Treasury secretary minimizes risk of inflation caused by Covid relief package
Janet Yellen said the greater risk was not strengthening the economy as it recovers from the impact of the pandemic.
Today's Liberal News
Former Stockton Mayor Tubbs joins Newsom as economic adviser
He is best known for his work on a Stockton pilot project that provided $500 a month to a small group of low-income residents.
Biden’s ‘Morning in America’ moment sparks a furious debate
Another massive injection of federal cash could ignite the economy like never before. It also could drive up inflation and burst market bubbles, creating new headaches in an otherwise positive outlook.
U.S. adds a strong 379,000 jobs in hopeful sign for economy
The February gain marked a sharp pickup from the 166,000 jobs that were added in January.
Biden’s bubble risk: A reckoning in markets as the economy recovers
“I mean, Shaq has a SPAC. What could go wrong?” one economist says of the euphoria rippling through Wall Street and raising a new round of worries.
U.S. Lawyer Steven Donziger Speaks from House Arrest in NYC After Suing Chevron for Amazon Oil Spills
Decades of reckless oil drilling by Chevron have destroyed 1,700 square miles of land in the Ecuadorian Amazon, but the company has refused to pay for the damage or clean up the land despite losing a lawsuit 10 years ago, when Ecuador’s Supreme Court ordered the oil giant to pay $18 billion on behalf of 30,000 Amazonian Indigenous people.
News Roundup: Grim Reaper threatens more reaping; Whitehouse wants Kavanaugh follow-up
The Great National Post-Trump Cleanup continues. In today’s news, Sen. Mitch McConnell made headlines for vowing to make the Senate an even less productive place, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is asking that the new attorney general report back on several incidents of apparent corruption that Trump’s Justice Department blocked proper investigations of, and a Trump-era whistleblower finally gets the military promotion that Trump’s ever-crooked team tried to sabotage.
Donald Trump Tells Americans They Should Get The Coronavirus Vaccine
Republican men are the most likely group to say they won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to recent polling.
After months of pressure from advocates, detained immigrants in California now eligible for vaccine
California public health officials say that people in federal immigration detention in facilities located in the state will now be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, KQED reports.
Man goes on a racist rant before pepper-spraying Asian American gas station owner in Oakland
Crimes against Asian Americans are at an all-time high, as every day another incident is reported in which an Asian American is the target of identity-based hate. An analysis found that while crimes in the United States’ 16 largest cities decreased overall by 7% in 2020, those targeting Asian Americans rose by nearly 150%.
Incidents all over the U.S. have been reported and recorded on social media, especially in California.
Bill seeking to block gender-affirming care for transgender youth gains momentum in Alabama
In the slew of anti-trans legislation springing up around the country, most measures focus on one of two areas. There are a number of anti-trans sports bills that aim to keep transgender girls out of girls’ sports. There are also a number of bills aiming to make it a felony for physicians to prescribe gender-affirming care, like hormones, to transgender and nonbinary youth. One example of this is slowly but surely moving forward in Alabama.
Biden Says He Supports Senate Filibuster Reform
The president told ABC he is in favor of changing the rules to require senators to talk on the floor to delay a bill’s passage.
Meghan McCain Somehow Blames Kamala Harris For Republican Vaccine Skepticism
“The View” co-host linked a campaign trail comment from the vice president to Republicans not wanting the vaccine.
Facing trial for Idaho Statehouse disruption, Ammon Bundy refuses mask, is arrested once again
Ammon Bundy is nothing if not consistent. When the Idaho-based leader of the anti-public health measure “People’s Rights” network says he won’t be forced to wear a mask, he apparently means it—even if that leads him to miss his trial on trespassing charges at the Idaho Statehouse last year, leading to a warrant for his arrest and his subsequent imprisonment.
The Weekly Planet: Why a Climate-Denial Coalition May Be Cracking Apart
Every week, our lead climate reporter brings you the big ideas, expert analysis, and vital guidance that will help you flourish on a changing planet. Sign up to get The Weekly Planet, our guide to living through climate change, in your inbox.Last week, China released the draft summary of its next five-year plan, its comprehensive economic planning document for 2021 to 2025. It’s an important document, a kind of “plan of plans” for the country’s provinces and agencies.
