Today's Liberal News

Shared Grief After 9/11: Sister of WTC Victim Meets Afghan Who Lost 19 Family Members in U.S. Attack

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we revisit a conversation we hosted in January of 2002 between Masuda Sultan, an Afghan American woman who lost 19 members of her family in a U.S. air raid, and Rita Lasar, a New Yorker who lost her brother in the World Trade Center attack. Lasar would become an active member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Masuda later wrote the memoir, “My War at Home.

Rep. Barbara Lee, Who Cast Sole Vote After 9/11 Against “Forever Wars,” on Need for Afghan War Inquiry

Twenty years ago, Rep. Barbara Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against war in the immediate aftermath of the devastating 9/11 attacks that killed about 3,000 people. “Let us not become the evil that we deplore,” she urged her colleagues in a dramatic address on the House floor. The final vote in the House was 420-1. This week, as the U.S. marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Rep.

News Roundup: ‘Patrolling’ neo-Nazi arrested near DNC headquarters; GOP election hoax gains traction

In the news today: A California neo-Nazi who declared himself “on patrol” was arrested by the Capitol Police today near the Democratic National Committee headquarters after being found in possession of a machete and a bayonet. A majority of Republican voters now say that believing Trump’s provably false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him is now an “important” part of being a Republican.

Jan. 6 insurrectionist wants ankle bracelet removed because it embarrasses him in front of clients

The blizzard of snowflakes that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 is rapidly melting under the klieg lights of consequences. It’s hard not to laugh sometimes, and of course, the funniest part is that these salty traitor tots’ putsch not only failed to keep their wayward wad of amoral protoplasm in the White House, it also inconvenienced them so egregiously you’d think they were involved in serious lawbreaking or something.

Big Kentucky rally starring Pillow Man and Mike Flynn promised 10,000 attendees. It drew … 300

Well, you know, 300 Spartans held off Xerxes’ forces at Thermopylae in 480 B.C., so maybe these goobers can make a stand with their meager phalanx of befuddled cheese bread receptacles.  

Then again, if you’re expecting 10,000 enthused MAGA mites and only 300 show up, maybe it’s finally time to fold the denim tent you’ve kept propped up for the day of Donald Trump’s triumphant return.

In another racist rant, Brian Kilmeade says Biden should ‘yell at Black Americans’ to get vaccinated

Another week, another racist incident on Fox News. What else is new? In a rant Monday, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade questioned why President Joe Biden did not demand more Black people be vaccinated in the country. While he stressed that only doctors should promote the COVID-19 vaccine, Kilmeade blamed Biden for not admonishing Black Americans, who he claimed put Biden in office.

The Movie That’s Reminding Studios What Audiences Want

Three weeks before the release of Marvel’s latest superhero movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the lead actor and the distributor seemed poised for their own showdown. Bob Chapek, Disney’s CEO, had described the film as an “interesting experiment,” given that it would be the company’s first franchise title since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to hit theaters without simultaneously streaming on Disney+.

Our Most Reliable Pandemic Number Is Losing Meaning

At least 12,000 Americans have already died from COVID-19 this month, as the country inches through its latest surge in cases. But another worrying statistic is often cited to depict the dangers of this moment: The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States right now is as high as it has been since the beginning of February.

The Atlantic Announces NBCUniversal News Group as Exclusive Media Partner of The Atlantic Festival

The Atlantic is announcing a collaboration with NBCUniversal News Group to be the exclusive media partner of The Atlantic Festival, its annual live event gathering the most influential voices on the ideas shaping a changing nation. The Atlantic Festival is happening virtually from September 22–24 and September 27–30, and for the second year all events are free to attend. Audience registration is here.

The Secret to a Fight-Free Relationship

Photographs by Victor LlorenteFor decades, when Liz Cutler’s husband, Tom Kreutz, did something that bothered her, Cutler would sometimes pull out a scrap of paper from the back of her desk drawer. On it she would scribble down her grievances: maybe Kreutz had stayed late at work without giving her a heads-up, or maybe he’d allowed their kids to do something she considered risky. The list was Cutler’s way of honoring a promise she and her husband had made.

Betrayal at Attica: NY Violently Crushed Attica Prison Uprising Amid Negotiations, Then Covered It Up

On the 50th anniversary of the Attica prison uprising, we look at the cover-up that began immediately after New York state police stormed the prison and opened fire, killing 29 inmates and 10 hostages. David Rothenberg, a member of the Attica Observers Committee brought into Attica to help negotiate a peaceful resolution, says the prison was “an institution that only knew how to run by punishment,” laying the groundwork for the uprising.