Today's Liberal News

Saturday Night Owls: Pandemic and climate crisis remain linked thanks to the impacts and denial

Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week

18 DAYS UNTIL JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Ilana Cohen at Inside Climate News writes—Covid-19 and Climate Change Will Remain Inextricably Linked, Thanks to the Parallels (and the Denial)

Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and quality of life, especially for the diverse and low-inc

Guilty pleasure confessions for 2020: I love a good (or mediocre) cozy mystery

There’s a reason they call these things “cozy mysteries,” the literary fluff that has consumed an awful lot of my non-working hours this awful, awful year. Epitomized by Agatha Christie, these are low-stakes stories, light on the violence, heavy on atmosphere and just simply pleasant distractions. Most 21st-century efforts aren’t as clever as Christie, are easier to figure out, but still provide the kind of escape 2020 has demanded.

New mentorship program offers support to teens in juvenile detention

Octavia Yearwood has dedicated her life to mentoring and supporting young people who have experienced adversity. Yearwood is no stranger to adversity herself, having spent several years in foster care. Now, she’s using her knowledge, experience, and expertise to mentor teens in youth prisons in her program, “How the Hell Did You Do That?!”

The supplementary program is based off of Yearwood’s 2017 interactive book with the same title.

The Pandemic Disproved Urban Progressives’ Theory About Gentrification

From California to the Northeast, a funny thing has happened recently in America’s most expensive metropolitan areas: Rents have gone down. Ever since remote workers began fleeing urban cores at the start of the coronavirus pandemic—whether to the Hamptons or their parents’ basements—urban housing markets have been flooded with empty apartments.

Growing Old, Alone

As the country plunged into a deep and unusual economic recession last year, it also plunged into a deep and unusual social recession: atomizing families and friends, evaporating hours of laughter and care and touch.This phenomenon hit nobody as hard as America’s seniors, who are much more likely than their younger counterparts to live in care facilities and many of whom have struggled to connect in a socially distanced or virtual fashion.

The Pandemic Metric to Trust Right Now

Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. On weekends, some of the people in labs, health departments, hospitals, and medical examiner’s offices who do the work of translating individual illnesses and deaths into data points get to go home.

The Atlantic Daily: Our New Year’s Eve Playlist

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.Crowds are a no-no this New Year’s Eve, but there are no restrictions on dancing by yourself.

The Mutated Virus Is a Ticking Time Bomb

Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. A new variant of the coronavirus is spreading across the globe. It was first identified in the United Kingdom, where it is rapidly spreading, and has been found in multiple countries. Viruses mutate all the time, often with no impact, but this one appears to be more transmissible than other variants—meaning it spreads more easily.