Today's Liberal News

Wondering if there’s something anti-racist you can do? Learn how to pronounce Asian names

One of my first memories of experiencing racism firsthand is from my childhood. I remember sitting in a middle school class with a substitute going down a list of names to take attendance. As she read through the list of names she paused and said she wasn’t even going to bother reading this name because it wasn’t in English. I immediately knew it was me. “The letters Q and A do not go together in English,” I was told.

The Weekly Planet: Why Celebrities Are Agog Over This Tiny Climate Think Tank

Every week, our lead climate reporter brings you the big ideas, expert analysis, and vital guidance that will help you flourish on a changing planet. Sign up to get The Weekly Planet, our guide to living through climate change, in your inbox.The think tank Carbon180 is, as far as I know, the only American nonprofit dedicated to studying the removal of carbon-dioxide pollution from the atmosphere. It is not a very large organization.

Studying Bats With ‘Virus Hunters’ in the Philippines

Eloisa Lopez, a staff photographer with Reuters, recently spent time with researchers who call themselves the “virus hunters,” as they caught and studied bats in the Philippines. They set up wide nets near roosts, then carefully untangle any trapped bats and measure and swab them, before returning them to the wild.

I Just Want to Date Like Every Other 20-Something

Two months into the pandemic, I gave in and tried Zoom dating. After a few days of chatting on OKCupid, I found myself across the screen from a perfectly nice match. It was one hour in hell: Trapped in a two-way-hostage video, I was hyperaware of everything that was missing—the smell of her perfume, how she moved through space, seeing the way she ordered a drink.If I was going to date, it had to be in person.

The Republican Electoral College Contradiction

A few months after losing the White House, Republicans across the country have had a revelation: The Electoral College could use some improvements. The problem is that they have contradictory proposals for how to fix it—and contradictory arguments for why those proposals would help Americans pick their president. In Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Hampshire, GOP lawmakers want to award Electoral College votes by congressional district, just like Nebraska and Maine currently do.

“Shameful”: Amid Border Emergency, Immigrant Rights Advocates Urge Biden to Stop Detaining Children

There are now over 15,000 unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody as the number of people seeking asylum at the southern border shows no sign of slowing down. The Biden administration has sharpened its rhetoric in recent weeks, insisting that the “border is closed” and pushing Mexico and Guatemala to stem the flow of migrants. The Biden administration has also maintained one of the most controversial Trump policies, which allows the U.S.

Homeroom: My Son Spends Hours Studying. Then He Forgets Everything.

Editor’s Note: Every Tuesday, Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer take questions from readers about their kids’ education. Have one? Email them at homeroom@theatlantic.com.Dear Abby and Brian,I don’t know if it has to do with remote learning or if this would have come up anyway, but my sixth grader, whom I’ll call “Tom,” immediately seems to forget everything he studies. He remembers non-school-related information fine.