Today's Liberal News

The Books Briefing: The Many Sides of Identity

In 1983, the historian Benedict Anderson published his pioneering work Imagined Communities, which looks at the intangible factors that bond nations together. His analysis was prescient, thanks to the expansive lens it took in examining what unites people, and the book still helps deepen considerations of modern issues, such as the importance of a representative Pride flag.

Anti-BDS Jewish Orgs Back Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Sales Ban in Settlements Despite Israeli Pressure

Israel has launched what has been described as a maximum pressure campaign against Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever, after the iconic ice cream brand announced it would halt sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel has asked 35 U.S. governors to enforce state laws which make it a crime to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS.

Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of Apparent War Crimes in Gaza Assault; Urges ICC Probe

Human Rights Watch is calling on the International Criminal Court to open a probe into apparent Israeli war crimes committed during its recent 11-day assault on Gaza that killed 260 Palestinians, including 66 children. We discuss a major report HRW released this week that closely examines three Israeli strikes that killed 62 Palestinians civilians in May. U.S.-made weapons were used in at least two of the attacks investigated.

Workers Beg Joe Manchin to Save West Virginia Pharma Plant as His Daughter Walks Away with $31M

More than 1,400 workers in West Virginia are set to lose their jobs this week when the Viatris pharmaceuticals plant in Morgantown shuts down and moves operations overseas to India and Australia. Workers say they’ve had no response to their urgent requests for help from their Democratic senator, Joe Manchin, who is often called the most powerful man in Washington. Viatris was formed through a merger between two pharmaceutical companies, Mylan and Upjohn.

NAACP Head Derrick Johnson Remembers Bob Moses as Key “Strategist” of Civil Rights Movement

We look at the life and legacy of civil rights icon Bob Moses, who recently died at the age of 86, with NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who formerly headed the NAACP Mississippi State Conference, where Moses served as field secretary for SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and helped register thousands of voters across the state. “Bob Moses was one of the most profound strategist leaders of the civil rights movement across the country,” says Johnson.

News Roundup: New vaccine rules for federal workers; bipartisan infrastructure deal falls short

In the news today: As COVID-19 cases continue to soar among unvaccinated Americans, President Joe Biden announced new vaccine requirements for federal workers, with a military vaccine mandate likely to follow. The Senate voted yesterday to begin debate on a “bipartisan” infrastructure plan. What’s the bipartisan part? That it’s less ambitious than needed and reeeeeally sketchy about its numbers.

Trump’s aides reportedly fretting over his potential toxic touch in future endorsements

Donald Trump is a colossal, outsized, Brobdingnagian loser. You might even say he’s a “yuge” loser. And while he’s always been a loser (see also: multiple bankruptcies), his loser bona fides are shining particularly brightly these days.

He lost the popular vote in 2016. He lost the presidency in 2020, conspicuously becoming the first loser incumbent in nearly 30 years. Under his “leadership,” Republicans lost the House.

Black woman’s travels with white adoptive sister end in police questioning

A Black woman was accused of trafficking her adoptive sister, a white 4-year-old girl, when she traveled to Texas with the child last Tuesday, according to The Denver Channel. Lakeyjanay Bailey, a 21-year-old woman from Aurora, Colorado, was targeted when she flew Frontier Airlines and learned after landing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport that another passenger on the plane was suspicious of her, the ABC-affiliated news station reported.

Missouri isn’t just the heart of the new COVID-19 outbreak, it’s a political disaster zone

For some reason, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt believes that protecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the threat of masks is his top priority. And this week he has demonstrated that belief both by refusing to meet with the mayor of Kansas City and by filing a lawsuit against St. Louis that’s not just factually incorrect, but riddled with lies meant to disguise Republican failings.

Schumer makes bold promises on climate, he can’t let Sinema break them

Following the advancement of the bipartisan infrastructure package, one which drastically reduced the commitment in President Joe Biden’s original American Jobs Plan to combat climate change, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made a bold claim: “As Majority Leader, I will not pass an infrastructure package that does not reduce carbon pollution at a scale commensurate with the urgent climate crisis we face. And that’s exactly what Democrats will do.