Today's Liberal News
The Books Briefing: The New Legacy of America’s Wilderness
In nature documentaries such as A Perfect Planet and Planet Earth, the wilderness seems free of human influence, Emma Marris wrote in a recent story for The Atlantic. Sweeping, unpeopled vistas and close-up shots of animals render the world in an enhanced, almost unnatural, high-definition style.Such visions of untouched, wild lands are nothing new; John Muir, an early conservationist, even likened our country to a sort of Garden of Eden.
Biden administration investing $1.7B to better track Covid-19 variants
One billion dollars of the $1.7 billion will be used directly to expand genomic sequencing over the long-term.
When Your Best Friend Becomes an ‘Aunt’ to Your Kids
Each installment of “The Friendship Files” features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship.This week she talks with Judie, an introvert, and Kristi, an extrovert, about their opposites-attract friendship, and how Judie leaned on it when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer during the pandemic.
Biden Sanctions Russia for Cyber Espionage While Remaining Silent over Israeli Cyberattack on Iran
The United States has imposed new sanctions on Russia and expelled 10 Russian diplomats after the Biden administration accused Moscow of being involved in major cyberattacks. The Treasury Department claimed Russia interfered in the 2020 election and was behind the SolarWinds hack, which compromised the computer systems of nine U.S. government agencies and scores of private companies. The sanctions target 32 Russian entities and individuals and bar U.S.
Medical Examiner Accused of Covering Up Police Killing in Maryland Becomes Witness for Derek Chauvin
In the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a key witness for the defense was the former Maryland chief medical examiner, Dr. David Fowler, who contradicted most other expert witnesses in the trial and suggested heart trouble and other issues, not the police restraint, caused George Floyd’s death.
“Cold-Blooded Murder”: Chicago Police Officer Shot 13-Year-Old Adam Toledo with His Hands in the Air
Protesters in Chicago took to the streets to condemn the police killing of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latinx boy, after bodycam video released by the Chicago police showed Toledo had his hands up in the air when a police officer shot him dead on March 29. Police initially described the incident as an “armed confrontation,” but the video shows Toledo raised his hands after being ordered to do so.
The Pointlessness of Bribing People to Move to West Virginia for $12,000
Relocation incentives get lots of buzz.
What It Took for an Upscale Restaurant to Finally Give in to Delivery Apps
A year of trying everything to survive the pandemic.
“Good Design” Is Making Bad Cities
Searching for a third way in the battle between aesthetics and affordability.
Sharpening resistance: States fret pause in J&J vaccine could drive up hesitancy
The Biden administration remains adamant that sticking with the science will boost public confidence in the vaccine rollout.
CDC vaccine panel unexpectedly delays decision on Johnson & Johnson shot
The Biden administration recommended pausing the use of millions of doses on Tuesday.
Biden rolls back Trump’s anti-abortion curbs on family planning funds
The proposed overhaul erases restrictions on abortion providers that Democrats derided as a “gag rule.
Biden’s ‘trust the science’ approach hits a political snag
The FDA’s decision to pause the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine sparked criticism from across the spectrum that the administration was being too cautious.
My Wife Has Surprised and Thrilled Me With Something New During Sex—but It’s Getting Out of Control
She’s come for my coffee.
I Never Thought My Bedding Mattered That Much. I Was So Wrong.
This simple purchase has turned my life around.
Why Seniors Are Getting So Many More College Rejections This Year
A college consultant talks about a chaotic year in university admissions.
Biden’s spending plans collide with a resurgent U.S. economy
The numbers signal the U.S. is well on its way toward a revival, one that’s widely expected to reach record levels of growth later this year.
‘Crazy things happen’: Biden’s next spending spree fuels a fight over risks
The president’s team is preparing a $3 trillion spending proposal to power through Congress. They’re betting markets and the economy will cooperate long enough to pass it.
Black workers, hammered by pandemic, now being left behind in recovery
Structural inequities in the U.S. labor market that have affected Black and Hispanic workers’ ability to advance out of low-paying jobs, as well as discrimination in hiring practices, are also likely having an effect.
Fed sees U.S. economic growth surging to 6.5 percent this year
Central bank officials now expect the unemployment rate to drop to 4.5 percent by the end of 2021.
American Insurrection: Deadly Far-Right Extremism from Charlottesville to Capitol Attack. What Next?
A scathing new report by the Capitol Police’s internal watchdog reveals officials knew Congress was the target of the deadly January 6 insurrection, yet officers were instructed to refrain from deploying more aggressive measures that could have helped “push back the rioters.” Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports domestic terrorism incidents surged to a record high in 2020, fueled by white supremacist, anti-Muslim and anti-government extremists on the far right.
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.
This Week in Statehouse Action: Taxation Without Fair Representation edition
In a normal (or at least non-pandemic) world, April 15 would be tax day.
But things are still far from normal, and you still have over a month (May 17) to get right with the IRS.
No one really likes to pay taxes (income or otherwise), but they pay for a lot of stuff.
… including, to a point, most state legislators’ salaries.
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.
Podcast: How Much Should You Really Worry About the Vaccine-Blood-Clot News?
Despite weeks of growing vaccinations and good news, headlines about blood clots and a “pause” in deploying the much-anticipated Johnson & Johnson shots have people worried.Atlantic science writer Katherine J. Wu joins hosts James Hamblin and Maeve Higgins on the podcast Social Distance to explain the situation.