Eric Swalwell Rips Steve Bannon’s New Call To ‘Decertify’ Biden As Democracy’s ‘Endgame’
“You cannot interpret this as anything but a declaration of war on democracy,” notes the California lawmaker.
Today's Liberal News
COVID-19 protocols are a bad joke at many businesses, this week in the war on workers
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, essential workers were widely dubbed “heroes.” That didn’t mean they were treated well or protected with adequate safety measures, but people were talking about their contributions. Since then, company after company has rolled back already inadequate safety measures and benefits.
No big shocker to learn that Herschel Walker hawked ‘dry mist’ spray to ‘clean’ you of COVID-19
If the fact that he lied about graduating from college, almost appeared at a fundraiser thrown by a woman with a Nazi insignia on her Twitter profile, or his long history of domestic violence doesn’t sway you, maybe pro football star-turned-Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walkers’ new “dry mist” for COVID-19 will sell you.
Trump Ally Dan Bongino Suspended From YouTube Over COVID-19 Misinformation
The right-wing commentator told a YouTube employee to “kiss my ass” in an email tantrum he shared on Twitter
This Is No Way to Be Human
Recently I met the astronomer Pascal Oesch, an assistant professor at the University of Geneva. Professor Oesch and his colleagues share the distinction of having discovered the most distant known object, a small galaxy called GNz-11. That galaxy is so far away that its light had to travel for 13 billion years to get from there to here. I asked Professor Oesch if he felt personally connected to this tiny smudge on his computer screen.
How Did We Get So ‘Cringe’?
Take a tweet from the week after the Capitol riot in January 2021: “A Liberal insurrection would have looked very different. We would have escorted the original Broadway cast of Hamilton into the galleries. They would softly sing … as members of the GOP spewed their lies.” This was apparently intended as satire of a certain type of extremely online and cringe-inducing liberal smugness, but it came off as the thing itself and then produced more of the same.
The Selfishness of Novak Djokovic
Updated at 8:20 p.m. ET on January 15, 2022After a dramatic weeklong fight with the world’s top men’s tennis player, Australia’s immigration authorities wisely decided to revoke Novak Djokovic’s visa a second time because he flouted the country’s COVID-19 policies. Although the Australian authorities and tennis officials aren’t blameless, this is a huge, self-inflicted public-relations crisis for Djokovic that has smeared his legacy.
The Case for Keeping Up Your Christmas Tree Until March
Right now, there is a hole in my living room. It was not there last week. We’ve tried to cover it up, but nothing seems to work. Rearranging the furniture somehow only makes the hole grow. The space, which once radiated a hopeful glow, now feels hollow. When I stare at this hole, I begin to feel as if a light has gone out in the world. Actually, not just one, many. And that’s because they have.I am, of course, talking about my Christmas tree (RIP).
CNN Unearths Audio Of Kevin McCarthy Saying Trump Admitted Responsibility For Riot
CNN’s “K-File” resurfaced the top House Republican’s comments to a California radio station just days after the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Senate panel advances Biden’s FDA pick in 13-8 vote
Two senators on the panel who caucus with Democrats and six Republicans opposed the nomination.
China locks down third city, raising affected to 20 million
The approach of the Winter Olympics and the emergence of Omicron have brought back citywide lockdowns.
Decoding what Biden health officials told Congress about Omicron
In contrast to previous oversight hearings on the administration’s Covid-19 response, Dems raised sharp questions and complaints on the state of the resurging pandemic.
Medicare won’t cover controversial Alzheimer’s drug — unless patients are in a clinical trial
FDA approved the drug on an accelerated pathway, which requires a fourth clinical trial to demonstrate that the drug actually slows cognitive decline.
Price spikes threaten to ground Biden’s big-spending plans
The government reported Wednesday that the consumer price index, the most widely watched gauge of inflation, hit a four-decade high in December compared to the previous year.
U.S. consumer prices soared 7 percent in past year, most since 1982
The jump is the latest evidence that rising costs for food, rent and other necessities are heightening the financial pressures on America’s households.
