Wall Street shrugs at Washington’s debt pileup
The debt poses no imminent danger to U.S. finances, economists say, so the more pressing concern should be jump-starting the economy.
Today's Liberal News
The GOP Is Complaining That Joe Biden Is Being “Divisive” by Governing Like a Democrat
You can, in fact, call for “unity” and pursue policies that Republicans don’t like.
What Miami Can Give Techies That San Francisco Can’t
Warm weather, low taxes, and a mayor ready to nurse their grievances about Bay Area liberalism.
Joe Biden’s First COVID-Relief Bill Isn’t Screwing Around
He can’t possibly expect the GOP to go along with this—but that might be a good thing.
I Used to Worry About Being an Overprotective Parent. Then Came the Trump Era.
How four years of sneers about snowflakes, “safe spaces,” and soy boys changed my views on parenting.
U.S. jobless claims decline to a still-high 900,000
The government said that 5.1 million Americans are continuing to receive state jobless benefits, down from 5.2 million in the previous week.
30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed
Trump’s presidency may be best remembered for its cataclysmic end. But his four years as president also changed real American policy in lasting ways, just more quietly. We asked POLITICO’s best-in-class policy reporters to recap some of the ways Trump changed the country while in office, for better or worse.
U.S. loses 140,000 jobs in first monthly loss since spring
At the same time, the unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, the first time it hasn’t fallen since April.
How Biden’s dream of fighting income inequality runs through Georgia
The share of wealth controlled by the top 1 percent sits at levels not seen since the 1920s. Biden’s hopes for changing it rests on Senate control.
Trump backs down, signs stimulus package
A government shutdown was averted after the president approved the Covid relief package and annual spending bill.
Joe Biden Canceled Keystone XL. Indigenous Leaders Demand the Same for the Dakota Access Pipeline
After President Joe Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, pressure is growing from Indigenous leaders and environmental groups for the new administration to do the same with the Dakota Access pipeline, the controversial project that sparked the historic Standing Rock uprising in 2016.
The Fight Over Britain’s Pandemic Myth
Britain will soon pass the grimmest of milestones: 100,000 people dead from COVID-19. This appalling tally is higher than anywhere else in Europe, and almost twice that of Germany, the biggest country on the continent. Depending on how it is measured, Britain is now the second-worst-hit nation on Earth relative to its size.There is simply no escaping the reality that the country has suffered a catastrophic failure of governance.
Mitch McConnell Backs Down In Fight Over Filibuster
The GOP leader cited comments from two Democratic senators who reiterated their support for the Senate rule as a reason to move forward.
Monday Night Owls: Labor and climate activists have a common enemy: ‘right-to-work’ for less laws
Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.
Kate Aronoff at The New Republic writes—Right to Work on a Hot Planet. Labor and climate campaigners quite literally share a common enemy. The name often ends in Koch:
The Protecting the Right to Organize Act—which passed out of the House last February, and which Biden has voiced support for—would preempt the core of statewide right-to-work measures.
Trump’s ex-staffers are having trouble landing new jobs after attack on U.S. Capitol
Politico brings us the sad tale of Donald Trump’s White House staffers and hangers-on now trying to find new jobs after supporting an effort to overthrow the nation’s democracy to reinstall their favorite crook. Apparently it isn’t going well.
Republican senator’s surprise retirement could give Democrats a pickup opportunity in Ohio
In a big surprise, Republican Sen. Rob Portman announced Monday that he would not seek a third term next year in Ohio. Portman, who is 65, had not shown any obvious interest in retirement, and he had a large $4.6 million war chest at the end of September of 2020.
Republican facing multiple convictions for human trafficking and fraud begins sentence
In October of 2019, former elected county assessor for Maricopa County Paul Petersen was charged by Utah’s attorney general with 11 felonies. Those felonies included “human smuggling, sale of a child and communications fraud.
CNN’s Brianna Keilar Incinerates Dr. Deborah Birx’s ‘Apology Tour’
The doctor’s excuses are too little, too late, Keilar said of the COVID-19 misinformation that flowed from the White House under Birx’s watch.
Biden continues using executive power to help working people
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order strengthening Buy American policies on Monday. While such provisions, which encourage federal agencies to buy U.S.-made products, already exist, they’re filled with loopholes and haven’t always been followed.
“Existing Buy American rules establish a domestic content threshold—the amount of a product that must be made in the U.S.
States taking back Covid shots unused by nursing homes
Under pressure to speed up vaccinations, states are holding back or redirecting doses earmarked for long-term care facilities.
New virus variants threaten Biden’s pandemic plans
The government is already collaborating with Moderna to develop vaccine booster shots aimed at strains first identified in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Accused Capitol Rioter Apologizes For Threat To Assassinate Rep. Ocasio-Cortez
“I want to publicly apologize to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and the Capitol police officers,” Garret Miller said Monday. “I am ashamed by my comments.
Leon Black To Step Down As Apollo CEO After Jeffrey Epstein Review
The review found Black was not involved in any way with Epstein’s criminal activities, but he did pay Epstein bona fide fees for advice on tax and estate planning, and other related services.
Live By The Sharpie, Die By The Ballpoint ― Much Of Trump’s Legacy Undone In Days
From border wall funds to the Muslim ban, the accomplishments Trump bragged about were done by executive action and have just as readily been undone.
Biden sets sights on 1.5 million vaccinations a day
The president said he was hopeful about ramping up capacity, as parts of the country start to bump up against limitations on how many shots they can administer.
Hollywood’s Patience Is Frustrating—But Necessary
In early December, it seemed like a dam was about to break in Hollywood. With the pandemic certain to stretch on for more than a year and little hope of theaters worldwide returning to full capacity, WarnerMedia announced that it would release all of its 2021 movies on HBO Max and in theaters simultaneously. The massive decision sparked concerns that other major movies would be rebranded as at-home experiences too. But by and large, other studios haven’t followed Warnermedia’s lead.
