Today's Liberal News

Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Why Turkey’s Intervention Could Turn It into a “Proxy War”

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan are in Moscow for talks following two weeks of fighting over the disputed territory Nagorno-Karabakh. At least 300 people have already died in what could turn into a wider regional conflagration, with Turkey openly supporting Azerbaijan and Russia backing Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians.

U.N. World Food Programme Wins Nobel Peace Prize for Tackling Hunger Amid War, Pandemic & Climate Crisis

As the World Food Programme wins the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger around the world, we speak with Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, who says the United Nations body is doing vital work around the world. “I couldn’t be happier that the World Food Programme won the Nobel Prize for peace, because this hunger pandemic is paralyzing perhaps 2.7 billion people,” he says.

FBI Foils Right-Wing Plot to Kidnap Michigan Gov. Months After Trump Urged “Liberation” of State

Just months after President Trump tweeted for his supporters to ”LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” the FBI has foiled an alleged plot to kidnap and take hostage Democratic Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer. Authorities arrested six men Thursday involved in the kidnapping plot, and seven others who were said to be planning to storm the state Capitol in Lansing with the intent of starting a civil war.

Rev. William Barber on Voter Suppression: Republicans Know They Can’t Win If Everyone Casts a Ballot

During Wednesday’s debate, Vice President Mike Pence refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power if Biden wins the election. Instead, he referenced the Trump administration’s legal efforts to restrict mail-in voting. Rev. William Barber says the Republican Party’s voter suppression efforts ahead of the November election, aimed primarily at Black and Brown voters, amount to “surgical racism with surgical precision.

It Had to Be the Lakers

Bettmann; Kevin C. Cox / Getty; Paul Spella / The AtlanticIn the end, the NBA bubble held. A complex of resorts and mini-arenas in Orlando, Florida, somehow kept the coronavirus out of the playoffs, as though it were a member of the New York Knicks. Tonight, the curtain fell on the whole affair after the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Miami Heat to close out their 17th championship, tying the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history.

Sunday Night Owls. Nuzzi: The entire presidency is a super-spreading event.

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

At New York magazine, Olivia Nuzzi writes—The Entire Presidency Is a Superspreading Event. Down in the polls, high on steroids, and clinging to good health while endangering everyone else’s:

[…] In the hospital, Trump’s world shrank overnight in a way it hadn’t since he arrived in Washington from New York to be sworn into office nearly four years ago.

Naked ballots could make us lose Pennsylvania. Here’s how you can help

The polls may be looking very good for Joe Biden, but we cannot be complacent. Because if Republicans can disqualify enough ballots, Donald Trump could still win.

Sign up to call Pennsylvania voters on Monday or Tuesday and walk them through the process of correctly casting their ballots to ensure they are counted. Our friends at NextGen America are running a remote phone bank to young Democratic voters.

West Virginia: Images of the Mountain State

West Virginia is home to just under 1.8 million residents, ranking 39th in the nation. Charleston, the capital and most populous city, has a population of about 46,500. The state is situated entirely within the Appalachian Mountain range, and its terrain is dominated by rolling hills, mountains, and valleys. Here are a few glimpses of the landscape of West Virginia, and some of the wildlife and people calling it home.

Homage to Bashō

The butterfly dips
its wings in aroma of
violet wild orchid.
Red plums of summer,
first green figs, so many ears
of corn eaten raw.
Leaves that left the trees
are litter now on the ground
in orange and yellow.
No one on this road
but me: It must be autumn
in the dark country.
Comes the freeze, and rain
falls all through the night and soaks
the morning paper.
Winter blows its white
storms across the hills: Even
monkeys need raincoats.

How Do You Find a Home for a Foster Child at a Time Like This?

When Jessica started to experience intense chest pain in March, she was terrified that she might have the coronavirus. Then her foster son started to experience symptoms too.The high school in western New York State where she taught had just closed. She couldn’t get a test to confirm that her respiratory illness was indeed COVID-19, and she was confused about whether she should go to the emergency room or just stay home. She is single, and was her foster son’s only guardian.

Why British Police Shows Are Better

Illustration by Mark Harris; images from AF Archive; Alamy; Allstar Picture Library; BBC; Des Willie / PBS / Masterpiece Theater / Everett CollectionThe British detective story is enjoying a golden age unparalleled since the days of Agatha Christie or perhaps even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The heroes of the current era are not the preternaturally gifted, idiosyncratic dabblers of old—not, as Sherlock Holmes preferred to describe himself, “consulting detectives.