Today's Liberal News
I’m Optimistic That We Will Have a COVID-19 Vaccine Soon
On January 11, a Chinese team reported online the RNA genome sequence of a novel coronavirus causing a strange new pneumonia-like disease in Wuhan, China. Within 48 hours, scientists at Moderna, a Massachusetts biotechnology company, had the entire genome synthesized. Remarkably, about 60 days later, the company, in collaboration with the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, began a human Phase 1 clinical trial of an RNA vaccine.
The Red State That Isn’t Worried About a Mail-In Election
President Donald Trump has spent months trying to convince Americans that universal mail-in voting would be a disaster for democracy. It is “dangerous,” he says, potentially “catastrophic”—an “embarrassment” that would “make our country the laughingstock of the world.” Just this week, in his speech kicking off the Republican National Convention, Trump called voting by mail “the greatest scam in the history of politics.
We Now Know How Much Trump’s Postmaster General Slowed Down the Mail
The problems were less severe than they first appeared. But there are other reasons to keep the heat on Louis DeJoy.
Did Goya’s CEO Imperil the Company on Purpose?
Insiders say Bob Unanue endorsed Trump as part of a plan to keep his job.
Finders Keepers Isn’t an Investment Strategy
Slate Money on the USPS, productivity, and Citigroups’s big blunder.
Trump skips RNC announcement of rapid Covid tests
The president instead spoke more broadly about the nation’s testing initiatives.
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.
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.
The Profound Heroism of Chadwick Boseman
Almost as shocking as the news that Chadwick Boseman died yesterday at the age of 43 was the revelation that the actor had spent the past four years battling colon cancer. This timeline means that he was diagnosed in 2016—the year that he debuted as King T’Challa in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War.
Chadwick Boseman Was the Definition of a Hero
Almost as shocking as the news that Chadwick Boseman died yesterday at the age of 43 was the revelation that the actor had spent the last four years battling colon cancer. This timeline means he was diagnosed in 2016—the year that he debuted as King T’Challa in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War.
Jim Gaffigan, comedian who opened for the Pope, breaks silence and goes to town on Trump
Jim Gaffigan is an award-winning, well-regarded, popular comedian. Part of Gaffigan’s appeal is his family-friendly comedy, that he writes and works on with his wife and frequently centers around food and Gaffigan’s obsessions with food.
Together, we can destroy Republican trifectas in these two battleground states
In a horrific display of the significance of down-ballot elections, the two states that lead the world (not just the nation) in coronavirus cases are both currently under complete Republican control: Arizona and Florida. In both states, the GOP controls both Houses of the state legislature and occupies the governor’s mansion.
As sparring continues between the FDA and HHS, the only people losing their jobs are the messengers
Ask Donald Trump about any issue, and he’ll tell you his TV ratings. Trump is far more concerned about the way something plays in the media than he is about the reality on the ground. Which is why, in the latest compound screw-up over the approval of the use of convalescent plasma over the unanimous advice of a panel of medical experts, the only two people to lose their jobs are a pair of PR experts from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Tenants Say They Weren’t Told Interviews Were For RNC Video, Are Anti-Trump
The New Yorkers, interviewed by a federal housing official, didn’t know they’d be featured at the Republican National Convention, The New York Times reported.
Trump makes his pitch to white working-class voters, but some who’ve felt his impact push back
Donald Trump needs white working-class voters. Much of the Republican National Convention (RNC) was aimed at white working-class people who may not have voted in recent elections but are seen as gettable for Trump this November—if he can turn them out. But the white working class isn’t monolithic, either, and there are warning signs for Trump among the younger members of the demographic.
McConnell brags about being ‘firewall,’ blocking assistance to tens of thousands of Kentuckians
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared proudly: “We are the firewall against Nancy Pelosi’s agenda” in a pre-recorded video for Thursday night’s Republican National Convention (RNC). McConnell didn’t want to appear on Donald Trump’s stage, though he had no problem lying like Trump. Particularly with this line: “They want to tell you when you can go to work. When your kids can go to school.
Despite All Those Fireworks, Trump Still Had Lower Convention Ratings Than Biden
The president tweeted that he’d received “great ratings,” but the actual numbers for the RNC prove the exact opposite.
GOP Senator Now Sorry For Not Wearing A Face Mask At Trump’s RNC White House Speech
“I fell short of my own standard,” concedes Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) after telling everyone else to wear a face mask to protect against COVID-19.
The Atlantic Daily: The Post-Truth Convention
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.GETTY / THE ATLANTIC1. Events in Kenosha are “unfolding with the inevitable logic of a nightmare,” George Packer writes.
The Race For 2024 Was On Full Display At The RNC
The fight for the future of the Republican Party has already begun, and one possible contender is even Trumpier than the president.
Scott Walker Appears To Pull The Plug On Anderson Cooper During Heated Interview
Tension ensued as the CNN anchor dismantled the former Wisconsin governor’s claims about the violent protests against racial inequality in Kenosha.