Today's Liberal News

Monday Night Owls: San Antonio’s energy utility vows climate action, but is still plugged into gas

Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week

30 DAYS UNTIL JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Dana Drugmand at DeSmog writes—San Antonio’s City-Owned Energy Utility Is Paying a Quarter Million Dollars a Year to Gas Industry Groups:

Deep in the heart of Texas, by far the nation’s top oil producer, the city of San Antonio is starting to grapple with its reliance on fossil fuels.

Easy, thoughtful, low-cost gifts to give during a literal global pandemic

As we lean into the holiday season, we continue to face the novel coronavirus pandemic as a nation. Because the Trump administration consistently fumbled the pandemic response, not only are people staring down a potentially deadly virus, but high unemployment rates, housing and food insecurity, and isolation from friends, family, and coworkers.

What (and when) you can expect from COVID-19 stimulus checks

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says stimulus checks will go out as soon as next week, faster than the single round that was provided in spring following the CARES Act. “People are going to see this money the beginning of next week,” he said on CNBC Monday. “Much needed relief—and just in time for the holidays.” Except for the part that it’s after Christmas and barely relief.

The Atlantic Daily: The Danger in Trump’s Efforts

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.DOMINICK REUTER / GETTYWith the pandemic at a deadly peak, Americans learned that the president, still set on overturning the 2020 election results, went so far as to discuss martial law. His refusal to accept the outcome will leave a dangerous legacy.

California Has Lost Control

Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. California is on the verge of breaking a pandemic record from the darkest days of the spring: With 17,750 COVID-19 patients hospitalized yesterday, the state is closing in on New York’s single-day high of 18,825, set on April 13.

The Mysterious Link Between COVID-19 and Sleep

The newly discovered coronavirus had killed only a few dozen people when Feixiong Cheng started looking for a treatment. He knew time was of the essence: Cheng, a data analyst at the Cleveland Clinic, had seen similar coronaviruses tear through China and Saudi Arabia before, sickening thousands and shaking the global economy. So, in January, his lab used artificial intelligence to search for hidden clues in the structure of the virus to predict how it invaded human cells, and what might stop it.