My Friend Is Plotting to Steal My Hot, Charcuterie-Slinging Lover
Her recent proposal was a nice try, but I see her game.
Today's Liberal News
MLK Day Special: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words
Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People’s Campaign to address issues of economic justice. Dr. King was also a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War.
When the FBI Spied on MLK
The Martin Luther King Jr. who is introduced to most American schoolchildren is a tragic hero—not just in a colloquial sense, but also in a mythological one. Greek tragedy is driven by characters just like the King described in textbooks. They’re brilliant and virtuous, yet doomed by a small error in judgment. King’s flaw, we are taught, was his idealism, which both made him a civil-rights hero and brought about his downfall.
Parler’s Rise Was Also Its Downfall
On the last day of Parler, the vibe was electric.It was the weekend after supporters of President Donald Trump had stormed the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the election. With just more than a 24-hour warning, the “free speech social network” and aspiring Twitter alternative was being cut off by its cloud-hosting provider, Amazon Web Services. There were all-caps claims that “antifa” was actively taking over New York City, dressed in riot gear.
30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed
Trump’s presidency may be best remembered for its cataclysmic end. But his four years as president also changed real American policy in lasting ways, just more quietly. We asked POLITICO’s best-in-class policy reporters to recap some of the ways Trump changed the country while in office, for better or worse.
Joe Biden’s First COVID-Relief Bill Isn’t Screwing Around
He can’t possibly expect the GOP to go along with this—but that might be a good thing.
Biden Needs to Avoid the First Big Mistake of the Obama Era
Or his ability to help Americans will be doomed from the start.
D.C. Residents Put Up With Overbearing Security for 20 Years. It Did Nothing.
What was the point of Fortress D.C.
The Country Lost Jobs in December, Which Was Totally Predictable
This is why so many of us spent the late summer and fall screaming our heads off for Congress to pass some sort of new coronavirus relief bill.
How Did Elon Musk Become the World’s Richest Person?
Wildly overvalued Tesla stock? Jeff Bezos’ divorce? Take your pick.
‘It’s time to grow up’: Biden blasts anti-mask GOP members of Congress
Biden condemned anti-mask lawmakers while unveiling his Covid-19 vaccination plan.
Biden warns of challenges ahead as he rolls out new vaccine plan
Rollout also takes aim at vaccine skepticism and misinformation.
Help! I’m Falling for This Guy I Met on Reddit.
I’ve never heard his voice or seen a picture of him, but we have mind-blowing virtual sex.
Dear Care and Feeding: My In-Laws Just Announced They’re Getting a “Summer Home” on Our Street
Parenting advice on invasive in-laws, grandparenting assistance, and poor parenting enablement.
U.S. loses 140,000 jobs in first monthly loss since spring
At the same time, the unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, the first time it hasn’t fallen since April.
How Biden’s dream of fighting income inequality runs through Georgia
The share of wealth controlled by the top 1 percent sits at levels not seen since the 1920s. Biden’s hopes for changing it rests on Senate control.
Trump backs down, signs stimulus package
A government shutdown was averted after the president approved the Covid relief package and annual spending bill.
Congress sends Covid package and spending measure to Trump
The president has thrown the fate of the bill into jeopardy.
Fed enters Biden era with clipped wings and a warning from Republicans
Congress curbed the central bank’s emergency lending despite the economy’s continuing struggles.
Would You Patent the Sun? Polio Vaccine Inventor Jonas Salk’s Son Urges More Access to COVID Vaccine
The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. is set to top 400,000 before Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, but rollout of coronavirus vaccines has been slow, with many describing a vexing amount of red tape standing between them and the shot. We look at the development and distribution of another vaccine during the polio epidemic in the 1950s with Dr.
From Charlottesville to the Capitol: Trump Fueled Right-Wing Violence. It May Soon Get Even Worse
As security is ramped up in Washington, D.C., and state capitols across the U.S., the FBI is warning of more potential violence in the lead-up to Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. Federal authorities have arrested over 100 people who took part in last week’s deadly insurrection at the Capitol, and The Washington Post reports that dozens of people on a terrorist watch list — including many white supremacists — were in Washington on the day of the insurrection.
Dr. Ali Khan: U.S. Needs to Quickly Ramp Up Vaccinations as COVID Kills Over 4,000 in Single Day
As the United States breaks all records for coronavirus cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns another 92,000 could die in the next three weeks as complaints grow over the slow distribution of COVID vaccines. Across the country, hospitals are overflowing, and ICU beds are in short supply. In Los Angeles County, an epicenter of the outbreak, a staggering one in three residents has gotten the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to new data.
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: Impeachment Is Late Attempt to Curb Violence & Racism at Heart of Trump Era
We look at the fight for accountability after a white supremacist mob attacked the U.S. Capitol and as President Trump is impeached for a historic second time for his incitement of violence. Supporters who took part in the January 6 attack — including current police officers — have been arrested across the U.S. for their involvement in the insurrection.
Sunday Night Owls: Something else that needs Operation Warp Speed—the climate crisis
Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.
3 days until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE
Clive Thompson at Wired writes—Climate Change Needs an Operation Warp Speed. If the COVID-19 vaccine push has proved anything, it’s that big government works.
IN THE DISMAL early days of the pandemic, a vaccine seemed depressingly far off.
Defense Officials Fear Inside Attack At Inauguration, Prompting FBI To Vet Guard
The massive undertaking underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect Washington could threaten the incoming administration.
Timothy Snyder’s ‘The American Abyss’ op-ed is scary, accurate, and pulls no punches
American historian Timothy Snyder is the author of On Tyranny. The slim volume from February 2017 presaged what we could expect from the Trump administration as it became obvious almost immediately that the forthcoming four years would be among the most tumultuous and stressful this country had ever experienced.
Twitter Temporarily Suspends QAnon Rep. For Election Disinformation, Inciting Violence
Marjorie Taylor Greene has been locked out of her personal account for 12 hours for “multiple violations of our civic integrity policy,” the platform said.
Nuts & Bolts: Inside the Democratic Party: Respect for all candidates matters
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. Every week I try to tackle issues I’ve been asked about. With the help of other campaign workers and notes, we address how to improve and build better campaigns, or explain issues that impact our party.