Vaccine demand jumps in states pummeled by Delta variant
State and local officials in these areas say that fears about the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, and the risk of death, are finally driving more people to seek out shots.
Today's Liberal News
Facebook Cares About Privacy—But Only If You’re an Advertiser
Hospitals in the United States are again filling up with COVID-19 patients, most of whom have refused COVID-19 vaccinations, likely due in part to medical misinformation circulating online and on television. We are eight months removed from a violent attack on the nation’s capital, organized online and carried out by individuals who believe—incorrectly—that the 2020 election was stolen.
The Best Way to Keep Your Kids Safe From Delta
The number of kids contracting the coronavirus is rising. In the week that ended with July 29, more than 70,000 children got COVID-19, representing nearly a fifth of all cases. Though a vanishingly small number of kids have died of the disease—358 since the start of the pandemic, as of July 29—some states, like Florida, now have dozens of children hospitalized. Few parents want to hear that their little ones may get COVID-19, no matter how low their odds of death.
When the Dream of Growing Old With Your Friends Comes True
Updated at 1:35 p.m. ET on August 6, 2021Each installment of “The Friendship Files” features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship.This week she talks with Kappa Delta sorority sisters who attended the University of Virginia in the ’70 and ’80s.
Steven Donziger, Lawyer Who Sued Chevron over Amazon Oil Spills, Marks 2 Years Under House Arrest
Protests across the United States are calling for the immediate release of environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, who has been held under house arrest in New York for two years after being targeted by the oil giant Chevron. Donziger sued the oil giant in Ecuador on behalf of 30,000 Amazonian Indigenous people for dumping 16 billion gallons of oil into their ancestral lands.
A Cycle of War Crimes: Today’s Crisis in Afghanistan Grew Out of 20 Years of U.S. War
As the United Nations Security Council holds an emergency session to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan, we speak with Polk Award-winning journalist Matthieu Aikins, who is based in Kabul. The Taliban have been seizing territory for months as U.S. troops withdraw from the country, and the group is now on the verge of taking several provincial capitals. “In the 13 years I’ve been working here, I’ve never seen a situation as grim,” says Aikins.
Remembering Richard Trumka: Union Leaders Reflect on Death of AFL-CIO Head & Labor Movement Challenges Ahead
Richard Trumka, the longtime president of the AFL-CIO and one of the most powerful labor leaders in the United States, has died of a heart attack at the age of 72. Trumka’s death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from fellow labor figures, activists and lawmakers, including President Joe Biden. Trumka was a third-generation coal miner from Pennsylvania who, at the age of 33, became the youngest president of the United Mine Workers of America.
Dear Care and Feeding: I Can’t Stop Thinking About What I Did to Our Nanny Almost a Decade Ago
Parenting advice on nanny regrets, toddler control, and math class.
I Was Stunned to Learn the Truth About the Finances I Share With My Husband
We didn’t realize we were such an anomaly.
How Condo Buildings End
Aggressive developers looking for a way in—or desperate homeowners looking for a way out.
Why the Crypto Industry Is Having a Meltdown Over the Infrastructure Bill
The Shiba Inu memes are howling—and it turns out they also have teeth.
Why Biden Could Succeed Where Trump Failed on Infrastructure
How did Democrats overcome Republican intransigence in order to to take on one of their highest priorities?
New York City to mandate vaccines for indoor restaurants, gyms, performances
The new program to “unlock New York City” will begin Aug. 16, with enforcement set to start Sept. 13, according to City Hall.
‘Literally losing our workforce’: Florida schools defy DeSantis’ anti-mask order
School districts view the mask mandates as a matter of life or death.
FDA targets early September for approving Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine
Officials have recently accelerated their work and now hope to finalize approval in a matter of weeks.
Chaos and confusion: Back to school turns ugly as Delta rages
Nearly 18 months into the pandemic, there’s no consensus on how to keep students and staff safe.
I Have a Dark Suspicion About My Boyfriend’s Strange Sexual “Condition”
Tell me I’m wrong about what’s really going on.
What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in Florida, Where School Mask Mandates Are Banned
The hands-on science labs will have to wait.
House Dem campaign chief warns the majority at risk without message reboot
“We’re not trying to hide this,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s executive director said.
Biden’s economic gains come with newer worries about the future
Some economists have already begun to ease back on forecasts for the rest of this year.
U.S. economy surpasses prepandemic size with 6.5% Q2 growth
The growth is another sign that the nation has achieved a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession.
Virus resurgence menaces economy just as rescue programs unravel
A new wave of cases followed by the looming expiration of enhanced jobless benefits, a ban on evictions and other rescue programs is sparking concern among lawmakers and economists.
The pandemic drove women out of the workforce. Will they come back?
Their absence could hurt the broader U.S. economy, so policymakers are weighing ways to help them return to work.
News Roundup: Richard Trumka dies at 72; Greene once again attempts to provoke violence
In the news today: Top labor leader and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka has died at age 72. The Florida pandemic surge continues to hold national headlines. Conspiracy crank Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene continues to make violence-stoking statements, this time with a suggestion that southerners use their “Second Amendment rights” against anyone “showing up” at their homes to promote vaccinations.
‘We’re Going Back To The Capitol’: Ex Trump Campaign Official Announces ‘Huge’ Protest
“We’re going to push back on the phony narrative that there was an insurrection,” Matt Braynard told former White House strategist Steve Bannon.
Former Guy wants his cult to carry sinister-looking (and misspelled, of course) ‘Trump Cards’
I get that writing for a living can be hard sometimes. It can be difficult to find a voice. Or a platform. Or any reason at all to remain an ink-stained wretch instead of, say, trying one’s hand at perpetual lighthouse-sitting.
Unless you’re Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, the pay is frequently low, the laurels few and far between, and the indignities often serial.
This Week in Statehouse Action: August and Everything After edition
Don’t look now, but … August is fully upon us.
Normally, this month (August of an off-off year) would be chill as heck, but because Republicans are so desperate to cling to political power, statehouse action persists.
You Can’t Count On Me: Let’s be real—I just can’t responsibly write this missive without catching up on the GOP’s so-called election “audit” in Arizona’s Maricopa County.
‘I need help’: Work permit waits are resulting in newly reunited families struggling financially
Families forcibly separated at the southern border by the previous administration have already experienced trauma on top of trauma. Being ripped apart without so much as a chance to say goodbye. The months—often years—of separation. The danger that caused them to flee their homes in the first place.