Today's Liberal News
Paging Dr. Hamblin: Is a Bandanna a Mask?
Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, James Hamblin takes questions from readers about health-related curiosities, concerns, and obsessions. Have one? Email him at paging.dr.hamblin@theatlantic.com.Dr. Hamblin,We have been told that washing our hands with soap and water for 20 seconds kills the virus, and that the virus doesn’t stay viable on surfaces for more than a couple of days.
Trump ‘Chaos & Violence’ Scare Ad Is Actually Just An Old Picture Of Ukraine
The photo was taken during pro-democracy protests in Ukraine in 2014.
Before the Media Treated Him as a Threat, They Treated Him as a Joke
In March 2011, The Colbert Report aired an installment of “Difference Makers,” the segment in which Stephen Colbert, through the character he played on the show, satirized American “heroes” in the guise of celebrating them. Its subject this time was a lawyer who had been making headlines for his efforts to challenge the constitutionality of “ladies’ nights” at bars.
What My Kids Learned When They Weren’t in School
In mid-March, my two middle-school-aged daughters were sent home from school. They didn’t know that their school year was essentially at an end, or that they would not see some of their friends for a long time. They didn’t know that they wouldn’t sit in a classroom for at least six months. They didn’t know that their lives would be changed for even longer.Their lessons continued online, but the quality fell. The girls found them uninteresting.
Trump Is Determined to Split the Country in Two
New offensives against major cities from President Donald Trump and GOP governors are pushing at the central geographic fault line between the Republican and Democratic coalitions.On one front, Trump is taking his confrontational approach toward big cities to an ominous new level by deploying federal law-enforcement officials to Portland and potentially other locales over the objection of local officials.
As COVID Spikes in California, Latinx Workers Who “Keep the State Going” See Up to 5x the Deaths
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across the United States, the Latinx community has been hit especially hard in places like California, where many Latinx workers fill essential jobs as farmworkers and meatpackers. “Latino and people of color basically do the scut work that keep the state going, its economy going, but get very little of the resources,” says Dr.
“Silence the Guns”: Africa’s CDC Head on Delayed Pandemic, Health Equity & Dangers of War
The African continent has mostly escaped the worst of the pandemic, but the World Health Organization is now warning of an impending acceleration of its spread. “We have always been very clear that the pandemic in Africa was a delayed pandemic, that the continent wasn’t spared,” says Dr. John Nkengasong, director for Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
COVID-19 Lays Bare South Africa’s Rampant Inequality & Fault Lines of Post-Apartheid Society
COVID-19 infections are skyrocketing in South Africa, now fifth in the world for coronavirus cases, with an already fragile hospital system. “I really think it’s our inequality reckoning moment,” says Fatima Hassan, a human rights lawyer with the Health Justice Initiative. “All of the fault lines of South Africa’s post-apartheid democracy, and its inequality and its violence, is actually coming to the fore.
Eviction Filings Are Already Rising
Guess what happens if the government takes away all the aid it’s been sending people.
‘Surprise’ billing fix likely out of next Covid-19 package as fight over tests plays out
Billing protections appear as stuck as ever, with powerful health industry interests gridlocked.
Who took down the CDC’s coronavirus data? The agency itself.
Alarm over the missing data, which was restored Thursday, became the latest source of tension between the CDC and administration officials.
Hospitals’ recovery plans clash with new Covid infections
Hospital chains saw the summer as a potential respite when they could resume elective procedures. But that effort is colliding with a surge in new coronavirus cases nationwide.
America’s hidden economic crisis: Widespread wage cuts
Employers are using pay cuts to stay afloat during the recession, an unusual move that could signal deep damage to the labor market.
Schumer proposes $350B in aid to communities of color ahead of coronavirus talks
With only a few weeks until August recess, Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on key issues.
If You Want to Save the Economy, Stop the Pandemic
We’re economists, and our analysis suggests Congress is seriously underfunding efforts to combat Covid-19.
Treasury decides to stick with July 15 tax deadline
An extension would give taxpayers until Oct. 15 to file their returns, though they would still have to pay what they owe by July 15.
Rep. John Lewis wasn’t seen as a hero from the beginning—and there’s a lesson in that
The death of Rep. John Lewis has a lot of Republicans giving lip service to Lewis’ decades of “good trouble, necessary trouble,” even as they block the legislation that would honor his memory the most fully.
Church that defied COVID-19 shutdown order by holding indoor services received federal PPP loan
As Daily Kos previously covered, a small number of churches in California are fighting back against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent shutdown order as the state experiences a fresh surge in coronavirus cases. The latest order directs some counties to shutter malls, nail salons, gyms, and houses of worship. As covered Monday, some California churches are continuing to hold indoor services in spite of the new guideline. A federal lawsuit has even been filed.
Video shows Chicago officer punching an 18-year-old activist so hard it knocked her teeth out
Calls for justice erupted and continue nationwide following the brutal murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Amid these protests against racial injustice and police brutality, incidents of reported violence perpetrated by police officers continues to surface on social media. Various city police departments have been depicted violently attacking protesters, bystanders, and even reporters.
COVID-19 sweeps through Florida mega-retirement Villages community, as residents ignore precautions
The Villages is a sprawling “age 55-plus” community in central Florida, home to approximately 120,000 fairly well-to do Floridians, mostly retirees. Boasting “an amazing selection of recreation facilities and parks” as well as “many social clubs and activities,” the community is so large it resembles a small city, encompassing three zip codes.
Internal document shows CBP protected agent involved in racist Facebook group from firing
The House Oversight Committee has released an internal document showing that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) negotiated deals to lessen the severity of punishment against agents who were part of a racist and vile Facebook group where members mocked the death of a teenaged boy in the agency’s custody last year.
Trump Admits Coronavirus Will ‘Get Worse,’ Won’t Admit Past Failings
Months into the coronavirus pandemic, the president is finally urging people to wear masks.
Trump shifts messaging: Coronavirus ‘will get worse before it gets better’
In the first such briefing in three months, the president acknowledged the real scope of the pandemic’s impact in the U.S.
Turns Out Mass Death Is Bad For The Economy
Republicans spun a false tale about sacrificing people for the economy. Democrats shouldn’t have believed it.
Trump Wishes Accused Sex Abuser Ghislaine Maxwell ‘Well’ At Coronavirus Briefing
The president was asked about the British socialite during a press conference, saying that he’s met her “numerous times over the years” and wishes “her well, frankly.