Stephen Miran is Trump’s pick to lead Council of Economic Advisers
Miran has called for a sweeping overhaul of the Fed to ensure greater political control over the central bank, including giving the president the power to fire board members at will.
Today's Liberal News
Biden: Trump’s tax and tariffs plans are a ‘major mistake’
Five weeks after the election, the president took his sharpest swing at Trump’s policy plans.
Trump voters feel very differently about things now that he’s won, our new poll shows
A pair of POLITICO|Morning Consult polls, one conducted in the final days of the election and the other conducted after Trump won, show how public opinion has changed.
Biden Urged to Pardon Immigrant Rights Leader Ravi Ragbir, Who Could Soon Be Deported
Immigrant rights activists are urging the Biden administration to pardon longtime activist Ravi Ragbir, who has been targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for potential detention and deportation since 2001. Ragbir has been subject to regular ICE check-ins for over two decades, each time facing the possibility of being taken into custody by the agency. “Once you go into that building, your family, your friends, your community don’t know if you’ll walk back out,” says Ragbir.
Jimmy Carter Championed Human Rights But Also Funded & Armed Indonesia’s Genocide in East Timor
We continue to reflect on Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy with history professor Brad Simpson. Despite presiding over an administration that stood out for its successful championing of human rights elsewhere in the world, “in Southeast Asia, Carter really continued the policies of the Nixon and Ford administration,” particularly in Indonesia, which was at the time occupying and carrying out a genocide in East Timor.
Camp David’s Failures: Why Jimmy Carter’s Opposition to Israeli Apartheid Wasn’t Enough to Secure Peace
The late President Jimmy Carter presided over a key landmark in the Arab-Israeli peace process, the 1979 Camp David Accords signed by Egypt and Israel. Carter’s lifelong interest in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict is an analog for his complicated legacy in foreign policy and human rights.
“Sabotaged by His Own Democratic Party”: Ralph Nader on Jimmy Carter’s Legacy
Former President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100, has been laid to rest in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, following a state funeral held in Washington, D.C. “He was the last president to actively encourage participation and involvement in governmental processes by the progressive civil community,” remembers the celebrated civil society and consumer advocate Ralph Nader.
Climate Scientist Peter Kalmus Fled L.A. Fearing Wildfires. His Old Neighborhood Is Now a Hellscape
At least 10 people have died in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires as firefighters continue to battle multiple infernos in the area. Thousands of homes and other structures have been destroyed, and some 180,000 people are under evacuation orders.
How Well-Intentioned Policies Fueled L.A.’s Fires
Over the past week, fires have ravaged greater Los Angeles, killing at least 10 people, destroying more than 10,000 buildings, scorching more than 35,000 acres, and forcing the evacuation of at least 180,000 residents. The dry Santa Ana winds continue to blow, threatening to spread the destruction further. As I write this, a backpack stuffed with mementos, documents, and a water bottle sits next to the front door of my West Los Angeles apartment.
How California Got to the Point Where the Wealthy Can Hire Private Firefighters
An executive went viral when he said he’d pay “any amount.
Trump Criticizes Foreign Allies
Editor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here.
Some of Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks will appear before the Senate next week. Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined to discuss the tough questions that Democrats are promising.
What the H-1B Visa Fight Is Really About
The debate over immigration in America has taken a strange turn recently. Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s wealthiest backer and a prolific spreader of dehumanizing anti-immigrant conspiracy theories, finds himself defending an immigrant-visa program against his fellow right-wingers. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders, perhaps the most prominent leftist in the country, has taken to harshly criticizing the same program for undermining American workers.
The Choices That Create Isolation
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.
In The Atlantic’s latest cover story, my colleague Derek Thompson explores how Americans turned anti-social. Many young people are actively choosing the solitary life, spending time at home in front of screens instead of out with other people, he explains.
The Message in the Sky Over Los Angeles
For nearly as long as Los Angeles has been a city, the sky above it has changed colors, for short and long spells, at times portending doom. It happened again this week. Winds that would not be out of place in a hurricane roared down the western slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains toward the city. Fires ignited in the eastern chaparral foothills and along the Malibu coast. With blithe cruelty, they sprinted across the landscape, burning through thousands of homes, erasing whole family histories.
Buy Nothing Groups Seem to Offer Everything—Except a Chance to Get to Know Your Neighbors
The local online parent group, where I’d hoped to find new friends, was basically a random yard sale.
The Complications Are Spreading Like Wildfire
It’s not just their reputations at stake; it’s their livelihoods.
There Was One Sign That We Had to Leave L.A. We Never Thought We’d See It.
The city’s gargantuan highways—normally an impediment and an eyesore—suddenly felt like a bulwark.
Some Self-Storage Operators Are Sounding the Alarm on Sneaky Policies Sweeping the Industry and Costing Consumers
Unsavory practices propped up by a small number of operators leave some customers feeling stuck.
Our Roads Aren’t Built for EVs. The New Orleans Terror Attack Proves It.
Most of the infrastructure that stops drivers from hitting people, buildings, and each other is designed for smaller, lighter cars.
Money Talks: How Multi-Level Marketing Companies Changed America
Jane Marie joins Emily to deep dive on MLMs, their origins, and their questionable business models.
Why Bourbon Street Was a Target
As a local, I avoid Bourbon Street—except on rare occasions, when there’s no place I’d rather be.
Surgeon general’s call for alcohol warning label likely to fall flat in Congress
Vivek Murthy says alcohol causes cancer, but the industry still has many friends on Capitol Hill.
The government can’t ensure artificial intelligence is safe. This man says he can.
Brian Anderson is ready to shape the future of AI in health care — if Donald Trump will let him.
WHO names likely source of ‘mystery disease’ in the Congo
A combination of viral respiratory infections, malaria and malnutrition has killed nearly 50 people in the African country.
Bird flu mutations raise fears of a broader outbreak
Experts warn of inadequate testing by the CDC, which maintains the risk to humans “remains low.
Is Aziz Ansari Sorry?
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
Your Opinions on Her Wardrobe Are Probably Unwelcome
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
What Role Does HR Play in the #MeToo Era?
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
