Today's Liberal News

“Millions of Lives Are at Stake”: Pressure Grows on Biden to Back WTO Waiver on Vaccine Technology

Pressure is growing on the Biden administration to support a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights for COVID-related medicines and vaccines at the World Trade Organization. India and South Africa first proposed the waiver in October, but it was blocked by the United States and other wealthy members of the WTO. Big Pharma has also come out against the proposal and has lobbied Washington to preserve its monopoly control.

As Global Pandemic Worsens, U.S. Keeps Blocking Vaccine Patent Waivers Amid Big Pharma Lobbying

Big Pharma has hired an army of lobbyists to pressure U.S. lawmakers to block an effort at the World Trade Organization to loosen intellectual property rules on COVID-19 vaccines, which would allow countries around the world to ramp up production, vaccinate more people and bring the pandemic to an end sooner. Dozens of countries from the Global South, led by India and South Africa, are demanding a temporary waiver on vaccine patents, but rich countries, including the U.S.

May Day 1971: Daniel Ellsberg on Joining Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn at Historic Antiwar Direct Action

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the 1971 May Day protests, when tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C., and brought much of the capital to a standstill through acts of civil disobedience. The mass demonstrations terrified the Nixon administration, and police would arrest over 12,000 people — the largest mass arrest in U.S. history.

Chicago Police Need “Overhaul” After Foot Chases Led to Alvarez & Toledo Killings Within 48 Hours

More than 100 people marched alongside the family of Anthony Alvarez in Chicago Saturday, calling for the police officer who shot and killed him to be charged. Newly released video reveals police killed 22-year-old Alvarez while he was running away during a foot chase. Police have not said why they initially confronted and then chased Alvarez, who was killed just two days after Chicago police shot dead another young Latinx male, 13-year-old Adam Toledo.

Scotland’s Feminist Schism

Ask people for adjectives to describe Nicola Sturgeon and the same few words tend to crop up: poised, perfectionist, regal. Sturgeon has been Scotland’s first minister for six and a half years, leading its devolved government, and she utterly dominates its political scene.

News Roundup: Republicans reinforce insurrection hoax; voters aren’t buying GOP whines

In today’s news: House Republicans begin the process of removing Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position. Cheney’s sin: Refusing to back the House Republican claims of election “fraud” that led to the attempted toppling of government. Polls show the public still isn’t buying Republican claims that it’s Biden who’s blocking “bipartisanship.

Study: Non-wealthy to benefit most from Biden’s tax and spending plans, especially in red states

For those who aren’t policy wonks—and who somehow can’t decide whether Joe Biden is a compassionate family man or a rapacious baby’s blood aficionado—it can be difficult to suss out the real benefits of Biden’s recent economic proposals. Luckily, new analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) spells out the pluses (for the vast majority of Americans) and the minor minuses (for the ultra-wealthy) pretty clearly.

California tells Nestlé to cease-and-desist its water-pumping activities on federal land

There are myriad reasons why bottled water is problematic. Plastic containers are no good for the environment, the costs of bottled water continue to rise even though it is … water. Most importantly, the very existence of bottled water as a private business is only the result of our crumbling infrastructure and misuse of public resources. In recent years, the Nestlé company, and their egregious profiting off of public resources, has been in the news.

‘The moment I’ve been waiting for’: Military spouse deported by previous admin to return home

Alejandra Juarez, the undocumented military spouse cruelly deported by the previous president despite outcries from legislators and advocates, will soon be returning home to the United States. Orlando Sentinel reports that the Biden administration has granted the mother of two U.S. citizen daughters humanitarian parole.

“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for,” Juarez told the Sentinel.

This Is Not a Review of Ford’s New Electric Mustang

Every week, our lead climate reporter brings you the big ideas, expert analysis, and vital guidance that will help you flourish on a changing planet. Sign up to get The Weekly Planet, our guide to living through climate change, in your inbox.The Ford Mustang Mach-E is, at first glance, what a new car is supposed to be in 2021. On the outside, it borrows iconic Mustang styling for a family-friendly but sporty crossover, the fastest-growing car segment in the United States.

A Bird’s Stinky Egg Is Actually a Humble Brag

In preparation for birth, some expectant human parents will build IKEA cribs or down prenatal vitamins. Female hoopoes douse their eggs in a pungent postcoital goo.Shortly after laying their eggs, these delightfully zebra-striped birds will begin to paint the clutch with their beak. The pigment they use is made in-house—a brown, oily substance secreted by the uropygial gland, located at the base of the female’s tail.