Today's Liberal News

Jail Took My Mom: Filmmaker on How His Mother Broke the Cycle of Incarceration & Shaping DNC Policy

The coronavirus crisis and the movement for racial justice have magnified the challenges faced by people released from prison, whose criminal record makes it hard to find a job and even housing, especially women. We feature a new AJ+ series by Messiah Rhodes, whose mother was in and out of jail throughout his childhood and was able to break the cycle of incarceration. Rhodes says his work serves as a response to calls to defund police.

Rashid Khalidi: Israel & UAE Deal to Normalize Relations Is New Chapter in 100-Year War on Palestine

In a deal brokered by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to fully normalize relations after years of secretly working together on countering Iran and other issues. Under the deal, Israel has also agreed to temporarily halt plans to annex occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, which had already been on hold due to international condemnation.

General Strike & Blockade in Bolivia Enter Day 11 as Protesters Condemn Delayed Vote by Coup Gov’t

We go to Bolivia, where opponents of the coup government have entered day 11 of a general strike and nationwide highway blockade to protest the repeated postponement of Bolivia’s first presidential election since last year’s ouster of Evo Morales by the right-wing coup government of Jeanine Áñez, which was followed by an economic collapse and oppression.

Was Kamala Harris a Progressive Prosecutor? A Look at Her Time as a DA & California Attorney General

As Senator Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman of color on a major party ticket, we host a debate on her record as California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, when she proudly billed herself as “top cop” and called for more cops on the street. San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis says Harris was the state’s most progressive DA and advocated for “so many policies and so many alternatives to incarceration.

Of course he does: Trump wants to meet with Russian president Putin before the November elections

We’re rapidly closing in on election day, which means it’s once again time for Donald Trump to meet with his favorite international strongman, Russian President Vladimir Putin. NBC News cites multiple administration sources to report that Trump wants to meet with Putin in-person, possibly in New York, before the November elections.

What will it be about? The White House seems to be still working that out, based on Trump’s desire to have a meeting for something.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta isn’t sending his kids to in-person classes, and he has very good reasons

With a failed or, better yet, lack of response toward the novel coronavirus, the Trump administration continues to ignore the severity of the pandemic as the numbers of individuals affected by it increase daily. Instead of taking active measures to control the virus, Donald Trump has been pushing schools to open nationwide, but not without consequences. According to data compiled by The New York Times, more than 5 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19.

Nuts & Bolts: Inside the convention. Is this what conventions should be?

It’s another Sunday, so for those who tune in, welcome to a diary discussing the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. If you’ve missed out, you can catch up any time: Just visit our group or follow the Nuts & Bolts Guide. We’re headed into convention week, and it is going to be a convention unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Man shoots woman in the arm with BB gun for accidentally removing ‘Trump 2020’ lawn sign

Donald Trump supporters have no trouble constantly perpetrating violence against those around them. Both threats of and acts of violence have continued to be carried out by Trump supporters since the start of his campaign in 2015. In the latest incident of violence invoked by alleged Trump supporters, a man shot a woman with a BB gun after she removed what she thought was a prank “Trump 2020” sign from her brother’s yard.

Minnesota: Images of the North Star State

Minnesota, also known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” is the 12th-largest state in the union, and is home to more than 5.6 million residents. From the Boundary Waters and shores of Lake Superior in the north through the plains to Buffalo Ridge in the southwest, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Minnesota and some of the wildlife and people calling it home.This photo story is part of Fifty, a collection of images from each of the United States.

What Happens When You Let 1,000 Teenage Boys Run a Government

Boys State is a documentary about a high-school civics experiment that doubles as a nerdier, nonlethal Lord of the Flies. Every year, more than 1,000 young men, age 16 or 17, descend upon the Texas State Capitol to participate in a mock government: They split into political parties, elect members to offices including caucus chair and Supreme Court Justice, and vie for the highest position—governor.

Catastrophe Is Next to Godliness

Lord, I confess I want the clarity of catastrophe but not the catastrophe.
Like everyone else, I want a storm I can dance in.
I want an excuse to change my life.The day A. died, the sun was brighter than any sun.
I answered the phone, and a channel opened
between my stupid head and heaven, or what was left of it. The blankness
stared back; and I made sound after sound with my blood-wet gullet.

How Kamala Harris’s Attack on Joe Biden Helped Her

On June 27, 2019, just under an hour into the first Democratic primary debate, Kamala Harris turned her attention to the front-runner, Joe Biden. A week earlier, during an event in New York City, the former vice president had riffed about his relationships with segregationist senators, such as James Eastland and Herman Talmadge, to illustrate a point about civility and compromise in politics. Harris, who was the only Black person onstage that night, took offense.