Today's Liberal News

Dahlia Lithwick: Amy Coney Barrett May Claim Neutrality, But Her Record Is “Extremely Conservative”

In the second day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, the federal judge’s refusal to answer basic questions on voter intimidation and whether a president can delay elections did her “no favors” and was part of an aim to “present herself as neutral; she’s an open book; whatever she was before, whatever she ruled on the bench before, is immaterial,” says Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter f

Photos of the Week: Puma Cub, Nord Boss, Mosque Moon

Spider-Man in Mexico City, the NBA Finals in Florida, a dragon boat race in China, BMX racing in the Netherlands, a graduation in Guinea, a bridal photoshoot in Ireland, pro-democracy protests in Thailand, a Supreme Court confirmation hearing, and much more.

Thursday Night Owls. J.C. Pan: Poverty numbers leave out far too many economic strugglers

Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week

J.C. Pan at The New Republic writes—The Devastatingly Low Bar of “Official” Poverty. 

We now have new numbers to confirm what everyone who received a $1,200 stimulus check or extra unemployment benefits over the summer likely already knows: Additional government money is a good thing during an economic collapse.

Trump has tried to woo Indian-American voters, but a new poll has bad news for him

Republicans have been hoping that the combination of Hindu nationalism and relatively high income levels would lure large numbers of Indian-American voters to their side despite an established record of Indian-Americans voting for Democrats. A new poll suggests Republicans are going to be disappointed.

YouGov finds 72% Indian-American support for Joe Biden and just 22% support for Donald Trump. The presence of Sen.

20-year-old Florida man threw Molotov cocktails at a Planned Parenthood

As millions across the country worry about their reproductive rights, some alt-right individuals have taken to attacking healthcare facilities. A Florida man is facing multiple charges in connection with an attack on a Planned Parenthood in Fort Myers on Oct. 10. Arrested Tuesday, Everett Little faces charges including first-degree arson, using an incendiary device, damage to property, and criminal mischief, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s office.

Trump Fails the QAnon Test

President Donald Trump likes to dabble in conspiracy theories, and he does not like to contradict his base. So it should come as no surprise that the president tonight refused to denounce the warped conspiracy-theory movement known as QAnon, which posits that a global cabal is torturing children, and which exalts Trump as its savior.Yet if Trump no longer has the power to surprise, he still has the power to shock.

This Week in Statehouse Action: How Tarot Can You Go edition

There’s something about hitting the teens that’s scary.

As in days left until the election, I mean.

Not adolescence.

Or literally assaulting teenagers. Please don’t do that.

But we’re a whole 19 days out now, so there’s no time to waste.

The High Priestess: The fact that the election is less than three weeks away means it’s high time I unveil my state legislative chamber flip ratings.

The Third Coronavirus Surge Has Arrived

After a month of warning signs, this week’s data make it clear: The third surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is underway. Outbreaks have been worsening in many states for more than a month, and new COVID-19 cases jumped 18 percent this week, bringing the seven-day average to more than 51,000 cases a day. Though testing rose by 8 percent nationally, that’s not enough of an increase to explain the steep rise in cases.

How the Senate Stopped Pretending

The kind of people who run for the United States Senate overlap strongly with the kind of people who like to make grandstanding speeches about the sweep of history and the decline of democracy. Senators were in full form today during the close of Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination hearings. “There are very few written rules around here. The most important rules are the unwritten ones.

Introducing Planet, The Atlantic’s new section devoted to climate change

Today, The Atlantic launches Planet, a new section devoted to covering climate change, founded on the view that the shifting climate will be the backdrop of our lives and one of the major moral questions of the century. “Living through a pandemic has primed people to think differently about climate change,” said Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic’s executive editor. “This isn’t just a science story, and it’s not just a politics story.

Amy Coney Barrett Won’t Say Climate Change Is Real; Forgets 1st Amendment Protects Right to Protest

We air highlights from the second day of questioning of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, who faced eight hours of questions on Wednesday about her views on issues ranging from climate change to voting rights to gay marriage and abortion, as Republicans race to confirm her ahead of the election and secure a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court for conservatives.