Today's Liberal News

Lowell Mayor Sokhary Chau makes history as first Cambodian American mayor in the nation

Going into the new year the trend of people of color making historic wins nationwide continues. Just two months ago, Aftab Pureval was elected as Cincinnati’s first Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) mayor, his win was followed a month later by the election of Maine’s first Somali American mayor, Deqa Dhalac. Now, a new month brings us another first, Sokhary Chau as the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States.

Cops sic police dog on Egyptian immigrant within seconds of seeing him out of car

Ali Badr, an Uber driver and Egyptian immigrant, launched a federal lawsuit last month against a California police department, a police dog handler, and six other individual police officers after video showed a police dog being sent to bite into the driver’s arm as he asked repeatedly what he did. The answer to that question is more of a technicality—a late rental payment—than a crime, according to a lawsuit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

What the Success of Spider-Man Means for Hollywood in 2022

Until the return of Spider-Man, every film’s box-office performance during the pandemic had come with an asterisk. Some movies, such as Black Widow and The Suicide Squad, were available to stream the day they opened in cinemas, helping explain somewhat depressed ticket sales. Others, such as No Time to Die and F9, relied on international revenue to boost domestic takes that were middling by pre-coronavirus standards.

How Hobbies Infiltrated American Life

Grocery-store scallions repotted on windowsills. Sourdough starters in the fridge. Cooking, knitting, jigsaw puzzles. Hobbies could not cure the coronavirus, but for a moment it seemed like they could cure the anxious stagnation of pandemic life. Time had become unsettlingly abundant, but we tried our best to avoid falling into idleness and despair.

France and U.K. Sued for Manslaughter After 27 Migrants Seeking Help Drowned in English Channel

The French humanitarian group Utopia 56 has filed a manslaughter lawsuit against British and French officials for failing to help 27 migrants who drowned to death in the English Channel in November. The only two survivors say they were ignored when they made distress calls and told their location to French and English rescue services after their boat capsized and started sinking in the freezing waters off the French port city of Calais.

What We Get Wrong About Emotions

Paul Dirac was one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century. A pioneer in quantum theory, which shaped our modern world, Dirac was a genius when it came to analytical thinking. But when his colleagues asked him for advice, his secret to success had nothing to do with the traditional scientific method: Be guided, Dirac told them, “by your emotions.”
This article was adapted from Mlodinow’s forthcoming book, Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking.

America’s Favorite Flimsy Pretext for Limiting Free Speech

Even people who know about the First Amendment still have trouble believing that someone can make false, irresponsible, even dangerous statements without paying any penalty. For instance, when Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, spoke with National Public Radio to promote COVID vaccinations and boosters just before Thanksgiving, he sharply criticized people who intentionally spread misinformation about the vaccine’s safety.

NBC and ABC both tackled the Trump threat in their Sunday morning shows. They need to keep it up

With the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s attempted coup fast approaching, NBC’s and ABC’s Sunday morning news shows both devoted significant time to the Big Lie, Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to subvert Western democracy, and the Republican Party’s shameful support of his dangerous, anti-democratic delusions.

In fact, NBC’s Meet the Press devoted its entire broadcast to Trump’s continuing threat to our republic.

New York City announces street name changes honoring Frances Perkins, Eric Garner, and others

The City Council for New York City cast its final vote in 2021 in favor of renaming and co-naming 199 streets in honor of prominent New Yorkers from the past, including Frances Perkins and Eric Garner. Some groups like Avenues for Justice, which provides services to at-risk youth who may be facing incarceration, were also honored. The block named Avenues for Justice Way on Avenue B includes the organization’s Robert Siegal Community Center.