Opinion | What the Supply Chain Crisis Reveals About American Infrastructure
Politicians like to argue in favor of more infrastructure — and more spending on it. But we can use the capacity we already have in much smarter ways.
Today's Liberal News
Wall Street’s wild party in jeopardy as Fed threatens aid cutoff
The central bank plans to begin yanking back assistance to the economy as early as next month, and many Fed officials are open to increasing interest rates next year.
News Roundup: Sinema feels the heat; a new DeJoy scandal; climate change comes for greedy deniers
It is Friday. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s tour de delusion may be coming to an end, as the disappointing senator might have finally realized she technically does have a job. It is impossible to overstate how essential doing away with the filibuster is to a healthy democracy. There’s a new Postal Service scandal, care of DeJoy. Conservatives may finally begin to worry about climate change as it threatens their wallets.
Family wants accountability from students and parents after attack on trans middle schooler
In the time we’ve battled the novel coronavirus pandemic, we’ve seen several state lawmakers push regressive, exclusionary, anti-trans bills that attack some of the most vulnerable folks in our country. Some of these bills fizzled out, but some, disturbingly, are now law thanks to Republican governors of their respective states.
Jake Tapper Says Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Has ‘Issues’ After Her Rant On Bannon Vote
“Her behavior suggests somebody that … is not tethered to reality or basic standards of decent behavior,” the CNN host said of her fight with Liz Cheney.
Honolulu police handcuffed and arrested a 10-year-old Black girl for drawing picture of peer
It’s no surprise that law enforcement often treat people of color differently. However, in the case of children, it’s far worse: Law enforcement and other authorities often treat children of color, especially Black folks, far more aggressively than others. In a recent incident proving this, Honolulu police in Hawaii handcuffed and arrested a 10-year-old girl in January 2020 for drawing an offensive picture of another student.
Tennessee Republican stands in chamber, claims the Civil War isn’t over—and the ‘South is winning’
Tennessee state Sen. Frank Niceley has been around for a while. He’s the kind of special scumbag that supports big government subsidies for guns but opposed his own Republican governor’s deal to expand health care coverage to Tennesseans back in 2015.
On Wednesday, Tennessee legislators passed a “nearly $900 million spending package aimed at clearing the way for Ford Motor Company’s $5.
Trump Lashes Out At Meghan McCain, Calling Her An Ungrateful ‘Lowlife’ Bully
The former president was responding to McCain’s criticism of him as she promotes her new memoir.
Seditionist GOP Congressman Banks pretends he’s on Jan. 6 Committee, demands docs from fed agencies
On Jan. 6, 2021, Republican Jim Banks of Indiana, along with 146 of his fellow Republican lawmakers, voted to support the violent efforts of the seditionist mob incited by Donald Trump to attack the U.S. Capitol and overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Dems eye slimmed-down drug price deal to advance social spending bill
Democrats say it’s likely the final bill will involve very limited government negotiation of drug prices.
Biden meets with top FDA candidate
President Joe Biden spoke Friday with Robert Califf, in the clearest sign yet he’s poised to nominate Califf to run the Food and Drug Administration.
Giuliani Associate Lev Parnas Convicted Of Campaign Finance Crimes
Parnas was convicted of illegally funneling money from a Russian financier to U.S. politicians, among other things.
GOP Meddles In Buffalo Mayoral Race To Help Incumbent Democratic Mayor
India Walton, a progressive, won the Democratic primary, but centrist Mayor Byron Brown is challenging her via a write-in campaign.
Supreme Court Will Hear Two Challenges On Texas Abortion Ban
But it won’t block the restrictive abortion law while the case plays out.
Stop Shopping
Lately, news stories about the supply chain tend to start in similar ways. The reader is dropped into an American container port, maybe in Long Beach, California, or Savannah, Georgia, full to bursting with trailer-size steel boxes loaded with toilet paper and exercise bikes and future Christmas presents. Some of the containers have gone untouched for weeks or months, waiting for their contents to be trucked to distribution centers.
Democrats Stare Into the Abyss
Since mid-summer, Democrats have been trapped in a downward spiral of declining approval ratings for President Joe Biden, rising public anxiety about the country’s direction, and widening internal divisions over the party’s legislative agenda. The next few weeks will likely determine whether they have bottomed out and can begin to regain momentum before next year’s midterm elections.
