Today's Liberal News

What a Crackdown Looks Like From Jail

Earlier this month, I stood in line alongside an aide to Tam Tak-chi, both of us readying to meet with the imprisoned political activist at the Hong Kong prison complex where he is being held. As Tam’s assistant waited her turn for supplies she brought for Tam to be inspected, a woman approached from the nearby waiting area and the two exchanged excited hellos before hugging and chatting briefly.

The Trump Policy That Biden Is Extending

President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress announced a great many breaks with the recent past. But in one very important way, Biden’s approach represents a depressing continuity with the defeated Trump administration: the turn from free trade to Buy American.
All the investments in the American Jobs Plan will be guided by one principle: “Buy American.

News Roundup: Biden addresses Congress; Rudy gets raided; India in pandemic crisis

In the news tonight: President Joe Biden delivers his first speech to a joint session of Congress. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s office is raided by federal investigators looking for more information on the scope of his Ukrainian dealings. India’s healthcare systems are now in full pandemic crisis—a crisis not likely to stop at the nation’s borders.

President Biden addresses joint session of Congress

President Joe Biden is addressing a joint session of Congress—the traditional replacement for a State of the Union address in a president’s first year. This year, of course, the format of the speech is also shaped by COVID-19. There will be a limited audience.

Biden has serious legislative priorities to advocate for, including the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which he unveiled Wednesday morning, along with the American Jobs Plan and immigration reform.

Workers shouldn’t have to go hungry to gain COVID-19 relief

This story was originally published at Prism.

New York recently passed a historic $2.1 billion fund for workers who were excluded from previous federal and state coronavirus aid. Roughly 300,000 New Yorkers—including undocumented community members and people with “nontraditional” jobs—stand to benefit from the additional aid.

Elon Musk’s SNL Hosting Gig Is a Trap

Elon Musk is an eyebrow-raising choice of host for Saturday Night Live. He’s a controversy-courting tech CEO with a tenuous connection to the entertainment industry. He’s never seemed interested in performing sketch comedy. And his Twitter following of more than 50 million accounts eclipses SNL’s audience—this season, the series’ highest-rated episode drew about 9 million viewers. Musk, in short, doesn’t need SNL.