Democrats treading lightly on Biden’s next big health care promise
After making good on their promise to expand Obamacare, Democrats are weighing a divisive fight over the public option.
Trump encourages Americans to get the Covid vaccine
The ex-president was notably absent from a recent ad campaign. But he told Fox News that getting shots in arms was important.
“Please Come to the Michael Kors Cafeteria”: Four Students on Attending High School in a Macy’s
Going back to in-person learning—with a twist.
I’m Ready to Admit What Kind of Sex I Want—but I’m Afraid My Small Town Will Find Out
I’m not sure how to be discreet without sacrificing clarity.
Sheldon Whitehouse Says FBI Conducted ‘Fake’ Background Check On Brett Kavanaugh
The bureau is facing allegations it failed to interview witnesses while investigating sexual assault allegations against the now-Supreme Court justice in 2018.
FDA opens door to widespread at-home Covid-19 tests
The agency’s announcement Tuesday is aimed at making it easier to screen Americans returning to school and work, senior FDA regulators said.
The Identity Hoaxers
The confession, when it came, did not hold back. “For the better part of my adult life, every move I’ve made, every relationship I’ve formed, has been rooted in the napalm toxic soil of lies,” read the Medium post. It was published in September under the name of Jessica A. Krug, a George Washington University professor specializing in Black history.
Why an Infrastructure Deal Everyone Wants May Fail
“When you ask individual senators whether they want to see expanded infrastructure, the answer is nearly always yes.” — Senator Elizabeth Warren“This is an area that is ripe with opportunity for bipartisan compromise.” — Senator Ted Cruz“There’s an opportunity to do something really good for the American public here.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Gets Surprise Visit After Not Appearing To Know Guam Is Part Of U.S.
Guam’s representative in Congress delivered a batch of island cookies to Greene’s office this week.
“Her Assignment, It Was Done on This Earth”: The Story of One Death Out of the 530,000 Americans We’ve Lost to COVID-19
Grappling with all we lost this past year.
The Dark Side of America’s Gleaming Skyscrapers
Photographs by Daniel SheaIn 2014, at age 19, Eric Mendoza left his farming village outside Mexico City and crossed the Rio Grande. Once in the United States, he worked construction jobs to pay his way across the country. From Texas, Mendoza traveled to rural North Carolina, where he built homes. At a Metro PCS store, he bought a cellphone for $100 so he could call his mother, Elizabeth, who had come to the U.S. when Eric was 8.On his new phone, Eric told his mother that he had finally arrived.
NY State Senator Alessandra Biaggi Says Cuomo Has Abused His Power for Years & Must Resign
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is refusing to step down despite growing calls for his resignation after multiple accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct, as well as his cover-up of thousands of COVID-19 nursing home deaths. Alessandra Biaggi, a New York state senator representing parts of the Bronx and Westchester, says it’s long past time for Cuomo to go and that the many scandals surrounding the governor reveal a consistent pattern.
Immigrant Advocate: Unaccompanied Minors Are Not a “Border Crisis” But a Humanitarian Crisis
Thousands of migrant children seeking refuge are being held in crowded cells amid an increase in asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite claims by Republican lawmakers during a tour of the southern border aimed at warning against rollbacks of Trump’s immigration policy, most adults at the border are still being turned away, while the Biden administration is allowing unaccompanied children to cross while their cases are processed.
Vijay Prashad Warns Biden Is “Doubling Down” on Trump’s Anti-China Cold War Policy
Beijing has accused the U.S. of perpetuating a Cold War mentality as President Joe Biden and senior administration officials shore up alliances in the Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence and increasingly describe the country as a geopolitical threat. Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, says the “bellicose” tone out of Washington is not because the U.S. sees China as a military threat, but because China threatens U.S.
What Conspiracy Theorists Don’t Believe
Some people believe the most extraordinary things. Earth is flat, and airplane GPS is rigged to fool pilots into thinking otherwise. COVID-19 vaccines are a pretext to inject thought-controlling microchips into us all. The true president of the United States is Donald Trump; his inauguration will happen on January 20, make that March 4, make that a date to be arranged very soon.The question “How could anybody believe this stuff?” comes naturally enough.