January 6 Wasn’t a Riot. It Was War.
In the days and weeks after the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, commentators and media outlets grappled with the question of what to call that event. Language is sticky; it clarifies and obfuscates the truth depending on who’s wielding it. January 6 was described as or likened to a “riot,” a “tourist visit,” an “insurrection,” a “peaceful protest,” and a “coup attempt.
Guns—Even Props—Are Not Toys
Alec Baldwin was involved in a tragic shooting on the set of his latest movie yesterday.One person was killed and another seriously wounded when a prop gun was discharged by the actor, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. Early reports offered conflicting information. A spokesperson for Baldwin told the Associated Press that the gun in question was firing blanks.
No One Will Stop You From Getting Whatever Booster You Want
Mixing and matching vaccine brands is officially on the table in the United States. But that option might soon be billed as the B-list choice.Last night, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky gave the green light for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots, the long-awaited follow-up to a similar recommendation given to the Pfizer formulation last month.
Public Citizen Blasts Pfizer for Putting Corporate Profit Over Increasing Access to COVID Vaccines
A damning new report shows that one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine makers appears to have played a role in restricting access to those very vaccines. The report, “Pfizer’s Power,” published this week by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, examines Pfizer’s contracts with the United States, United Kingdom, European Commission, Albania, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Dominican Republic and Peru.
Sen. Joe Manchin’s Opposition to Biden Agenda Backed by History of Putting Corporations Over People
As President Biden negotiates the final size and scope of the Build Back Better Act with fellow Democrats, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has emerged as a major hurdle to his agenda. The conservative Democrat and his family would potentially profit from his opposition to the key planks of the bill, including green energy investment and raising corporate taxes to pay for the package.
How Kyrsten Sinema, Once a Socialist, Is Now Obstructing the Democrats’ Progressive Platform
President Biden acknowledged Thursday his Build Back Better agenda is in jeopardy due to two Senate Democrats: Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Both senators have pushed Biden to slash in half his $3.5 trillion proposal that would be spent over 10 years to vastly expand the safety net and combat the climate crisis. We take an in-depth look at the two lawmakers, starting with Sinema.
As Murder Trial Begins in Ahmaud Arbery’s Killing, Family Worries About Impartiality of Jurors
We go to Brunswick, Georgia, for an update as jury selection began this week in the trial of three white men who fatally shot 25-year-old unarmed man Ahmaud Arbery while he was out for a jog last year. Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael claim they were attempting a “citizen’s arrest” of Arbery last February when they pursued him in their pickup truck.
FDA authorizes Moderna, J&J Covid-19 boosters, allows mix-and-match shots
The announcement clears the way for a major expansion of the country’s booster campaign.
Democrats weigh vouchers for Medicare dental benefits amid funding squeeze
The idea came up during a meeting Tuesday between House progressives and President Joe Biden.
The political peril that Biden didn’t see coming
The current inflation spike now appears to be on track to persist deep into 2022.
Opinion | What the Supply Chain Crisis Reveals About American Infrastructure
Politicians like to argue in favor of more infrastructure — and more spending on it. But we can use the capacity we already have in much smarter ways.
Wall Street’s wild party in jeopardy as Fed threatens aid cutoff
The central bank plans to begin yanking back assistance to the economy as early as next month, and many Fed officials are open to increasing interest rates next year.
Meet India Walton: Black Socialist on Democratic Ticket for Buffalo Mayor Snubbed by NY Dem Party
As early voting kicks off Saturday in a nationally watched mayoral race in Buffalo, New York, we speak with India Walton, who shocked the Democratic establishment when she defeated four-term Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in the Democratic primary. Since then, the self-described socialist has faced stiff opposition from within her party, with many top Democrats in the state, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Chuck Schumer, refusing to endorse her.
News Roundup: Bannon referred for criminal contempt, voting rights in danger, more COVID-19 news
In the news today: The House voted 229-202—with nine Republicans voting yes—to refer Steve Bannon to the Department of Justice to face criminal contempt charges for defying a congressional subpoena. Meanwhile, the rest of the Republicans seem to be getting very uncomfortable as the investigation continues. Democrats are spending a lot of time talking about the right to vote, but they know nuking the filibuster is the only way to do it. Gov.