Biden aims to isolate China on coal — but it could blow back on the U.S.
The U.S. wants to stop new coal projects, but risks losing poor countries to Beijing’s “Belt and Road” agenda.
Today's Liberal News
‘Clearly not healthy’: Markets are giddy about reopening — and that’s the problem
Investors are pumping up bubbles across markets, with excitement growing about more stimulus and widespread vaccinations.
‘The Democratic version of John McCain’
As the critical swing vote in a 50-50 Senate, Joe Manchin has emerged as the most powerful man in Washington.
U.S. backs Okonjo-Iweala, first woman and African, to head WTO
The decision breaks with the Trump administration’s opposition to Okonjo-Iweala and brings the U.S. in line with much of the rest of the world.
Andrés Arauz: Ecuador’s Presidential Front-Runner on COVID, Austerity & Ending U.S. Interference
Ecuador’s presidential front-runner says the country is facing a “double crisis” of COVID-19 and austerity. “We need a renewal in our politics,” Andrés Arauz tells Democracy Now! The left-wing economist secured nearly 33% of the vote in the first round of Ecuador’s presidential election on February 7 but fell short of the 40% needed to win outright.
Capitol Police Investigate 2 GOP Lawmakers Over House Metal Detector Incidents
The agency is looking at whether a lawmaker assaulted a police officer and an alleged attempt by another lawmaker to carry a gun into the House Chamber.
Wednesday Night Owls: Rush Limbaugh sparked firestorm of loud-mouthed, racist, misogynist imitators
Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.
Alex Shephard at The Nation writes—Rush Limbaugh Made America Worse. The racist, sexist radio host played a pivotal role in injecting cruelty and conspiracy into conservative mass media:
Twenty-five years ago, Rush Limbaugh graced the cover of Time magazine.
Ash Wednesday’s universal message: Honor sacrifices made for our future
In the past …
Ash Wednesday 2001 was also in February, just a few months after a close election decided by Bush v. Gore in December of 2000. I was a Catholic graduate theology student at a Methodist institution, in a suburb of Atlanta, filling my car up with gas. The station was literally across the tracks in a poorer part of town where the cheaper gas fit my budget. I had just come from a church that was hard enough to locate in the days before GPS.
The Argument for (and Against) Only Forgiving $10,000 of Student Debt
President Biden’s plan would actually do a lot of good—but it could do even more.
Tucker and guest go full racist: ‘We should not be bringing more Black children into the country’
The Fox News machine, along with the Republican Party, has spent the last 24 hours attempting to place blame for the power outages and electrical grid failures in Texas on environmentalism and “green energy.
Now Streaming: Wild and Wise, the New Show With Jamilah Lemieux
Jamilah and williambryantmiles take on topics of race, sex, and identity.
Trump’s Atlantic City hotel implosion gets higher ratings than Trump
New Jersey residents and others gathered early Wednesday morning on rooftops, at nearby venues, and in garage parking lots to watch the end of the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, marking the end of Donald Trump’s imprint on the city. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, some even watched from One Atlantic, a wedding venue on top of a pier.
Covid stimulus may leave aid for sick workers behind
Proponents of the economic aid measures are warning Congress not to abandon key tools for keeping sick working-class Americans isolated at home.
People In Texas Jails Are ‘Freezing,’ Without Hot Food Or Running Water
The toilets in one Harris County jail were filled to the brim with feces and urine because the facility had no running water, according to people incarcerated there.
Texas mayor is exactly the hero Republicans are looking for in a life-threatening crisis
When it came time to write a platform for the 2020 election, Republicans either could not be bothered, or could not think of anything beyond “whatever Trump says now.” In any case, they took the extraordinary move of simply discarding their platform and moving forward with no declared plan at all. Which at least means they can’t be accused of breaking promises, since they didn’t make any.
Biden picks Brooks-LaSure to run Medicare, Medicaid agency
The Obama administration vet, who helped craft the Affordable Care Act, will be charged with helping Biden expand the health care law.
Rick Perry: Texans Should Endure Blackouts To Keep Feds From Overseeing Power Grid
The Republican also insisted that wind and solar energy had caused the blackouts when coal, nuclear and natural gas energy systems bear much of the blame.
I Planned to Give Up My “Dangerous” Gas Stove. Then Texas Froze.
The South’s winter storm crisis raises a difficult question for the movement against gas stoves.
Ted Cruz Admits He Has ‘No Defense’ For Texas’ Current Energy Debacle
Some Twitter users appreciated the Republican senator for his admission, but others didn’t like his use of the shrug emoji.
FBI Opens Investigation Over Cuomo’s Nursing Home Death Scandal [UPDATED]
The New York governor has been accused of covering up the COVID-19 death toll at nursing homes.
I Am an Absolute God in Bed. But Women Seem Alarmed When I Reveal This.
You’d think this would be good news!
Winners of the 2020 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest
The judging for the ninth annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has wrapped up, and the winning images and photographers have been announced. Gaetano Dario Gargiulo took Best in Show with his image of an octopus in a tide pool. The organizers of the contest have once again shared with us some of the winners and honorable mentions, shown below, from the 12 categories of underwater photography.
Give Your Pup a Prehistorically Good Time With This Dino Chew Toy, Now on Sale
The Nylabone DuraChew Dinosaur Dog Toy is now $6, or 35 percent off the regular price.
Biden admin will spend $1.6B to expand Covid-19 testing and sequencing
Health officials told reporters that $650 million will be used to increase access to testing in non-medical settings, such as K-8 schools.
I’m Freezing Cold and Burning Mad in Texas
The great winter storm of 2021 has terrorized Texans, overwhelmed our energy grid, and made a mockery of our politicians and our much-vaunted independence.Here in Dallas, my family and I have intermittently been without power for three days. On Monday night, the coldest night on record in three decades, we were without power for 12 long hours.
Why These Child Psych Books From the 1980s Are All Over Parenting Facebook Groups Today
Louise Bates Ames’ advice may seem “old-fashioned,” but experts say much of it remains worth heeding.
Fauci: ‘Non-workable’ to vaccinate teachers before schools open
Fauci weighed into a heated debate on school reopening, wading where the Biden administration has often not been willing to go.
Why Did We Ever Send Sick Kids to School?
Staying home to avoid catching and spreading the coronavirus during the pandemic, for all the fear and anxiety it has caused, has come with one unexpected benefit for my family: My kids haven’t been sick once, not even with the common cold. My husband and I noticed this with a sense of relief after months of virtual schooling.
It’s All Rigged
As of January 10, nine brokerages had set the one-year target stock price for GameStop at about $10.But that’s not where it would stay—at least for a while. It climbed in price because a subreddit, r/WallStreetBets, engineered a short squeeze.That kicked off a wild ride, revealing many things not just about how digital technologies are transforming our world, but also about how they are not.
“Work Won’t Love You Back”: Sarah Jaffe on Toxic U.S. Work Culture & the Fight Against Inequality
Amid the economic crisis and precarious working conditions for millions of people during the pandemic, we look at a new book by Sarah Jaffe, an independent journalist and author who covers labor and economic justice. “Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone” looks at the unsustainable expectations of fulfillment around work and how the “labor of love” myth has contributed to the rise of toxic workplaces.