Top Trump officials pushed the Covid-19 lab-leak theory. Investigators had doubts.
New documents and interviews show how the president and his senior aides cherry-picked evidence and sidelined the government’s own virus sleuths.
Today's Liberal News
New Alzheimer’s drug could be ‘devastating’ for Medicare
Aduhelm is the first drug to target Alzheimer’s disease in nearly 20 years and will have cascading effects on health care costs.
Anti-vax groups rack up victories against Covid-19 push
Anti-vaccine fervor spread more widely during the pandemic as the U.S. government urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
A ‘humble’ Fed ramps up inflation forecast as prices jump
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank still expects rising inflation to subside in the coming months but underscored that he will be watching the data to see if that’s wrong.
Soaring prices draw both shrugs and screaming in Washington
A continued inflation spike could make it a lot harder for the president to push through trillions of dollars in additional federal spending.
Biden’s back door to wage hikes
Income growth has been relatively strong, particularly in the last couple of months, despite disappointing overall job growth.
Bargain hunters pounce as Trump condo prices hit decade lows
It’s a stunning reversal for a brand that once lured the rich and famous willing to pay a premium to live in a building with Trump’s gilded name on it.
‘Hard to love it’: Modest job gains leave lingering doubts about recovery
The figure will provide some relief to the White House after the April report, but it’s well short of the pace predicted by many economists earlier this year.
Masha Gessen on the Biden-Putin Summit, Alexei Navalny & the Future of U.S.-Russia Relations
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting in Geneva for a closely watched summit between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. Topics expected to be discussed include nuclear arms, cybersecurity, Syria, the Iranian nuclear deal, Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Korean Peninsula, Putin’s crackdown on dissent inside Russia and the U.S. military presence near the Russian border.
News Roundup: ACA remains law, GOP representatives disgrace themselves…a few times
It is Thursday! We are going into a historic weekend, commemorating the day when the news of slavery’s end finally came to Texas. It is a reminder that Texas lost the war, and for all of their pretend independence, they were Civil War losers who have always needed the United States’ support in order to exist with any autonomy.
The dumbest man in Congress wonders about FBI’s role in planning Jan. 6 insurrection. No, really
It’s not all that hard to influence Rep. Louie Gohmert. He’ll believe just about anything you tell him, so long as it’s outlandish, false, and simple enough for a 3-year-old child—or dog, or dining room table—to understand.
I’m guessing the number of Nigerian princes he’s helped out over the years approaches a baker’s dozen.
Jennifer Gosar says what many of us are thinking: Her brother, Paul Gosar, is responsible for Jan. 6
Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona is a very well-known dirtbag bigot. He has been one of the leading vacuous blobs of hate that has taken up the space left by fellow white nationalist former Rep. Steve King. Along with fellow fascist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gosar has founded the America First Caucus—which is exactly the kind of racist and xenophobic drivel you might imagine it to be.
American business owners discover a remarkable solution to the worker shortage problem
Disgruntled business owners around the country have been complaining loudly about the lack of hired help available to them as the nation slowly emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Long Last, Donald Trump Finally Admits: ‘We Didn’t Win’
But he did add ominously: “Let’s see what happens on that.
Black LGBTQ people are more likely to live in states that don’t protect against discrimination
LGBTQ people of color—and especially trans people of color—face disproportionate levels of harm, discrimination, and oppression when compared to cisgender, heterosexual populations—especially, white, cisgender, heterosexual populations. LGBTQ folks of color, however, also endure more harm than their white queer peers. For many of us, that information isn’t terribly surprising, though it is of course disturbing.
Texas Rep. — Trump’s Former Doctor — Demands Biden Take Cognitive Test
Republican Ronny Jackson thinks the president should follow in Trump’s footsteps to “document and demonstrate sound mental abilities.
Whoopi Goldberg Finally Lets Meghan McCain Know Exactly What She Thinks Of Her
“I don’t care that you don’t care,” Goldberg snapped on “The View.
Obamacare now appears safe. The battle over its future continues.
The new Supreme Court ruling guarantees the law’s survival, but Democrats and Republicans are set to clash over efforts to expand government health coverage.
With Trump Gone, the Country’s Biggest Evangelical Denomination Is Veering Away From the Far Right
Debates over critical race theory and women pastors dominated this year’s Southern Baptist Convention meeting, but most votes went for the moderates.
Capitol Rioter Indicted Under Rarely Used Gun Law Written To Target Black Activists
A federal grand jury charged Guy Reffitt with transporting firearms knowing they’d be used unlawfully “in furtherance of a civil disorder.
The Exquisite Fantasy That Kim Cattrall Was Going to Space Instead of Doing the Sex and the City Revival
Somewhere, Samantha is flirting with Jeff Bezos on the moon.
Republicans Rip Sen. Joe Manchin’s Proposed Voting ‘Compromise’
The West Virginia Democrat again expressed hope that “there’s enough good Republicans” who will support a bipartisan outcome on federal voting changes.
I Know My Deepest Sexual Fantasy Is Unusual for a Woman. How Do I Do It Anyway?
I’m not sure where to start with this.
The Fight for Religious Freedom Isn’t What It Used to Be
In the legal battle between religious rights and gay rights, religious freedom gained a victory today. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the First Amendment’s religious-freedom protections prevent the city of Philadelphia from refusing to contract with a Catholic foster-care agency that, based on its religious beliefs, does not place foster children with same-sex couples. The decision, Fulton v.
The Immune System’s Weirdest Weapon
Every drop of pus that’s squeezed out of the human body is a squidgy mess—a souvenir of an infection gone awry, a reminder to never eat off-color custard again. It is also a wartime memorial, dedicated to the corpses of the many thousands of microscopic soldiers that once teemed within. The fallen are neutrophils: stalwart immune cells that throng in the blood by the mind-boggling billions, waiting to rush to sites of injury or infection as a first line of defense.
What It’s Like to Work at the Now Entirely Maskless Disney World: “We’re Not Getting Paid Enough”
The guests cannot be trusted.
How to Hold Trump Accountable
A torrent of new revelations is filling in the picture of how Donald Trump used, and abused, his authority as president. But the disclosures may serve only to underscore how little remains known about all the ways in which Trump barreled through traditional limits on the exercise of presidential power—and highlight the urgency of developing a more comprehensive accounting before the 2024 election, when he may seek to regain those powers.
Heated NYC Mayoral Primary Race Enters Final Days; City Uses Ranked-Choice Voting for First Time
Early voting is underway in a historic New York City Democratic primary election for mayor, 35 City Council seats and several other key races. For the first time in almost a century, New Yorkers will use ranked-choice voting, which allows them to choose up to five candidates in order of preference in each race. In the mayor’s race, Brooklyn borough president and former New York police officer Eric Adams has led recent polls, while businessman Andrew Yang seems to be falling behind.
Biden and Putin Agree to Begin Work on Arms Control & Cybersecurity in Effort to Avoid New Cold War
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva Wednesday for a three-hour summit and agreed to set up working groups to deal with nuclear arms control, as well as cyberattacks.