Today's Liberal News

We need to replace Justice Breyer with the Court’s first Black woman, and the shortlist is fierce!

NBC News has confirmed that Justice Stephen Breyer will retire at the end of this term, paving the way for President Joe Biden to name his successor. Breyer, 83, is one of the three remaining liberal justices, and for several months progressives and activists have encouraged him to step down while Democrats still hold both the House and the Senate—something that could likely change after the 2022 midterms.

Florida Dems walk out on Gov. DeSantis’ surgeon general after he can’t answer simple COVID questions

On Wednesday, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo—Gov. Ron DeSantis’ choice to continue being Florida’s surgeon general—advanced on to the next state Senate committee. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Democratic state Sen. Lauren Book informed the panel that the four Democrats on the panel would not vote on Ladapo’s confirmation, and walked out in protest. “We don’t feel that we’re getting any answers.

Artificial Wombs Birth a Complex Controversy

Sign up for Conor’s newsletter here.What do you think about artificial wombs? Are they ethical? Desirable? Should they be a priority for scientists? If they become advanced enough to be viable, would you ever use one? How would a world in which they were available differ from ours? Any thoughts on this subject are welcome.Email your answers to conor@theatlantic.com. I’ll publish a selection of answers in Friday’s newsletter.

The Court Loses Its Chief Pragmatist

Last spring, during an online civics class I teach at the National Constitution Center for high-school students, I asked Justice Stephen Breyer about the values of compromise, consensus, and intellectual humility that he has championed throughout his career, as a Senate staffer for Ted Kennedy, an appellate judge, and a Supreme Court justice.“I saw Senator Kennedy do this all the time,” replied Breyer, who announced his retirement from the Supreme Court today.

Putin’s No Chess Master

A terrible thing may be impending in Ukraine. Undoubtedly, subversion, sabotage, and murder await, although such miseries have been going on for some time without the West paying much attention. But a Russian onslaught, to include air and missile strikes followed by an invasion, would be a lot worse. Thousands of people may die, and the foundations of European security would be rocked as they have not been since the early days of the Cold War.

“Gangsters of Capitalism”: Jonathan Katz on the Parallels Between Jan. 6 and 1934 Anti-FDR Coup Plot

We speak to award-winning journalist Jonathan Katz about his new book “Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire.” The book follows the life of the Marines officer Smedley Butler and the trail of U.S. imperialism from Cuba and the Philippines to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Panama. The book also describes an effort by banking and business leaders to topple Franklin D.

Africa CDC Director: Vaccine Inequity Prolongs the Pandemic. Global Cooperation Can Stop New Variants.

As new cases of the highly infectious Omicron variant continue to climb in undervaccinated parts of the world, we speak to the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how vaccine inequity could lead to even more variants of the coronavirus. Dr. John Nkengasong says only 10% of the population is fully immunized in Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people, and millions of vaccines donated by COVAX went unused because of their short shelf life.

Julian Assange Wins Right to Appeal Extradition; Stella Moris Blasts “Politically Motivated Prosecution”

A British judge has ruled that political dissident and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the United States. The ruling dealt a major blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to put Assange on trial for espionage charges. Assange has spent over 1,000 days locked up in the Belmarsh high-security prison in London, where he recently suffered a mini-stroke.

Veteran moderate Democrat Jim Cooper will retire after Tennessee GOP gerrymanders his House seat

Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper announced Tuesday that he would retire, a declaration that came one day after Tennessee’s Republican legislature passed a new gerrymander designed to turn his 5th Congressional District red. Cooper’s existing seat, which includes all of Nashville, backed Joe Biden 60-37; however, by splitting the city between the 5th, 6th, and 7th Districts, the GOP has created a new 5th that would have favored Donald Trump 54-43.

Neil Young pens open letter to Spotify: ‘They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both’

On Monday, famous rock ‘n’ roll musician Neil Young reportedly posted an open letter (now deleted) to his management team and record label demanding that his music be removed from music streaming juggernaut Spotify. Rolling Stone reports the letter highlights Young’s dissatisfaction with the streaming service’s support of podcaster Joe Rogan’s show The Joe Rogan Experience.

“They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.

Get-rich-quick schemes spread COVID-19 lies with help from the GOP and Sinema

Tonya Ferguson gave a presentation to the Reno County, Kansas, commissioners on how essential oils—which she just happened to sell—can help fight COVID-19. “I like to use an immune support, which is like putting my body in a bubble. It’s a powerful tool to combat viral and bacterial threats,” she says on the video. She claimed to have “protocols” to either protect from or treat people suffering from the virus.