Somehow WeWork—WeWork!—Is on the Cusp of Thriving
The troubled startup was primed to fail in a pandemic. Here’s how it survived.
Today's Liberal News
The Dumb Obama-Era Law That Might Force Democrats to Slash Medicare, but Probably Won’t, Explained
All because they have to pass more COVID relief with just 50 votes.
Biden administration to begin shipping vaccine doses directly to pharmacies
Many pharmacies are already administering vaccine doses that have been allocated to states.
Just 5 percent of vaccinations have gone to Black Americans, despite equity efforts
A POLITICO analysis suggests disadvantaged communities are being bypassed — even in blue states fighting disparities.
I Agreed to a Threesome and Found Another Woman—but My Husband Is Furious About My One Boundary
I don’t think this is unreasonable.
Economy will return to pre-pandemic level this year, CBO predicts
Employment levels, however, will not fully recover until 2024.
Biden confronts the limits of his executive power
Without help from Congress, he has few options to turn the U.S. economy around.
Fed’s Powell warns U.S. economy ‘long way from a full recovery’
“There’s nothing more important to the economy now than people getting vaccinated,” Jerome Powell said.
Wall Street shrugs at Washington’s debt pileup
The debt poses no imminent danger to U.S. finances, economists say, so the more pressing concern should be jump-starting the economy.
U.S. jobless claims decline to a still-high 900,000
The government said that 5.1 million Americans are continuing to receive state jobless benefits, down from 5.2 million in the previous week.
Jeff Bezos to Quit as CEO, But Amazon’s “Predatory Business Model” Will Continue Unless Lawmakers Act
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced he will step down as CEO and move into a new role as executive chairman later this year, giving up the reins after nearly three decades during which he grew Amazon from an online book retailer into a sprawling business empire and became one of the world’s richest people in the process.
Immigration Advocates Welcome New “Tone” But Urge Biden Admin for More Concrete Change
Hundreds have been deported in the last week, even as President Biden signed several executive orders Tuesday to undo the Trump administration’s hard-line anti-immigration policies.
Photos of the Week: Snowy Elmo, Mogul Run, Sea Goddess
A visit with Punxsutawney Phil, preparations for the Year of the Ox in China, a funambulist in Italy, a rocket explosion in Texas, a farmers’ protest in India, flooding in France, dogs at play on a frozen lake in Turkey, a crowded beach in Brazil, and much more.
Thursday Night Owls: Washington state lawmakers ponder a 1% wealth tax
Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.
Chuck Collins at Inequality.org writes—The Movement for a Wealth Tax in Washington State. A levy of just 1% on wealth over $1 billion would raise more than $2 billion per year to meet the state’s urgent social needs:
Legislators in Washington state are taking bold steps towards instituting a state-level wealth tax.
House votes to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of committee assignments
Thanks to House Republicans circling the wagons around Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her history of truly gross statements and actions, Democrats had to hold a full House vote to strip her of committee assignments. That included an assignment to the education committee despite her claims that the school massacres at Sandy Hook and Parkland were hoaxes.
Utah bill seeks to ban transgender girls from girls’ sports from grade school through college
If you hear the keywords “GOP,” “Republican,” “transgender,’” and “sports,” you might be thinking: Which state can possibly be pushing more anti-trans legislation while we’re in a global pandemic? After all, as Daily Kos has covered, Tennessee, Idaho, and South Dakota have all recently pushed these efforts. The latest state? Utah.
First, the basics of the legislation. H.B.
This Week in Statehouse Action: Whistle-pig edition
Okay, campers, rise and shine!
Groundhog Day is a smidge behind us now, but that does nothing to mitigate the general sense of deja vu pervading action in statehouses these days.
Take, for instance, Wisconsin.
I wrote in this space last week about how Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin were in a rush to pass a resolution that would eliminate Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate.
Democratic Lawmakers Give Emotional Testimony On Experiences Of Capitol Attack
Democrats in Congress spoke passionately on the House floor, some in tears, about Jan. 6, the day of the armed insurrection by pro-Trump rioters.
Is Biden’s Relief Plan Too Big? Maybe. Is the Republican Plan Too Small? Definitely.
But if you’re still not convinced, look at these charts.
‘Six people died’: More than 350 congressional staff members urge Senate to convict Trump
More than 350 congressional staff members signed an open letter Wednesday to the Senate, urging legislators to convict former President Donald Trump for inciting an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “As Congressional employees, we don’t have a vote on whether to convict Donald J. Trump for his role in inciting the violent attack at the Capitol, but our Senators do,” the staffers said in the letter.
Rudy Giuliani In A Huff After His Own Radio Show Offers ‘Insulting’ Disclaimer
“They’ve got to warn you about me?” the former New York City mayor asked, complaining that nobody told him the message would play.
Listen: Can You Get Reinfected?
An unexpected second wave of the virus has hit Manaus, Brazil—and brings with it new worries about reinfection. Staff writer James Hamblin explains to producer Katherine Wells what’s going on there and what it could mean for the rest of the world.
House Votes To Strip Marjorie Taylor Greene Of Committee Assignments
Unearthed posts showed Greene embracing QAnon and racist conspiracy theories, as well as supporting executing Democrats.
A Former Trump Adviser May Have Revealed What The Fossil Fuel Bonanza Was Really About
It’s NOT the economy, stupid.
Johnson & Johnson files for emergency use of Covid-19 shot
The vaccine is a single dose shot that experts say is key to vaccinating vulnerable, hard-to-reach and even skeptical people.
Biden health team hatches new vaccine strategy as variant threat builds
The FDA’s acting commissioner, Janet Woodcock, said in a statement Thursday that the agency would release updates soon.
The Pandemic Is in Tenuous Retreat
Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. The good news in COVID-19 data continued this week, as new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all dropped. For the seven-day period running January 28 to February 3, weekly new cases were down more than 16 percent over the previous week, and dropped below 1 million for the first time since the week of November 5.
Actors Union Has Hilarious Reaction To Trump’s Angry Resignation Letter
SAG-AFTRA had been considering whether to expel Trump for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
The Moral Inversion of the Republican Party
In the original Star Trek series, there was an episode in which M-5, a revolutionary computer created by Dr. Richard Daystrom, is designed to handle all ship functions without human assistance.It’s thought to be an impressive achievement—until M-5 takes total control over the USS Enterprise and begins to attack other Federation ships. Captain Kirk tells Daystrom to disengage the M-5 unit, but it proves to be impossible.
The COVID Economy Is Probably Even Worse for Women Than It Looks
Unemployment statistics don’t tell the whole story.