Today's Liberal News

“Disaster Patriarchy”: V (Eve Ensler) on How the Pandemic Has Unleashed a War on Women

The pandemic has led to a sharp rise in gender-based violence, job losses in female-dominated industries, greater parenting duties for mothers, and other pressures that primarily fall on women around the world. These effects amount to a kind of “disaster patriarchy” in which “men exploit a crisis to reassert control and dominance and rapidly erase the hard-earned rights of women,” says V, the artist and activist formerly known as Eve Ensler.

U.S. Finally Offers to Send Vaccines Abroad, But Lack of Global Plan Leaves Poorer Nations in Crisis

The Biden administration on Thursday announced that the U.S. will donate 25 million surplus doses of COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries, pledging to donate a total of 80 million doses by July. Economist Jeffrey Sachs says rich countries have enough production capacity to speed up vaccine distribution and immunize the whole world within the next year. “There’s massive supply, but there’s no plan for allocation,” he says.

Where Gender-Neutral Pronouns Come From

On a frigid January day, Ella Flagg Young—the first woman to serve as superintendent of the Chicago public-school system—took the stage in front of a room of school principals and announced that she had come up with a new solution to an old problem. “I have simply solved a need that has been long impending,” she said.

The App That Monetized Doing Nothing

Photographs by Sarah JohnsonAcathedral-like mountain towers above me; a lake laps at my feet; sunshine distilled through pine needles warms my skin. Close your eyes, a voice intones. Let your shoulders fall naturally and keep your chest open. Take a few full, deep breaths to settle into this moment, inhaling deeply and slowly releasing your breath, allowing any tension you may be holding to soften. Fifteen minutes later, the voice asks me to bring my attention back to the room.

Does Tennis Care About Players? Naomi Osaka Quits French Open After Mental Health Plea Ignored

Athletes around the globe are voicing support for tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the French Open after being fined and threatened with disqualification for declining to take part in press conferences due to their effect on her mental health. Prominent athletes, from Stephen Curry to Serena Williams, have come forward to support 23-year-old Osaka, who is a four-time Grand Slam tournament winner.

As Biden Marks 100 Years Since Tulsa Massacre, Calls Grow for Reparations to Close Racial Wealth Gap

President Biden traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the single greatest acts of racist terrorism in U.S. history. Over a span of 18 hours, a white mob burned down what was known as “Black Wall Street,” the thriving Black neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, and killed an estimated 300 African Americans. Duke University professor William Darity says it’s “very impressive” that a sitting U.S.

News Roundup: DeJoy under investigation; Gaetz probe widens; Trump plans new rallies

In the news today: Postmaster General Louise DeJoy joins the ranks of Trump-allied officials known to be under federal investigation. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, already being investigated for the alleged sex trafficking of a minor, is now being probed over a potential cover-up scheme. Donald Trump will soon be reinitiating public rallies—but, according to allies, he’s now so delusional that he believes he could be returned to office by August, toppling Joe Biden.

Trump-loving West Virginia governor admits he’s on the hook for $700 million loan

Republican Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia is your run-of-the-mill Trumpian billionaire. He is considered the wealthiest person in West Virginia even though he’s something of a deadbeat, living off of subsidies, and failing ever upward. He mindlessly parrots whatever the conservative culture war persecution complex-of-the-day may be. Like Trump, Justice owns a golf course. And like Trump, Justice has reportedly made his life’s work dodging taxes and not paying his bills.

This Week in Statehouse Action: Pride Goeth Before edition

It’s June!

Happy Pride Month!

Republicans, unfortunately, are observing in the most awful ways.

In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis kicked off June by signing a bill sent to him by the GOP-controlled legislature that bans transgender girls from competing in women’s sports at the state’s public schools and universities.

Campaign Action

According to Democratic state Rep.

Here’s why people on Twitter are talking about yet another Chick-fil-A boycott

People on all sides of politics have varying opinions on boycotts—namely, whether or not they work and whether or not they’re worth someone’s time. Is an individual refusing to buy from a megacorporation really making a difference? What about people who have limited options due to location or budget? These are the questions that are hard to answer and reinforce the importance of accountability for corporations (and the wealthy people who run and profit from them).