Biden Wants to Give States $350 Billion. Do They Still Need It?
It turns out the pandemic may not have been the budget wrecker everyone feared.
Today's Liberal News
Trump’s Impeachment Defense Team Won’t Say When He Knew About Capitol Attack
Donald Trump did not know Vice President Mike Pence was in danger when he criticized him on Twitter, said his lawyer, contradicting a Republican senator.
Trump’s Defense Shoves His Biggest Supporters Under The Bus
During the impeachment trial, former President Donald Trump’s attorneys argued that “no thinking person” would take his words literally.
Moderna in talks with FDA to increase vaccine doses per vial
Doing so could alleviate limits on the final step of vaccine production.
The Lessons Biden and the Democrats Learned From the First Impeachment
Midway through his speech at the Pentagon last Wednesday, President Joe Biden veered from global threats to a personal promise. The visit was Biden’s first to the building as commander in chief, and he was surrounded by symbols of power and position. He stood in front of four American flags, behind a lectern adorned with the presidential seal. He would never “dishonor” or “disrespect” the military, he vowed, nor would he ever “politicize the work you do.
Minari Will Draw You in With Its Beautiful Little Details
The open, green plot of land that the Yi family moves to at the start of Minari represents something different to each member. The kids, David (played by Alan Kim) and Anne (Noel Cho), treat it as a playground, a mysterious new landscape to run around and explore. The mother, Monica (Yeri Han), views the isolated lot—and the vacant trailer home in the middle of it—with horror and resignation.
The Books Briefing: Overlooked Stories of Black American Life
In Black Genealogy, the historian Charles L. Blockson tells the story of Edward “Ned” Hector, a Black soldier who fought in the American Revolution. Several years ago, a man named Noah Lewis came across Hector’s story and decided that children needed to hear it. So, as the Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith reports, Lewis began acting as Hector in presentations for children and schools.
The Body Is Far From Helpless Against Coronavirus Variants
To locate some of the world’s most superpowered cells, look no further than the human immune system. The mission of these hometown heroes is threefold: Memorize the features of dangerous microbes that breach the body’s barriers. Launch an attack to bring them to heel. Then squirrel away intel to quash future assaults.The immune system is comprehensive, capable of dueling with just about every microbe it meets.
V-Day: Poet Aja Monet & V (Eve Ensler) on the Movement to End Violence Against Women & Girls
Amid a global rise in domestic violence during the pandemic, we speak with the founder of V-Day, a day of action to fight violence against women. V, the award-winning playwright of “The Vagina Monologues,” formerly known as Eve Ensler, says organizers around the globe are finding ways to fight back.
Ralph Nader on Corporate Crime, Holding Boeing Accountable for 737 MAX Deaths & Biden’s First Weeks
Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a “corporate crime wave,” and that the Trump administration’s $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer’s faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a “slap on the wrist.” Boeing’s faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader’s 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo.
Where Are the Witnesses? Ralph Nader Says Democrats’ Impeachment Case Is “Prescription for Defeat”
As the historic Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump continues, we speak with longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who says Democrats have set themselves up for defeat by rushing proceedings and failing to call witnesses — including Trump himself. “The narrow approach of the articles of impeachment keep the Democrats from having a full hand,” says Nader.
Impeachment Trial: Democrats Warn That Trump Would Use Political Violence Again If Not Convicted
Democratic House impeachment managers have wrapped up their case against Donald Trump, saying the former president remains a threat and should be convicted of inciting the deadly January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The trial now moves ahead to Trump’s legal team presenting their defense.
Dear Care and Feeding: I’m Working Overtime to Repair Finances My Husband Ruined, but Our Kids Hate Me
Parenting advice on financial strife, helicopter parents, and stubborn friends.
Even a Conservative Analysis Shows the $15 Minimum Wage Does More Good Than Harm
The Congressional Budget Office’s scoring of the proposed wage hike looks bad—because it was designed to be.
Forget Warm Weather and Low Taxes. Americans Are Moving to Be Near Family.
What happens if a pandemic-era trend sticks around?
When Piggly Wiggly Tried to Stick It to Wall Street
A century before GameStop, a stock market outsider took on short sellers. It was a spectacle and a disaster.
U.S. still falling short on basic tools to fight the virus
A year into the pandemic, the nation faces new challenges and new variants but could fall into an old replay.
Biden admin asks SCOTUS to uphold Obamacare, reversing Trump support for lawsuit
The move will likely have little impact on the outcome of the case, which the justices heard one week after Election Day and could decide on soon.
‘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.
Economy will return to pre-pandemic level this year, CBO predicts
Employment levels, however, will not fully recover until 2024.
Biden confronts the limits of his executive power
Without help from Congress, he has few options to turn the U.S. economy around.
Photos of the Week: Horse Breath, Incense Cat, Swan Companion
Protests against police violence in Chile, COVID-19 patient care in Portugal, wintry weather in northern Europe, Fashion Week in Kyrgyzstan, scenes from Super Bowl LV, an ice cave in Alaska, Skywhale and Skywhalepapa in Australia, Zoom goats in England, and much more.
Rep. Jim Jordan Shoots Himself In The Foot With ‘Monumentally Dumb’ Defense Of Trump
The Ohio Republican argued Trump didn’t incite the riot because it was planned before the day it occurred.
Thursday Night Owls: Some media seem to have forgotten that first impeachment was cut and dried, too
Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.
Alex Shephard at The New Republic writes—The Press’s Strange Memory-Holing of Trump’s First Impeachment. His second impeachment trial is being presented as a cut-and-dried case, in contrast to its predecessor.
Trump’s army of misogynists had special plans for any women they found
I’m ashamed to admit that this didn’t register the first time I saw video of Donald Trump’s supporters marching through the Capitol, methodically hunting door-to-door for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, smashing down doors and chanting her name.
Thanks to Monica Hesse, writing for The Washington Post, I get it now.
As rioters made their way through the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, some went looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Progressive patriots won’t let Republicans claim a monopoly on American pride
“We’re proud to be Americans again,” Norma Luna told a New York Times reporter on Inauguration Day. For some progressives—in particular but not only those who are Americans of color—it’s easier to feel proud of being American and feel a connection to the country than it has been for the last four years. Having President Joe Biden instead of President Charlottesville sitting in the Oval Office makes a big difference.
This Week in Statehouse Action: Nightmares and Statescapes edition
Greetings from Impeachlandia, where everything feels somehow like a bad dream AND deja vu.
Also, the weather sucks.
But as we wait for most Republicans in the U.S. Senate to let Trump off the hook for inciting a murderous riot at the U.S.
After dramatic vote, Democratic-led alliance will continue to run Alaska’s state House
More than three months after the election, a deadlock in the Alaska House of Representatives finally broke when a Democratic-led alliance elected moderate Republican Louise Stutes as the chamber’s new speaker by a 21-19 margin.
For the prior four years, deep divisions in the GOP caucus had allowed Democrats to assemble what they called the Majority Coalition, which included independents and a handful Republican pragmatists.