Today's Liberal News

News Roundup: Republican whining; Trump campaign collusion; Jim Jordan won’t shut up

Today in the news: After promoting false conspiracy theories in an attempt to overturn an American election, Republicans continue to whine that Joe Biden is being mean to them by proposing policies the American public strongly supports. Chicago officials release the video of police killing an unarmed 13-year-old child. And the federal government makes a new key conclusion about collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian intelligence.

A terrible disease, children at risk, and a promising treatment that’s about to vanish: Part II

Editor’s note: This is Part II of a two-part story. You can read Part I, which was originally published on April 14, by clicking here.

A rare childhood disorder, Niemann-Pick Disease type C (NPC), affects just a few dozen children in the United States each year. One of a number of lysosomal storage disorders, the disease affects the ability to metabolize cholesterol, and results in widespread damage over time.

Biden says the U.S. will withdraw from Afghanistan, 20 years after the War on Terror began

There remain no good answers in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden’s announcement that U.S. military forces would be leaving that country by next Sept. 11, the two-decade anniversary of the original al Qaeda-plotted terrorist attacks against the United States that resulted in a U.S. military invasion to hunt down al Qaeda members and rout the theocratic Taliban government from power, was a decision that multiple U.S. presidents from then to now could never quite stomach.

MAGA world rages after Ivanka gets the Fauci ouchie

Ivanka Trump has spent the past five years trying to position herself in the public’s mind as the “reasonable” Trump. Granted, that’s a pretty low bar. All she really needed to do is show up as “warm-blooded” on infrared surveillance cameras, and she was basically there. Another useful tactic? Avoid appearing on video every 10 minutes, like the unofficial spokesperson for pure Colombian cocaine.

America Has Pandemic Senioritis

On February 25, I got my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine bright and early, picked up a breakfast burrito on the walk home, and spent the rest of the day sitting in my desk chair, doing what can only be described as vibing. I felt a little bit stoned, like I had taken a low-grade edible instead of being shot up with cutting-edge technology that would help end a year-long global disaster.

When Love Is Optimized, Is It Still Love?

On television these days, the near future tends to look like an Apple Store. Everything is gleaming white, a triumph of polymers and marble and Windex. Everything is shiny and unsullied by human fingerprints. On Made for Love, HBO Max’s zany new series about a woman who manages to escape what’s essentially a virtual-reality prison, the contrast between her pristine digital surroundings and her disheveled, pine-paneled childhood home makes for the show’s most effective comedy.

“We’re in a Transition Phase”: Dr. Monica Gandhi on Vaccine Safety & Why You Still Need a Mask

U.S. health officials have delayed a decision on whether to resume the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine after reports of blood clots in six women who received doses. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital, says it’s “prudent” to investigate reports of blood clots but notes the issue “is very rare” and unlikely to cause more than a temporary delay.

Cut the Defense Budget: Rep. Khanna on Bloated Pentagon Spending, Ending War in Yemen, UAE Arms Deal

Congressmember Ro Khanna of California says hundreds of billions of dollars in annual defense spending could be better used on diplomacy, humanitarian aid, public health and other initiatives. He’s one of 50 House Democrats who signed a letter to President Joe Biden in March urging a “significantly reduced” Pentagon budget, which has grown to over $700 billion. “The Pentagon increases make no sense,” says Khanna.

“A Courageous Decision”: Rep. Ro Khanna Praises Biden’s Plan to End the “Forever War” in Afghanistan

Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna says President Joe Biden’s plan to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan is a “courageous” decision. “I’m very glad that we have a president who has finally recognized that this is not a militarily winnable war,” says Khanna. President Biden announced this week he plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, bringing the longest war in U.S. history to a close.