Facebook political ad ban blocks pro-vaccine messages
That’s led some public health experts to question if Facebook can be a viable forum for information on the pandemic.
Today's Liberal News
A Sign of Just How Terrible the Winter’s Surge Was
Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. Yesterday, hospitalizations in the United States fell below 60,000 for the first time since November 9, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic. This milestone is not just another round number. In the spring and summer waves, hospitalizations peaked at just fewer than 60,000 both times.
A Catholic Sinner Seeks Communion—And Happens to Be President
Father Kevin Gillespie and the staff at Holy Trinity Catholic Church find out that President Joe Biden is coming to Mass an hour and a half ahead of time. For security reasons, only a few people can know, including the music director, who might otherwise get suspicious when Secret Service agents start poking around in her piano. The parish limits its services to 50 people to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but it makes an exception when the president and his detail attend.
How to Launch the Next Great Era of Black Prosperity
Even today, in this time of racial awakening, many white Americans continue to ask the same demeaning question about historically Black colleges and universities that they did a decade ago and in the decade before that: With the end of Jim Crow and the integration of college campuses, does the country still really need HBCUs?What a loaded question.
The Prices on Your Monopoly Board Hold a Dark Secret
Take a good look at a Monopoly board. The most expensive properties, Park Place and Boardwalk, are marked in dark blue. Maybe you’ve drawn a card inviting you to “take a walk on the Boardwalk.” But that invitation wasn’t open to everyone when the game first took on its current form. Even though Black citizens comprised roughly a quarter of Atlantic City’s overall population at the time, the famed Boardwalk and its adjacent beaches were segregated.
It Turns Out People Really Like Throwing Axes During a Pandemic
“Hatchet houses” survived a terrible year by providing a valuable public service.
The Argument for (and Against) Only Forgiving $10,000 of Student Debt
President Biden’s plan would actually do a lot of good—but it could do even more.
It’s Getting Harder for Hallmark to Avoid Politics
From the Capitol riot to LGBTQ representation, reality is intruding on the company’s traditional, conservative fantasy.
Americans Are in a Golden Age of Yelling at Their Local Representatives
Thanks to the pandemic, it’s never been easier to give your mayor an earful.
Biden Wants to Give States $350 Billion. Do They Still Need It?
It turns out the pandemic may not have been the budget wrecker everyone feared.
Tensions start to emerge in Biden’s dance with governors
Some governors are increasingly rankled by federal maneuvers like moving vaccine out of their control, creating early friction as Biden wraps up his first month.
U.S. won’t share vaccine before all Americans receive shots, officials say
Poor countries and global health advocates have been pushing wealthy nations to share some of their supply, warning that the inequitable vaccine rollout could leave them playing catch-up for years.
U.S. life expectancy plummets amid pandemic
“This is a huge decline,” said Robert Anderson, who oversees the numbers for the CDC. “You have to go back to World War II, the 1940s, to find a decline like this.
How Covid-19 could make Americans healthier
A once-in-a-century pandemic provides a once-in-a-lifetime chance to improve public health.
Welcome to Recovery Lab: Health
A new series from POLITICO and The Fifty surfacing the best ideas from around the country for speeding recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Listen: ‘A Disaster for Feminism’
Nearly a year ago, Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis predicted that the pandemic would be “a disaster for feminism,” and far too many of her predictions have proved true. With women leaving the workforce at unprecedented rates, why has the pandemic’s burden fallen so much harder on them? And what can we, as a society, do about it?Lewis joins staff writer James Hamblin and comedian Maeve Higgins on the podcast Social Distance.
Dear Care and Feeding: My Daughter Was Just Diagnosed With ADHD. Could I Have It, Too?
Parenting advice on adult ADHD, new mom support, and infidelity revelations.
Asking People One at a Time: How Did You Sleep Last Night?
Long, late hours in Boston with the rent past due.
Help! My Husband Just Confessed to Having a Teen Daughter.
I want to be supportive, but I’m hurt that he didn’t tell me sooner.
Ask a Teacher: My 8-Year-Old Cheated on a Test. Should I Punish Her?
My daughter’s teacher already gave her a stern talking-to.
Biden’s economic point man draws praise — and pushback
Allies laud Brian Deese’s leadership on the stimulus negotiations, but he’s rubbed some the wrong way.
Biden aims to isolate China on coal — but it could blow back on the U.S.
The U.S. wants to stop new coal projects, but risks losing poor countries to Beijing’s “Belt and Road” agenda.
‘Clearly not healthy’: Markets are giddy about reopening — and that’s the problem
Investors are pumping up bubbles across markets, with excitement growing about more stimulus and widespread vaccinations.
‘The Democratic version of John McCain’
As the critical swing vote in a 50-50 Senate, Joe Manchin has emerged as the most powerful man in Washington.
U.S. backs Okonjo-Iweala, first woman and African, to head WTO
The decision breaks with the Trump administration’s opposition to Okonjo-Iweala and brings the U.S. in line with much of the rest of the world.
Democracy Now! Turns 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Independent News on the Frontlines
Democracy Now! first aired on nine community radio stations on February 19, 1996, on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary. In the 25 years since that initial broadcast, the program has greatly expanded, airing today on more than 1,500 television and radio stations around the globe and reaching millions of people online.
“No Hate! No Fear!” Democracy Now! Co-Host Nermeen Shaikh Celebrates 10 Years Covering War & Peace
As Democracy Now! prepares to mark 25 years on air, we celebrate Nermeen Shaikh’s 10th anniversary as a Democracy Now! co-host and feature a report she filed from protests at New York’s JFK Airport against the Trump administration’s Muslim ban, one of the many highlights from her time on the program.
“Not Doing This Is a Choice”: Biden Drags His Feet on Canceling Student Debt Despite Campaign Pledge
Students, campaigners and top Democrats have been pushing President Joe Biden to use executive authority to cancel at least $50,000 in student loan debt per person. Student loan debt in the U.S. stands at $1.7 trillion, with some 45 million people owing money. Filmmaker and organizer Astra Taylor, an author, documentary director and organizer with the Debt Collective, says Biden has clear legal authority to cancel student debt. “Not doing this is a choice,” she says.
How to Wear a Mask & When to Wear Two to Reduce COVID Transmission & Increase Vaccine Effectiveness
While COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations appear to be waning, the United States has a long way to go before people can safely return to everyday life without masks. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, says it’s vital to stay vigilant even as vaccinations ramp up. “If we can get our transmission down as low as possible, that is actually going to make the vaccines more effective.
Trump Tries To Hop Back Into The Spotlight With CPAC Address
Trump reportedly plans to speak to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 28, the last day of their meeting.