Today's Liberal News
Skeptics question if Biden’s new science agency is a breakthrough or more bureaucracy
The proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency would deliver breakthrough treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other diseases.
Fauci frets ‘avoidable’ Covid-19 deaths among unvaccinated people
“It’s really sad and tragic,” he said.
Virus lab leak theory dogs Democrats eager to keep focus on Trump’s Covid failings
Democrats worry that murky conclusions that don’t identify the origin of the virus could play into the Republicans’ hands.
The Best Wedding Letters Ever Written to Dear Prudence
Wigs that incite anger, spectral ceremonies, and regretful bridezillas.
Gasoline is up and GOP sees an easy target: Biden
Americans are hitting the road as strong economic growth pushes up oil prices, and Republicans are trying to pin pump prices on Biden’s energy policies.
A ‘humble’ Fed ramps up inflation forecast as prices jump
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank still expects rising inflation to subside in the coming months but underscored that he will be watching the data to see if that’s wrong.
Soaring prices draw both shrugs and screaming in Washington
A continued inflation spike could make it a lot harder for the president to push through trillions of dollars in additional federal spending.
“The Second”: Carol Anderson on the Racist History Behind the Constitutional Right to Bear Arms
As gun violence soars in the United States, we look at the Second Amendment and its racist roots with Carol Anderson, author of the new book, “The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America.” In the book, Anderson details how the Second Amendment was written to empower local militia groups to put down slave revolts and protect plantation owners.
GOP Lawmaker Sued Over Inciting Insurrection: Trump White House Made Me Do It
Rep. Mo Brooks, who spoke at the Trump rally before the attack, claims he did it only because the White House asked him to.
News roundup: The six-month anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, taking a stand, and guns
In the news today: Republicans have settled on a message of fear via racist dog whistles, along with Donald Trump’s Big Lie, heading into the 2022 midterms. It’s been six months since the attack on the U.S. Capitol that came about because of that lie, and Republicans are fully embracing it—along with the attack itself. Nikole Hannah-Jones tells UNC to pound sand. Sadly, the Fourth of July weekend was a bloody one.
Farmworkers honored at White House’s July 4th celebration push for pathway to citizenship
Farmworkers were among the essential workers honored at the White House’s July 4 celebration this past weekend. United Farm Workers (UFW) said that the two families, from Georgia and Washington, represented the nation’s nearly 2.5 million farmworkers. More than a million lack legal status, and the families used the platform to urge leaders to pass permanent relief for farmworkers everywhere.
Sure, Kristi Noem is a firebug and COVID-19 cheerleader, but she loves fireworks! Take that, Biden!
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sure has her priorities straight. When it comes to bright, shiny, jingoistic nonsense, she’s got the instincts of Leni Riefenstahl. When it comes to anything that actually matters—like, say, protecting the lives of her constituents—she’s more like Lennie from Of Mice and Men.
Guess who’s suspended when ESPN host suggests Black peer hired because of race! Not the white woman
Rachel Nichols, a white ESPN host, is in damage control mode after suggesting Maria Taylor, a Black host of the network’s NBA Countdown, got the job because of mounting pressure on ESPN to diversify. “I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world—she covers football, she covers basketball,” Nichols said during a recording of a more than 20-minute phone call The New York Times obtained.
Delta variant makes up more than half of Covid cases in U.S., CDC says
The sharp jump underscores the extent to which the Delta variant has spread throughout the country and raises questions about how the Biden administration plans to contain it at the national level.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Dubiously Predicts Date Trump’s Lies Will Be Proven True
The businessman and Donald Trump supporter has big expectations for next Friday the 13th.
Sinema cranks up the PR machine, oblivious to the role she’s playing as McConnell’s tool
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, normally relatively press-shy and preferring to handle her own image-making (for better or much, much worse), has apparently decided she needs to bolster her reputation as a serious lawmaker. She also wants to make explicit the narrative she’s been anxious to set about herself as the inheritor of John McCain’s legacy. She, or her PR flack, got the Associated Press’ Lisa Mascaro and Nicholas Riccardi to bite.
A Beetle’s Genitals Just Complicated a Classic Evolutionary Story
The story of seed-beetle sex has often been told in a very particular way, with the male in the evolutionary driver’s seat, his hapless mate taken along for a grudging ride. A quick glance at the insect’s penis makes it easy to see why: The appendage is tipped with hundreds of sharp, hard spines that give it the appearance of an elaborate mace.
Eric Adams Wins New York City Mayoral Primary
The Brooklyn borough president maintained his lead after absentee ballots were counted.
Mitch McConnell Admits Democrats Deserve All The Credit For $4 Billion Coming To Kentucky
The Kentucky senator acknowledged that his state would benefit from the American Rescue Plan, even though he voted against the funds.
The Energy Revolution Is Tweaking OPEC Out
Yesterday, the oil-producers cartel OPEC—which is now somewhat cheekily called “OPEC+,” because Russia joined in 2016—failed to reach an agreement on increasing oil production. Stick with me for a second, because this may not seem like it has much to do with climate change, but in fact it reveals how decarbonization is already shifting how money is spent and how geopolitical power is exercised.
Kayleigh McEnany Falsely Claims All The ‘Main Founding Fathers’ Opposed Slavery
Prominent Founding Fathers including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had owned hundreds of enslaved people.
Help! My Husband Is Threatening Divorce Because He Can’t Take My Dad’s Bullying Anymore.
I am angry with both of them.
I’m Afraid to Tell My Girlfriend About the Real Source of My Sexual Prowess
I risk making her feel deceived.
The 2 Ways to Raise a Country’s Birth Rate
Americans aren’t making as many babies as they used to. Last year, 3.6 million were born—the lowest count since 1979. The pandemic “baby bust” could push 2021’s tally down even further; researchers have estimated that the coronavirus and its economic impact could lead to about 300,000 fewer births in the United States this year.News of declining birth rates is not always a bad thing.
The Pop Music You Listen to Really Does Matter
Eras of music are commonly defined by particular sounds. The ’80s had gated reverb, the aughts had Timbaland’s beats, and the early 2020s have had the froggy, rasping splendor of Doja Cat’s voice. On a slew of recent hits and on her new, third album, Planet Her, the 25-year-old rapper and singer continues to prove she has an extremely now sensibility: steeped in online humor, thrilled by physical pleasure, and adaptable to whatever sound or situation gets thrown at her.
Human Rights Investigators Probe Deadly Colombian Government Crackdown on Protests
An international human rights commission has arrived in Colombia to investigate the right-wing government’s brutal crackdown on protesters after a general strike was called in April. More than 80 people have died since the protests began, with many killed by police and paramilitary forces.
Exxon Exposed: Greenpeace Tricks Top Lobbyists into Naming Senators They Use to Block Climate Action
Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna, the chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment, has announced plans to ask the CEOs of Exxon and other fossil fuel companies to testify before the committee about their role in blocking congressional action to address the climate emergency.
Glimmer of Hope in Honduras: Ex-Dam CEO & West Point Grad Convicted in Murder of Berta Cáceres
A former U.S.-trained Honduran military officer and businessman has been found guilty of plotting the assassination of Berta Cáceres, the award-winning Lenca land and water defender killed in 2016. The Honduran Supreme Court ruled unanimously that David Castillo, the former president of the hydroelectric corporation DESA, was a co-perpetrator in Cáceres’s murder.
My Nephew Is So Obsessed With Video Games That I Worry for His Health
Parenting advice on gaming, racism, and tiger moms.