Today's Liberal News

Scotland becomes first country to make period products free; U.S. taxes them like luxury items

Scotland just became the first country in the world to pass legislation making feminine menstrual hygiene products free to “anyone who needs them.” The BBC reports that the legislation—Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill—which was first introduced by Labor MSP Monica Lennon in April of 2019, passed unanimously in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.

Lennon has been working on the movement to end “period poverty” for years now.

12 times Trump really did say that awful, racist thing you thought had to be fake news

President Donald Trump has truly been a president for racists and white supremacists, often sparking violent reactions and liberating this group of what is arguably the country’s most hateful people. Just this summer, more than 360 tracked counterprotests surfaced in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, with 40 of them, or almost 12%, ending in violence, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project nonprofit’s U.S. Crisis Monitor.

American Museums Are Going Through an Identity Crisis

The Philip Guston retrospective was supposed to be one of 2020’s blockbuster art shows. The exhibition would have been the first in 15 years to examine the celebrated artist’s catalog, bringing hundreds of provocative paintings to four prestigious stops: the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Tate Modern in London; the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. It felt topical and exciting.

Biden Could Expand Abortion Access, Even Without the Senate

Joe Biden is now poised to become the next president of the United States. His victory, however, is bittersweet for many Democrats, especially those for whom abortion rights are a top issue. Democrats lost seats in the House of Representatives, and their odds for a Senate majority seem to be dwindling. Just eight days before the election, Justice Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court.

As COVID Devastates Native Communities, Indigenous Voters Played Key Role in Defeating Trump

As COVID-19 rampages through the U.S., we look at how the rapid spread of the disease is affecting Native American communities, which have already faced disproportionate infection and death rates throughout the pandemic. We speak to Jodi Archambault, a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and former special assistant to President Obama for Native American affairs. We also speak with Protect the Sacred founder Allie Young of the Navajo Nation.

Indigenous Groups Vow to Keep Resisting as Construction Is Approved for Enbridge Tar Sands Pipeline

A massive fight is brewing in Minnesota against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit for the project this week. After years of resistance, pipeline construction is now set to begin by the end of the month despite the concerns of Indigenous communities, who say it would violate tribal sovereignty and contaminate the land and water.