlantic Festival. Learn more and watch festival sessions here. Despite the whirlwind in Washington this week, Marco Rubio isn’t worried—at least for his own party. As of now, Democrats have reached a deal to stave off a government shutdown until December, but they still need to prevent another crisis: a first-ever default on the national debt.
Hillary Clinton: ‘We Are in the Middle of a Constitutional Crisis’
Editor’s Note: This article is part of our coverage of The Atlantic Festival. Learn more and watch festival sessions here.Hillary Clinton can draw a straight line from her duels with conservative media and Republican politicians in the 1990s to the January 6 insurrection—and she fears worse is coming. “There’s always been a kind of paranoid streak in American politics,” the former secretary of state told Atlantic staff writer Jennifer Senior.
Republicans Cut Ties With Trump Adviser After Sexual Misconduct Claim — Yet Stick By Trump
A GOP donor said Corey Lewandowski harassed her at a recent charity event in Las Vegas.
Alex Jones Just Lost 2 Sandy Hook Cases
A judge issued default judgments — a rarity in the legal world — against Jones and Infowars after the conspiracy theorist failed to produce discovery records.
Biden admin releases new protections shielding patients from ‘surprise’ bills
The process is central to the billing fix that Congress passed last year and that the administration has since been charged with implementing.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Teaches GOP Basic Female Anatomy During Abortion Hearing
“Once again we’re in a room of legislators who are attempting to legislate reproductive systems that they know nothing about,” the congresswoman said.
Missing White Woman Syndrome: Media Obsess Over Some Cases as Black, Brown & Indigenous Women Ignored
Wall-to-wall coverage of the case of Gabby Petito — a 22-year-old white woman and blogger who went missing while traveling with her fiancé Brian Laundrie and whose remains were found in a national park in Wyoming — has renewed attention on what some call “missing white woman syndrome,” the media’s inordinate focus on white female victims and the disparity in coverage for women of color.
“A Moral Crisis”: Reverend William Barber on Why Congress Must Pass $3.5 Trillion Bill
Activists continue to call on Democratic leaders to pass the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act, which expands the social safety net and includes measures to address the climate crisis. Progressives remain resolute in their opposition to passing a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill unless it is paired with the larger package.
Biden team’s booster divide deepens as risk of winter virus surge looms
Their disagreement centers on whether the U.S. should eventually offer an additional shot to every vaccinated adult.
Democrats dial back drug-pricing plans to win over moderates
It’s a sign the drug industry is bending a potential compromise in manufacturers’ favor after spending more than $171 million lobbying in the first half of this year.
Elizabeth Warren Is Trying to Nuke Jerome Powell’s Renomination, Which Probably Means He’ll Keep His Job
Either the senator from Massachusetts is playing some four-dimensional chess, or she really loathes him.
Why China Finally Decided to Ban Bitcoin
Beijing concluded it was an energy sucking money laundering tool, among other things.
It Turns Out That Cutting Off Unemployment Insurance Didn’t Fix the Economy
Business owners and conservatives insisted on yanking away benefits. If it wasn’t productive, then it was just cruel.
My Abusive Father Blew His Millions. Now He Wants to Live With Me.
He’s too sick to live independently and too toxic to let him move in.
Nuking the Filibuster Is the Obvious Way to End This Dumb Debt-Ceiling Standoff
The GOP is risking the full faith and credit of the United States to score points. Democrats don’t have to play the game.
Thousands of unvaccinated city hospital staff may be barred from work as state mandate takes effect
Officials said the number of unvaccinated workers in the city is small enough that it shouldn’t cause big disruptions.