Today's Liberal News

Environmental Justice Activists Want NJ Gov. to Vote No New Gas-Fired Power Plant in Newark

In Newark, New Jersey, residents of the largely Black and Latinx community of Ironbound are calling on Governor Phil Murphy to stop plans to build a $180 million gas-fired power plant that could worsen the poor local air quality and exacerbate the climate crisis. As the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission holds a vote to begin construction on Thursday, activists are urging the governor to enforce the environmental justice law that he passed last year.

Tributes pour in for late American Indian Movement co-founder Clyde Bellecourt

Throughout his 85 years of life, Clyde Bellecourt lived up to his Ojibwe name of Neegawnwaywidung. Its translation, “the thunder before the storm,” became the title of his brilliant autobiography released in 2016—nearly five decades after he and other community activists led a meeting on pressing issues like discrimination, police brutality, and the many federal policies that directly target Native Americans.

Guess which group of people is about to get free access to national parks—for life?

Since the novel coronavirus pandemic became part of daily life, many people are (understandably) interested in getting outside, whether that’s in their own neighborhood or at a state or national park. Access to the outdoors is a complex issue when we consider transportation, barriers for disabled folks, and the sheer privilege of having time off of work to get outside. It can also, perhaps paradoxically, come at a cost.

Former Gov. LePage says he’s ‘against mandates in all respects,’ except maybe for poor people

Mandates are anti-freedom. Vaccine mandates for military members are anti-freedom. Mask requirements are anti-freedom. All kinds of public health measures are anti-freedom, according to the Republican Party. Unless, of course, we are talking about people in need of some government assistance. No, not tax-exempt religious assistance. No, not corporate welfare assistance: We’re talking about the millions of citizens and families not making ends meet in our country.

This Week in Statehouse Action: What Pandemic? edition

Different week, same old GOP statehouse garbage.

Seriously, the sense of deja vu with these cats is real.

Especially because they seem oblivious to the fact that WE’RE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING PANDEMIC

But Republican lawmakers are objecting to the most basic of public safety measures, like masks, with a vehemence one might more suitably reserve for, say, drinking spoiled milk.

For Women, Is Exercise Power?

Of all the cult workout products that have dominated the American imagination over the past few decades, the one I least expected to be rooted in feminist protest was the ThighMaster. Consider this TV spot from 1991: “Great legs,” a male voice opines as a pair of disembodied, high-heeled gams stroll onto the screen.

John Nichols on How “Coronavirus Criminals & Pandemic Profiteers” Hurt World’s Response to COVID-19

We speak with The Nation’s national affairs correspondent John Nichols on the occasion of his new book, “Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis,” which takes aim at the CEOs and political figures who put profits over people during the coronavirus pandemic. The chapters cover notorious figures such as former President Trump, Mike Pompeo, Jared Kushner and Jeff Bezos.

Confessions of a “Human Guinea Pig”: Professor Quits Vaccine Trial over Moderna’s Corporate Greed

Jeremy Menchik, a self-described “human guinea pig” who volunteered for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trials, dropped out to protest the company’s greed in reaping profits from the ongoing pandemic while doing little to resolve global vaccine inequity. Menchik is launching a new website — mrna4all.org — where other vaccine trial participants can join the effort to pressure vaccine makers to scale up production to vaccinate the world.

China Is Watching Ukraine With a Lot of Interest

As Joe Biden confronts Vladimir Putin about Russia’s military buildup along its border with Ukraine, another world leader is probably watching with keen interest. China’s Xi Jinping, too, has a geopolitical grievance in his neighborhood—in his case over Taiwan, the microchip-rich island that Beijing insists is and always should be part of China.

“The Coming Coup”: Ari Berman on Republican Efforts to Steal Future Elections

Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman warns the Republican Party is laying the groundwork to steal the 2022 midterms and future elections through a combination of gerrymandering, voter suppression and election subversion, that together pose a mortal threat to voting rights in the United States. Republicans, many of whom are election deniers, are campaigning for positions that hold immense oversight over the election process.

The Real Reason Americans Aren’t Isolating

The life of a hotel front-desk clerk in a red state can tell you a lot about America’s COVID-19 failures. He doesn’t want to be identified, because he is worried about being fired, but I can tell you this: He doesn’t have paid sick days or health insurance. About a month ago, he got COVID and took four days off, using three of his seven vacation days and going a day without pay. Last week, one of his kids tested positive for COVID, and he thinks he has it again.

How to Succeed at Failure

“How to Build a Life” is a weekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness. Click here to listen to his podcast series on all things happiness, How to Build a Happy Life.You wanted it and you worked for it, but all your effort was for naught.Maybe your relationship collapsed, your company went under, or you got fired.