‘We need this money’: Covid funding stalls as Congress, White House point fingers
There appears to be no clear strategy from either the White House or Capitol Hill to secure the funds.
Today's Liberal News
“Shocking Act of Bloodletting”: Saudi Arabia Executes 81 as West Asks Kingdom to Increase Oil Output
The U.S. is refusing to directly condemn Saudi Arabia after the kingdom announced on Saturday it executed 81 people, including seven Yemeni men and one Syrian man. Rights groups say many of those executed were people arrested for participating in human rights demonstrations and that many of the defendants were denied access to a lawyer, held incommunicado and tortured. This comes as the U.S.
What’s Next for Putin? New Yorker’s Joshua Yaffa on Ukraine’s Resistance & Russian Antiwar Protests
We speak with Joshua Yaffa, longtime Moscow correspondent for The New Yorker, who has just left Ukraine after reporting on the Russian invasion for the past two weeks.
Report from Kyiv: Facing Military Setbacks, Russia Is Increasingly Targeting Ukrainian Civilians
The mayor of Kyiv has declared a 36-hour curfew after a series of Russian missile strikes hit residential areas of the capital of Ukraine on Tuesday. Meanwhile, talks are resuming today between Ukraine and Russia, and the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia are traveling to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. We get an update from outside of Kyiv from Peter Zalmayev, director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, on the Russian invasion.
Pfizer CEO says another Covid booster will be needed
Albert Bourla’s comments continue a roller-coaster pattern of differing communication from the pharmaceutical company and the government as the pandemic enters its third year.
Obama tests positive for Covid-19
The 44th president, who reported only a scratchy throat, said that former first lady Michelle Obama had tested negative and that both were vaccinated and boosted.
As masks come off, vulnerable Americans feel left behind
The immunocompromised and their advocates say they’re hitting roadblocks with the White House and CDC.
Covid chaos fueled another public health crisis: STDs
Sexual health experts and government officials are warning that without federal action, millions of Americans could face severe, even fatal, consequences if infections go untested and untreated.
U.S. inflation soared 7.9 percent in past year, a fresh 40-year high
The increase reported by the Labor Department reflected the 12 months ending in February and didn’t include most of the oil and gas price increases that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb.
Russia oil shock looms over Fed inflation fight
The Fed is already expected to begin a campaign of interest rate increases next month in a bid to remove its support for economic growth amid a blistering job market and rapidly rising prices.
Biden takes victory lap with January jobs report
“America’s job machine is going stronger than ever,” Biden said at the White House.
U.S. employers shrug off Omicron, add 467,000 jobs in January
The burst of jobs came despite a wave of Omicron inflections that sickened millions of workers, kept many consumers at home and left businesses from restaurants to manufacturers short-staffed.
Opinion | Why Are Minority-Owned Banks Disappearing? Washington Holds the Smoking Gun
Congress needs to create a new safety net for such lenders — not let regulators squeeze them out of business.
Andrew Bacevich: Ukraine is Paying the Price for the U.S. “Recklessly” Pushing NATO Expansion
What role did the United States play in creating conditions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and what will it take to end the war? The U.S.
Ukrainian Resident of Besieged Mykolaiv Describes Lack of Food, Water As Russian Troops Attack City
We get an update from a Ukrainian volunteer on how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has besieged the strategic southern city of Mykolaiv, where Russian troops have targeted civilian areas for shelling. Many Ukrainians are asking European nations and the U.S. to establish a no-fly zone. We speak to Igor Yudenkov in Mykolaiv, a former IT professional who is now helping other residents find shelter, feeding pets left behind, and defending the city.
Donald Trump’s Unswerving Loyalty To Vladimir Putin On Full Display In CNN Explainer
Jake Tapper dismantled a MAGA Republican talking point about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Eric Trump Roasted Over Wild Claims About His Dad’s Relationship With Putin
“My father would’ve called up and said, ‘Vladimir, don’t even think about it,’” the former president’s son said.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger Declines To ‘Ever’ Appear On Tucker Carlson’s ‘Propaganda’ Show
The Illinois Republican slammed the Fox News host’s “evil” rhetoric amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine update: Zelenskyy to address Congress; analyzing Russia’s military struggles
The news of the day brings no new major developments, only a continuation of past reports of modest Russian gains balanced against heavy Russian losses in ambushes and strikes carried out by Ukraine’s far more mobile, far more motivated, and far smaller defense forces.
