Today's Liberal News

Ex-Official Matthew Hoh, Who Resigned over Afghan War, Says U.S. Mistakes Helped Taliban Gain Power

“The only thing more tragic than what’s happened to the Afghan people is that in a few days America will have forgotten Afghanistan again,” says Matthew Hoh, a disabled combat veteran and former State Department official stationed in Afghanistan’s Zabul province who resigned in 2009 to protest the Obama administration’s escalation of the War in Afghanistan. He says much of the U.S.

“People Are Thirsty for Peace”: Afghans Wary of Taliban as Group Vows to Uphold Rights

We go to Kabul for an update as the Taliban moves to secure control of Afghanistan. The group said Tuesday former government officials will not face retribution and that the rights of women and journalists will be upheld. The Taliban’s rhetoric and the relatively restrained behavior of its fighters in Kabul are starkly different from how the group governed Afghanistan after seizing power in 1996, when it imposed draconian restrictions on everyday life.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19 one day after maskless Republican fundraiser

In a statement, the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this evening that Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19. Abbott, who was previously vaccinated, is said to be “currently experiencing no symptoms” but is allegedly “receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment,” an expensive treatment that is in such short supply that doctors “approve the treatment for only those most likely to develop severe” COVID-19 symptoms.

As Republicans bash Biden, recall that antiwar liberals were right and hawks were disastrously wrong

Roughly 20 years ago, I wrote some (very unpopular, mind you) op-eds about our adventures in Afghanistan. As a lefty liberal in a conservative Northeast Wisconsin redoubt, I took a far less knee-jerk approach to 9/11 than some of my neighbors. I experienced the pain, horror, and fear of that day like anyone else. Still, my instinct was always to reject half-baked, jingoistic calls for “nation-building” (to resurrect a term George W.

Maskless man yells about ‘freedom’ while berating and harassing elderly masked woman on train

If anything infuriates people during a global pandemic, it’s having to see other folks wearing masks. Wait, what? No, it doesn’t make sense, and yes, somehow, it’s our reality. While our understanding of the novel coronavirus has shifted since the world began reacting to COVID-19, experts and medical professionals have consistently recommended mask-wearing in public—and especially in indoor, enclosed spaces—for months.

Wisconsin state senator who blocked public health mandates sought hospital treatment for COVID-19

Republican state senator André Jacque has taken a trip to the hospital after experiencing pneumonia brought on by COVID-19. On Monday, the De Pere Republican sent an email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel saying that after some of his family members tested positive for COVID-19 last week, he himself had also tested positive and ended up at the hospital. Whether or not he was admitted to the hospital is unknown.

Why Wait 8 Months?

Updated at 8:15 p.m. ET on August 17, 2021At this point, COVID-19 booster shots seem all but guaranteed for Americans. Last night, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House plans to recommend a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to most Americans who have already gotten two shots from Pfizer or Moderna. The news comes just five days after the FDA authorized third doses for people who have received organ transplants or have certain immune conditions.

Cuttlefish Break the Rules of Aging

Cuttlefish, with their blimp-shaped bodies and eight squiggly arms, don’t age like people do. Sexual maturity tends to come late for them—about three-quarters of the way through their two-year lives, the rough equivalent of a human hitting puberty in their 60s. The geriatric cephalopods will then spend several weeks on an absolute bender, coupling up with as many partners as they can.