Today's Liberal News

As Delta Variant Drives Surge in New Cases, History Shows It Could Get Worse Before It Gets Better

More than one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, over 3.5 million people have died around the world, including nearly 500,000 in the United States. Historian and writer John Barry says the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus was a predictable development based on how previous pandemics have developed. “This is not unusual, what we’re going through,” he says.

News Roundup: GOP says doing nothing is all we can do about COVID-19, and MyPillow debunks himself

It is Friday! The Republican Party’s never-ending plan to do absolutely nothing and blame everyone else for its impotence continues unabated! At every turn, reality and facts fly in their faces, and even though they show no signs of relenting, the hope is that enough people will realize what an utter sham GOP representatives are. On the other side, scientists and the Democratic Party continue trying to mend what has been broken.

Teacher displays white woman tears while resigning from job over new trans-inclusive policy

Even prior to the absolute onslaught of anti-trans bills targeting trans youth, especially in regards to age-appropriate, gender-affirming health care and the opportunity to compete on girls’ sports teams, research has shown that trans young people have a really, really hard time in school. Trans youth report higher rates of bullying, harassment, and assault than their cisgender peers.

Filipino family says hotel refused to honor reservation before offering a white couple a room

As Daily Kos has covered, while there are many instances of people acting in solidarity and bravery during the pandemic, there have also been examples of racism, discrimination, and downright cruelty. As my colleague Aysha Qamar has covered, anti-Asian hate crimes have swept the nation during the COVID-19 crisis; which, of course, we can’t think about without remembering the racist rhetoric spewed by Donald Trump and his lackeys.

Advocates say new ICE order backing off immigrant crime victims is ‘powerful policy’—if followed

The Biden administration this week issued a directive instructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to not target the undocumented immigrant victims of crime, barring “exceptional circumstances.”

The guidance instructs agents to refrain from sweeping up immigrants protected by special U-visas aiding the undocumented immigrant victims of crime, or are in the process of applying for one.

‘Get out of my country’: D.C. Man shouts racist and homophobic slurs at family before attacking them

As the delta variant surges across the country, America’s racism pandemic continues to flourish. Anti-Asian crimes especially are on the rise as misinformation about the virus spreads and xenophobic language is often used in conservative circles to describe it.

In the latest incident of reported anti-Asian hate crimes, a gay Asian man and his family were attacked in Washington D.C.

Will the U.S. Pass a Point of No Return?

This is the latest installment in a series that began back in 2019, with an article I did for the print magazine on Americans’ long-standing obsession with the decline-and-fall narrative of Rome.Many people wrote in to agree, disagree, and otherwise react. The online discussion begins here. But the most sustained line of response has been from my friend Eric Schnurer.

Frank Ocean Fans Are Mad About a Million-Dollar Necklace

Five years to the month after releasing arguably the best album of the 2010s, the spotlight-shy Frank Ocean has emerged to share something with the world again. Late last week, he cleared his Instagram archive of all old photos—a now-common maneuver for pop stars about to move into a new artistic era—and began touting something called “Homer.

Someone Show NASA a Calendar

The proper attire for an outdoor adventure matters, and perhaps no dress code counts more than what you wear to the surface of the moon.A spacesuit must be carefully sewn and assembled. The gold-coated helmet should shield your eyes from the sun’s unfiltered glare. The fabrics closest to the body should be laced with tubes of chilled water to keep you cool.