This video of Ted Cruz getting out of a big rig is the mental health break we need right now
If there’s anything more pathetic than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz being pusillanimous, it’s Ted Cruz trying to act tough. Lately he’s been supporting the D.C. trucker convoy—the shambolic caravan of dead-ender, pro-death troglodytes that suddenly seems as culturally relevant as C.W. McCall’s seminal 1975 hit Convoy.
Dolly Parton respectfully declines Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination for wonderful reason
Longtime progressive ally Dolly Parton announced on Monday morning she’s respectfully taking herself out of the running when it comes to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2022 nominations list. Parton shared a statement on social media, saying she is both “flattered and grateful” but ultimately doesn’t feel she’s earned “that right.
Ohio Gov. Signs Law Allowing People To Carry Concealed Guns Without A Permit
Nearly two dozen states have concealed-carry laws allowing people to have concealed weapons in public without a permit.
Crocodile tears: Jan. 6 insurrectionists asks for lenient sentencing following divorce, job loss
Next week, a 44-year-old Pittsburgh woman, Jennifer Heinl, will be sentenced for her part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Back in November, Heinl pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of demonstrating in a Capitol building. The Federal government is asking that Heinl spend two weeks in jail, spend three years under probation, and pay $500 in restitution.
Dick Durbin Slams Tucker Carlson As ‘Apologist For Putin’ In Senate Floor Speech
The Senate majority whip said the Fox News host “should be ashamed of himself.
‘We want our loved ones to be remembered’: Latinas urge lawmakers to enact COVID-19 memorial day
Among the advocates who have been urging federal lawmakers to designate a national COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day are three Latinas who lost parents to the virus. Fiana Paulette Garza tells NBC News that her mom, respiratory therapist Isabelle Papadimitriou, declined retirement to help victims. She died from COVID-19 on July 4, 2020.
The Freeloading Boyfriends That Just Won’t Let Go
For male Santa Marta harlequin toads, sex is an exercise in patience.The ping-pong-ball-size frogs, which are native to a mountainous strip in northern Colombia, spend most of their days milling about the region’s burbling brooks, hoping to chance upon a mate. They don’t often get lucky: Only rarely, for a few days a year around the start of the rainy season, will the species’ much-larger females venture down from the trees to flit through these loose froggy frats.
Lizzie and Kaitlyn Go to Williamsburg
Sign up for Kaitlyn and Lizzie’s newsletter here.Lizzie: For some reason Google Maps was telling us to take the C all the way to Broadway Junction, then get on the L and go back the other way to get to Grand Street. It seemed inefficient. Plus we had to carry a big cake and a nearly life-size cardboard cutout of the San Antonio Spurs mascot, known only as Coyote.
The Western World Is in Denial
KYIV, Ukraine—It’s been 19 days since Russia started the unprovoked war in Ukraine. I have changed my location three times, but I am staying in Kyiv to take care of my elderly parents. Every day I see Russians getting closer to my city from the northwest. I have been sleeping on the floor since February 24, when Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade my country. I am lucky. Others have lost their homes, or have no water, food, or heating.
In Belarus, Russia’s Partner in Ukraine Invasion, There Is “No Possibility” of Dissent on War
Ukraine says Belarus could become directly involved in the Russian invasion. This comes as Russia sent thousands of troops to Belarus to attack Ukraine from the north and NATO has accused the Russian Air Force of flying warplanes from airfields in Belarus last week. “We all know, see and understand that the territory of Belarus is used for conducting the war against Ukraine,” says Natallia Satsunkevich, an activist with the leading independent Belarusian human rights group Viasna.
Brent Renaud, First U.S. Reporter Killed in Ukraine, Praised for His Humanity & Exposing Horrors of War
On Sunday, the U.S. journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot dead near Kyiv while working on a documentary about refugees. He is the first foreign journalist known to have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Ukrainian officials are accusing Russian forces of his death. We discuss Renaud’s remarkable documentary work and feature part of an interview he gave on Democracy Now! after he was embedded in Iraq with the National Guard from his home state of Arkansas.