How Much Should You Panic Over the U.S. Postal Service?
A scandal-by-scandal breakdown of what’s really gone wrong with the mail.
Today's Liberal News
DOJ may investigate blue states over Covid-19 deaths at nursing homes
Federal officials are seeking coronavirus data from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
How Mike Pence slowed down the coronavirus response
Taking the reins in late February, the vice president sought to bring order to a chaotic response. He also slowed things down.
Drugmakers deliver counteroffer to Trump international pricing plan
Drugmakers pitched a counteroffer to the White House aimed at stalling Trump’s plan to link Medicare’s spending on some expensive drugs to much lower prices.
FDA chief issues mea culpa for his plasma treatment claims
While the therapy is considered safe, plasma has not yet been proven effective against the coronavirus.
Economy hurting after Congress fails to act on stimulus
“When you have $60 billion less going to families,” former U.S. Treasury economist Ernie Tedeschi told POLITICO, “that means that there’s going to be something close to that less in spending.
Unemployment Isn’t Too High — Regular Wages Are Too Low
In the debate over Covid-19 relief, Congress is worried about the wrong problem.
Japan’s economy shrinks at record rate, slammed by pandemic
For the April-June period, Japan’s exports dropped at a whopping annual rate of 56 percent.
Negotiators ‘miles apart’ on Covid funding, with little hope for deal until September
Asked when she would next be meeting with Republicans, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Thursday: “I don’t know. When they come in with $2 trillion.
British economy plunged record 20 percent in second quarter
“It is clear that the UK is in the largest recession on record,” the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
Photos of the Week: Buffalo Dip, Giraffe Calf, Winter Wallaby
A socially-distanced Santa School in London, gold panning in France, heavy metal music in China, gondoliers in Mexico, Hurricane Laura damage in Louisiana, protests in Kenosha, Red Rocks yoga in Colorado, an acrobatic fairy tale in Prague, Senegal’s first female professional surfer, and much more.
Trump’s convention speech make you feel crazy? Rachel Maddow’s fact-check will restore your sanity
Donald Trump just delivered the second-longest presidential acceptance speech in history—shorter only than his first acceptance speech in 2016. If you didn’t have the patience to watch it, or if you did suffer through it and desperately need a corrective, just watch Rachel Maddow’s lightning-fast fact-check of Trump’s worst lies. It may not make you feel better, but it will make you feel saner.
Why the Only Black Chairman of the RNC Turned His Back on Trump
Night after night, the Republican National Convention invited Black speakers to the stage to testify that President Donald Trump is not a bigot. “It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people call Donald,” said the former NFL player Herschel Walker, who once worked for a team owned by Trump. “The worst one is ‘racist.’ I take it as a personal insult that people would think I’ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist.
Republican convention struggles to rationalize Trump’s failures
Nailed it:
Things have gone terribly during Trump’s presidency. This seems to be the main message at the RNC.— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) August 28, 2020
It’s the Republican Party’s dilemma—how do you argue for four more years of this, when “this” is absolute shit? More people died during four days of the Republican National Convention than died on 9/11. There is social unrest throughout our country.
President Trump Ends RNC 2020 With Divisive Rhetoric Emblematic Of His Tenure
In his speech closing out the GOP convention, Trump said a vote for Joe Biden would be “the destroyer of American greatness.
Watching Rudy do whatever it is he does and Trump seethe in rage at the RNC? Talk about it here
It’s the big night at the RNC, with the Hatch-Act-Breaker-in-chief speaking from the South Lawn of the White House behind many, many layers of bunker. And flags. Very subtle with the flags. Tonight’s lineup of course has multiple Trumps, with Ivanka doing her thing along with various and sundry people who will probably yell stuff. Rudy Giuliani will be there, so yes, there will be yelling. Ben Carson will bring the yawns.
Rudy Giuliani Pushes Racist Message At RNC As Anti-Racism Protests Continue
Trump’s lawyer used the “Black lives matter” message to insist “all lives matter” despite ongoing protests of the police shooting of yet another Black man.
Trevor Noah: ‘Enough with this militia bullshit,’ they’re ‘dudes threatening people with guns’
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah continues to be filmed remotely as our country’s COVID-19 pandemic continues unabated. On Thursday, Noah used the opening of his show to address the shooting by police of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The 29-year-old Black security guard was paralyzed from the waist down when police officers fired at him at least seven times in front of his three children this past Sunday.
Bundy’s anti-pandemic antics earn him two ejections from Idaho Statehouse in two days
If there is one thing we already know about Ammon Bundy, it’s that he’s anointed himself the arbiter of all things constitutional and legal—which is why he’s so frequently inclined to ignore the laws he considers “unlawful,” including the federal government’s ownership of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the efforts of Idaho’s governor to clamp down on the COVID-19 pandemic.
White House, Petri Dish
During a reporting trip to the White House in late May, I passed through a magnetometer and met a government agent who pointed an infrared thermometer at my forehead. At that point, the United States was seeing about 21,000 new coronavirus cases a day. Had I been coughing or experienced any recent headaches? the agent asked. No, I said, and was allowed into the building. Today, the country is experiencing about twice as many new positive cases each day.
A New Era of Coronavirus Testing Is About to Begin
In 24 hours, the testing landscape of the United States has transformed.Yesterday morning, all of the tests for COVID-19—traditional or rapid—that had received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration required an expensive machine and cost around $40 or more. In the afternoon, the pharmaceutical company Abbott announced that it had received FDA authorization to distribute a new type of test.
Trump Set To Speak On Final Night Of Republican Convention
Trump will accept his party’s nomination for president during Thursday’s event.
The Atlantic Daily: The Real Message of the RNC
Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFPGoing into this week’s convention, the Republican Party was, our staff writer Annie Lowrey pointed out, remarkably quiet on how they plan to govern.
These Are The Victims Of The Kenosha Protest Shooting
Two men killed at a protest for Jacob Blake were a father and a skater who tried to disarm the shooter. A third injured man was a volunteer medic.
Officer Friendly and the Invention of the “Good Cop”
If your childhood vision of police is all pet rescues and tinfoil badges, Friendly’s “copaganda” did its job.
Trump Once Freaked Out After Missing A Call With Putin, Former U.K. Adviser Says
“If Putin wants a call with me, you just put him through,” the president reportedly yelled during a formal dinner.
Mapping the Gay Guides Shows the Richness of Queer Life Beyond the Coasts
Based on guide books from the 1960s and ’70s, the project offers a window onto the queer landscape of the past.
Everyone’s Favorite Reusable Tote Bag Is Now on Sale
Baggu’s Standard Tote can join your grocery arsenal for 25 percent off.