Today's Liberal News
U.S. coronavirus cases eclipse 20 million
The 20 millionth case comes less than two months after the country tallied its 10 millionth.
How 100,000 Pacific Islanders got their health care back
For two decades, victims of U.S. nuclear bomb tests fought to obtain the Medicaid eligibility that was promised them. In the waning days of 2020, they won.
Fauci predicts normal life won’t return in U.S. before fall 2021
The assessment comes as the Trump administration appears poised to miss its year-end target to vaccinate 20 million Americans.
Police investigate deliberate spoiling of 500 vaccine doses
Police said they were notified of the alleged tampering Wednesday night.
How Trump warped HHS long before Covid-19
Political interference and tensions with scientists preceded — and set the stage for — the disaster of 2020.
The Dark Reality of Betting Against QAnon
QAnon—the conspiracy theory that elite Democrats, government officials, and celebrities are part of a cannibalistic, child-sex-trafficking cult, and Donald Trump is the hero destined to stop them—has allegedly inspired kidnappings, car chases, and a murder. It has also made 28-year-old Patrick Cage a lot of money.In 2018, Cage, a Californian who works in international environmental policy, discovered a gambling platform called PredictIt.
Is America Still the ‘Shining City on a Hill’?
A shining city on a hill. Ronald Reagan loved the phrase. He used it over and over again, perhaps most notably in his 1989 presidential farewell address.
I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it.
The Pandemic Metric to Trust Right Now
Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. On weekends, some of the people in labs, health departments, hospitals, and medical examiner’s offices who do the work of translating individual illnesses and deaths into data points get to go home.
Dear Care and Feeding: How Do I Show My Biracial 5-Year-Old That Black Is Beautiful?
Parenting advice on biracial parenting, changing name spellings, and cutting off family.
Trump backs down, signs stimulus package
A government shutdown was averted after the president approved the Covid relief package and annual spending bill.
Congress sends Covid package and spending measure to Trump
The president has thrown the fate of the bill into jeopardy.
Fed enters Biden era with clipped wings and a warning from Republicans
Congress curbed the central bank’s emergency lending despite the economy’s continuing struggles.
Biden adds former Obama budget official, onetime Warren aide to economic team
Biden added that the appointees have “broad viewpoints on how to build a stronger and more inclusive middle class.
Fed sees less severe recession this year but warns of tough winter
Officials said they expect the U.S. economy to shrink by 2.4 percent this year, a brighter forecast than they offered just three months ago.
Colonization Fueled Ebola: Dr. Paul Farmer on “Fevers, Feuds & Diamonds” & Lessons from West Africa
We continue our conversation with medical anthropologist Dr. Paul Farmer, whose new book, “Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds,” tells the story of his efforts to fight Ebola in 2014 and how the history of slavery, colonialism and violence in West Africa exacerbated the outbreak. “Care for Ebola is not rocket science,” says Dr. Farmer, who notes that doctors know how to treat sick patients.
Dr. Paul Farmer: Centuries of Inequality in the U.S. Laid Groundwork for Pandemic Devastation
As the United States sets records for COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, we speak with one of the world’s leading experts on infectious diseases, Dr. Paul Farmer, who says the devastating death toll in the U.S. reflects decades of underinvestment in public health and centuries of social inequality. “All the social pathologies of our nation come to the fore during epidemics,” says Dr.
People’s Vaccine: Calls Grow for Equal Access to Coronavirus Vaccine as Rich Countries Hoard Supply
While the United States, Britain and other wealthy countries race to vaccinate their populations against the coronavirus, a new report finds that as much as 90% of the population in dozens of poorer countries could be forced to wait until at least 2022 because wealthy countries are hoarding so much of the vaccine supply. A growing movement is calling for the development of a people’s vaccine and the suspension of intellectual property rights to expand access. We speak with Dr.
Bree Newsome & Prof. Eddie Glaude: The Black Lives Matter Movement Helped the Democrats Defeat Trump
As President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris prepare to take power, we continue to look at the growing debate over the direction of the Democratic Party. House Majority Whip James Clyburn recently criticized calls to “defund the police” and argued the phrase hurt Democratic congressional candidates.
“America’s Moment of Reckoning”: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Cornel West on Uprising Against Racism
Scholars Cornel West and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor respond to the global uprising against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “We’re seeing the convergence of a class rebellion with racism and racial terrorism at the center of it,” said Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. “And in many ways, we are in uncharted territory in the United States.
Saturday Night Owls: Pandemic and climate crisis remain linked thanks to the impacts and denial
Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week
18 DAYS UNTIL JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE
Ilana Cohen at Inside Climate News writes—Covid-19 and Climate Change Will Remain Inextricably Linked, Thanks to the Parallels (and the Denial)
Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and quality of life, especially for the diverse and low-inc
Guilty pleasure confessions for 2020: I love a good (or mediocre) cozy mystery
There’s a reason they call these things “cozy mysteries,” the literary fluff that has consumed an awful lot of my non-working hours this awful, awful year. Epitomized by Agatha Christie, these are low-stakes stories, light on the violence, heavy on atmosphere and just simply pleasant distractions. Most 21st-century efforts aren’t as clever as Christie, are easier to figure out, but still provide the kind of escape 2020 has demanded.
As 11 more Republican senators sign on to sedition plan, Louie Gohmert makes open call for violence
At this point, Republicans might as well just open fire on Fort Sumter and be done with it. That’s the only way they could show more evidence of their “patriotism” and love for the Constitution.
Iran says it will boost uranium enrichment in its latest breach of nuclear agreement Trump trashed
In a sign of growing tension between the United States and Iran, kicked off by Donald Trump in May 2018 when he withdrew from the multilateral 2015 agreement designed to curb Tehran’s nuclear development, Iranian officials announced Saturday that they plan to begin enriching uranium to 20% at the nation’s underground Fordo plant. The agreement set 3.
New mentorship program offers support to teens in juvenile detention
Octavia Yearwood has dedicated her life to mentoring and supporting young people who have experienced adversity. Yearwood is no stranger to adversity herself, having spent several years in foster care. Now, she’s using her knowledge, experience, and expertise to mentor teens in youth prisons in her program, “How the Hell Did You Do That?!”
The supplementary program is based off of Yearwood’s 2017 interactive book with the same title.
Rep. Louie Gohmert Backpedals On ‘Be Violent’ Comments After Election Lawsuit Loss
The Texas lawmaker compares his philosophy to Martin Luther King’s, even as he rails to overthrow the democratic election.
Amy Klobuchar To Ted Cruz And Other GOP Senators Blocking Biden Certification: ‘Please Get A Grip’
“This is embarrassing,” the Democratic senator from Minnesota said.