You Can’t Stop Evictions if You Don’t Pay People’s Rent
Some states have botched rental aid so badly they may never catch up.
Today's Liberal News
Judge sets Oct. 1 hearing on DOJ request to freeze Texas abortion ban
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman’s order keeps the law in effect and allows Texas to make its case opposing the request from Biden’s Justice Department by Sept. 29.
Centrist Democrats scramble House drug pricing effort
The moderates’ stand could complicate Democrats’ push to reform a slew of federal health programs as part of their $3.5 trillion bill.
FDA sounds skeptical note on Pfizer booster shot ahead of key vote
The agency said observational studies don’t unanimously support the suggestion that the shot’s efficacy declines over time.
Biden’s team tightens grip on state use of Covid antibody treatments
Federal health officials plan to allocate specific amounts to each state under the new approach.
Why the “Ultimate American Bible” Caused a Christian Publishing Scandal
Christian publishing is tricky in the post-Trump era.
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.
U.S. jobless claims near pandemic low as economy strengthens
Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims fell to 375,000 from 387,000 the previous week.
House Dem campaign chief warns the majority at risk without message reboot
“We’re not trying to hide this,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s executive director said.
Biden’s economic gains come with newer worries about the future
Some economists have already begun to ease back on forecasts for the rest of this year.
Forced Entry: NSO Group Spies Secretly Seized Control of Apple Devices by Exploiting Flaw in Code
Apple has released an emergency software update to fix a security flaw in its iPhones and other products researchers found was being exploited by the Israeli-based NSO Group to infect the devices with its Pegasus spyware. The security exploit exposes “widespread abuse that we have associated with NSO Group and other companies like it,” says Ronald Deibert, director of the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, which discovered the security flaw.
House Republican Who Voted To Impeach Trump Won’t Run Again
The Ohio Republican Party censured Rep. Anthony Gonzalez in May for voting in February to impeach Trump.
News Roundup: Insurrection echoes; public faith in Supreme Court is tanking
In the news today: A new pro-insurrectionist rally is planned for this Saturday, but it’s likely to be a bust. That doesn’t mean that the danger of domestic terrorism is diminishing, however. Meanwhile, Trump’s allies are launching new attacks on a top military official after a new book disclosed steps the military took to help ensure Trump couldn’t launch a rogue nuclear attack or start a new world war as he spiraled into post-election delusion.
Newsmax host freaks out after veteran points out Donald Trump was ‘fairly weak’ on Afghanistan
Joe Saboe is a 36-year-old Iraq war veteran. He started Team America by chance. The group has been described as “an impromptu network of veterans and citizen volunteers who came together to execute an ad hoc mission to get American citizens and Afghan allies safely out of Kabul before the American airlift ends.” With around 200 volunteers, Team America is one of many groups trying to coordinate and evacuate Afghan allies.
This Week in Statehouse Action: These People Make Laws edition
Why, hello there! I almost didn’t recognize you with your mask on, but that’s okay, because I recognize your SOUL.
DISCLAIMER: This is a terrible line and should only be used in jest and not to woo an actual human.
Willam Barr Warned Trump That Suburban Voters ‘Think You’re An Asshole,’ Says Book
He’d have to appeal to more than his base to win reelection — because many voters were sick of his “f**king grievances,” the attorney general reportedly said.
Disgraced Republican Speaker Hastert cuts settlement deal with one of the men he abused as a child
Disgraced former Republican Speaker of the House and convicted child molester Dennis Hastert has reportedly settled one of his ongoing legal issues surrounding his abuse of teenagers during his time as a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School, Illinois. The Associated Press reports that a “tentative out-of-court settlement” was reached between Hastert and one of the men he abused as a child regarding hush money Hastert had promised to pay back in 2010.
Trump Hired Giuliani Because ‘None Of The Sane Lawyers’ Would Represent Him: Book
“He’s crazy,” Trump reportedly told advisers in November, adding that “the actual lawyers have been told they cannot represent my campaign.
It’s no wonder police think it’s okay to joke about Black men dying: Courts keep protecting cops
In yet another example of police callousness and insensitivity, a Florida deputy has been fired after not only telling an inmate he looks like George Floyd, but asking him to say, “I can’t breathe,” words the Black father repeatedly told Minneapolis police before he was murdered. Deputy First Class Rodney Payne’s termination was unearthed on Wednesday when an internal affairs report was released to the Fort Myers News-Press.
It Has Come to Subscription Tacos
I like to think of America’s fast-food chains as a bunch of dysfunctional family members. McDonald’s is the golden boy, the kid who’s good at everything and won’t shut up about it. Burger King is the jealous younger brother. KFC is perhaps the cousin who still wears cargo shorts. And then, there’s Taco Bell: fast food’s problem child.The purveyor of fluorescent nacho cheese is just plain weird.
Democratic Lawyer Michael Sussmann Indicted, Accused Of Lying To FBI In Russia Probe
A grand jury indicted Michael Sussmann for allegedly lying to the FBI general counsel about who he was working for when he relayed information about Trump.
Trump Defends Rioters Ahead Of Rally Supporting Capitol Insurrectionists
The former president insisted that they were being “persecuted so unfairly” for violently storming the Capitol and attacking law enforcement officers.
Sorry, a Coronavirus Infection Might Not Be Enough to Protect You
Immune cells can learn the vagaries of a particular infectious disease in two main ways. The first is bona fide infection, and it’s a lot like being schooled in a war zone, where any lesson in protection might come at a terrible cost. Vaccines, by contrast, safely introduce immune cells to only the harmless mimic of a microbe, the immunological equivalent of training guards to recognize invaders before they ever show their face.
Why Is Nicki Minaj Doing This? There Are Some Dark Theories.
Four Slate staffers attempt to unpack what happened this week with the rapper, Twitter, the White House, and swollen testicles.
New York’s Delivery Workers Have Been Exploited for Years. Now They’re Fighting Back.
Workers are banding together to support one another and demand better pay and protections.
DeSantis flirts with the anti-vaccine crowd
The GOP governor has been drifting toward the movement for months.
El Salvador Becomes First Nation to Make Bitcoin Legal Tender Amid Growing Authoritarianism
Thousands in El Salvador took to the streets Wednesday to protest President Nayib Bukele’s growing consolidation of power and a new law making El Salvador the world’s first country to recognize the highly volatile cryptocurrency bitcoin as legal tender. Protesters in El Salvador are also criticizing a recent court ruling that paves the way for Bukele to run for reelection in 2024.
As Wealthy Nations Debate Giving Booster Vaccine Shots, Calls Grow for Global Vaccine Equity
As the debate over booster vaccine shots heats up in the United States, global health leaders have issued an urgent call for global vaccine equity. The WHO reports vaccination rates on the African continent fall far below its target for 70% of the population of all countries to be vaccinated by mid-2022. “The science is not completely behind the need for booster shots yet,” says Zane Dangor, special adviser to the foreign minister of South Africa, who has called on the U.S.