Today's Liberal News

Several dozen members of Michigan’s state legislature tested positive after Rudy Giuliani visit

Despite the surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States, Donald Trump and his minions seem not to care how many more people are infected. In the latest of Trump infections, Trump’s sidekick and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Dec. 6. While allies of Giuliani maintain he tested negative days before meeting state officials in not one but three states last week, some states have reported infections within days after Giuliani’s visit.

Acting ICE director to retire this month. If he feels better thinking it’s his choice, sure

Tony Pham, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the soon-to-be-ending Trump administration, is reportedly set to resign from the agency by the end of the year. If he feels better thinking it’s somehow his decision, sure, whatever, adiós. What’s for sure is that Pham was a complete disgrace during his handful of months in the unconfirmed acting position.

‘I really need a miracle today’: Republican who denied COVID begs for prayers after hospitalization

Cases of the novel coronavirus are increasing at a rapid rate across the U.S. Despite this, some individuals are still refusing to wear masks. As a result, many of those who once denied the severity of the virus are now suffering the consequences of doing so after infection. While some have expressed regret and have warned others to not take the virus and safety measures lightly, others—like Donald Trump—are continuing to deny its severity despite multiple hospital visits.

The Atlantic Daily: Welcome to Vaccine Purgatory

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.KATIE MARTIN / THE ATLANTICWelcome to vaccine purgatory.“We’ve spent 2020 adjusting to a pandemic normal, and now a strange, new period is upon us,” my colleague Sarah Zhang, who covers vaccines, notes in her latest.Thus the waiting begins.

What Post-pandemic Repair Could Look Like

The pandemic ravaged America’s big cities first, and now its countryside. The public-health and economic repercussions have been felt everywhere. But they have been hardest on the smallest businesses, and the most vulnerable families.This is an update, following a report last month, on plans to repair the damage now being done.

Hopeful Images From 2020

This has been a year like no other, and moments of joy were difficult to come by. The few happy events that took place did so despite harrowing circumstances—or, in many cases, as a response to overwhelming adversity. Health-care workers took on enormous burdens, saved countless lives, and earned the gratitude and admiration of millions. Celebrations and public events were modified for safety, but many still took place. And new vaccines against COVID-19 are starting to roll out.

The Books Briefing: What Stories About Immigration Reveal About America

When he decided to write a memoir, the journalist Jose Antonio Vargas faced an overwhelming challenge: crafting a story that was particular to him while knowing that some might believe it represented a much broader narrative about immigration. In Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, he makes clear that he speaks only for himself. But he also fills the book with reporting on the many challenges other undocumented people face.

The Next Six Months Will Be Vaccine Purgatory

Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. With the FDA’s emergency authorization of the first COVID-19 vaccine imminent, the biggest and most complex vaccination campaign in the nation’s history is gearing into action. Planes are ferrying vaccines around the country, hospitals are readying ultracold freezers, and the very first people outside of clinical trials will soon get shots in their arms.

Andrew Bacevich on Why Retired General and Raytheon Official Lloyd Austin Should Not Head Pentagon

Joe Biden’s nominee for defense secretary, retired four-star Army General Lloyd Austin, would make history as the first African American to lead the Pentagon if confirmed by the Senate. But Austin can only be confirmed if he secures a waiver from Congress due to laws designed to preserve the civilian control of the military, and several leading Democratic senators have indicated they would oppose granting a waiver.

Palestinian Official Hanan Ashrawi: Trump’s Morocco-Israel Deal Legitimizes Land Theft & Occupation

In a deal brokered by the Trump administration, Morocco and Israel have agreed to establish diplomatic relations. The United States has also agreed to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over occupied Western Sahara, the first country in the world to do so. Morocco has occupied much of the resource-rich territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community.