Today's Liberal News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.