Powell’s warning to Congress: Inflation a ‘severe threat’ to jobs
The potential clash over the Fed’s plans to tighten monetary policy could be a harbinger of conflicts to come with Democrats and even some Republicans.
Fed’s Powell pumped trillions into the economy. Now, he may be the party killer.
Heightened frustration among Americans about soaring prices is fueling congressional pressure on the Fed chief over how the Fed will respond.
U.S. unemployment claims drop to 198,000
The four-week average, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, fell to just above 199,000, the lowest level since October 1969.
John Nichols on How “Coronavirus Criminals & Pandemic Profiteers” Hurt World’s Response to COVID-19
We speak with The Nation’s national affairs correspondent John Nichols on the occasion of his new book, “Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis,” which takes aim at the CEOs and political figures who put profits over people during the coronavirus pandemic. The chapters cover notorious figures such as former President Trump, Mike Pompeo, Jared Kushner and Jeff Bezos.
Confessions of a “Human Guinea Pig”: Professor Quits Vaccine Trial over Moderna’s Corporate Greed
Jeremy Menchik, a self-described “human guinea pig” who volunteered for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trials, dropped out to protest the company’s greed in reaping profits from the ongoing pandemic while doing little to resolve global vaccine inequity. Menchik is launching a new website — mrna4all.org — where other vaccine trial participants can join the effort to pressure vaccine makers to scale up production to vaccinate the world.
A Key Fox News Talking Point Awkwardly Falls Apart In Embarrassing Supercut
The mocking “Daily Show” montage bids farewell to one narrative put forward on the conservative network about the Jan. 6 insurrection.
News Roundup: Voting rights must wait a weekend; Rep. McCarthy has Jan. 6 memory loss
It is Friday. It will be a long three-day weekend for the do-nothing Senate, as the corruptions of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have left voting rights to hang in the balance. The Supreme Court handed down a decision slamming the rights of workers across the country, and federal courts followed that up by being exposed for their own weak labor practices. In equally dismal news, the Jan.
Wisconsin lawmaker says mitigating COVID-19 is impossible—for the most ridiculous reason yet
You know, I’m starting to agree with the MAGA crowd about masks. I don’t really need one, because I’ve been face-palming pretty much nonstop since 2017. That’s gotta filter out most coronavirus, right? As for the vaccine—I got all my shots. But, sadly, there’s no immunity—artificial or otherwise—against the goofball gormlessness of the Republican Party.
Spanish homework assignment for middle schoolers calls Americans ‘pretty’ and Mexicans ‘ugly’
Students have a lot to deal with in today’s day and age: surviving a global pandemic, going to school among anti-mask protests, and big-picture polarization among political parties they mostly can’t participate in yet. Structural and latent racism and xenophobia continue to infiltrate classrooms, too, as though young people don’t have enough hardships.
New York Rep. John Katko, one of only nine Republicans in a Biden district, announces retirement
New York Rep. John Katko, one of just nine House Republicans to represent a constituency that also voted for Joe Biden, announced Friday that he would not seek a fifth term in the Syracuse-based 24th Congressional District.
Caribbean Matters: Untenable political situation in Haiti worsens amid new assassination revelations
As we mark the anniversary of the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010—a natural disaster from which the island nation has never recovered—Haitians are now confronting more issues that will continue to destabilize them. These shockwaves emanate not from geology, but from the increasingly disastrous realm of politics.
Texas Attorney General Ordered To Release Records About His Role In Jan. 6 Rally
Ken Paxton’s office has so far stonewalled requests for the information, even though he is supposed to be in charge of enforcing the public records law.
Rioters Who Stormed Capitol Called Nancy Pelosi’s Office Wanting Their Stuff Back
Staffers answering the calls handed them over to the police, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said.
Your Thoughts on Parent-Teacher Conflicts
Sign up for Conor’s newsletter here.Earlier this week I asked you all, “What are the proper roles of parents and teachers, respectively, in the education of children?” What follows are three very different answers to that question.
Kyrsten Sinema Faces Backlash From Arizona Democrats For Pro-Filibuster Stance
Leaders and activists alike sounded off: “Like being almost in an abusive relationship”; “disappointed to say the least”; “I will never understand.