When I Boarded My Cargo Ship Last Year, I Could Never Have Imagined What COVID Would Bring
First, we were trapped for six months off the American coast—and then it got even darker.
Today's Liberal News
The Year of Ambitious TV Watching
My biggest accomplishment of the year was a bloody mess. The project started simply enough, but within weeks, I found myself regularly staring at contorted limbs and gaping wounds. Soon few things marked the end of my workday more clearly than a grisly episode of Dexter, the mid-aughts Showtime series about a forensic analyst who moonlights as a serial killer.
Congress’s COVID Relief Bill Includes Direct Checks. It’s Still Not Enough to Help Most Vulnerable
After months of inaction, Congress finally appears close to passing a second, $900 billion coronavirus stimulus package. The agreement is likely to include additional unemployment assistance of $300 a week and one-time direct cash payments of between $600 and $700 for people in the U.S. — a sharp reduction from the first COVID check of $1,200. The COVID-19 relief checks were put back in the bill after a major push from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
“No Reason to Let Up” on Masks as U.S. COVID-19 Deaths & Infections Skyrocket During Vaccine Rollout
As the “very exciting” rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution gets underway in the United States, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, says the country is still experiencing “astronomical” numbers of new infections and deaths. “We’ve just had a federal government that has given up on any efforts to try and control the pandemic,” he says.
As Wealthy Countries Hoard Vaccine Supply, Pandemic Could Rage in Poor Countries Until 2024
Health experts are raising concerns that wealthy countries have reserved enough coronavirus vaccine doses to immunize their populations multiple times over, while poorer countries may only have enough to vaccinate about 20%. Reuters reports the World Health Organization’s global plan for delivering COVID-19 vaccines to 91 poor and middle-income countries faces a “very high” risk of failure and could leave billions of people with no access to vaccines until 2024.
Help! My Girlfriend Is a Celebrity.
Everyone in our city knows her, and I’m not sure how to deal with her fame.
Ask a Teacher: Is My Daughter’s Happiness at School Worth the COVID Risk?
Would Zoom preschool be a better option for us?
Pinterest Isn’t So Pretty Behind the Scenes
Employees have accused the women-centric company of gender and racial bias.
Congress Has a Deal to End the Most Obnoxious Practice in American Medicine. Will Mitch McConnell Kill It?
Surprise medical bills have been surprisingly difficult for legislators to fix. There’s finally hope.
The Pandemic Proved Cities Have Built Way Too Many Luxury Apartments
For years, they were addicted to housing developments few could afford.
Pinterest Isn’t So Pretty Behind the Scenes
Employees have accused the women-centric company of gender and racial bias.
Congress Has a Deal to End the Most Obnoxious Practice in American Medicine. Will Mitch McConnell Kill It?
Surprise medical bills have been surprisingly difficult for legislators to fix. There’s finally hope.
The Pandemic Proved Cities Have Built Way Too Many Luxury Apartments
For years, they were addicted to housing developments few could afford.
“It’s Desecration, Not Vandalism”: A Longtime Congregant on the Proud Boys’ Violent Attacks on Black Churches in Washington
“It’s not an isolated incident in 2020.
Biden faces a massive boom ahead — or maybe another recession first
Vaccine euphoria is giving economic forecasters hope for a blockbuster 2021 and stretching stock market valuations to historic highs. It’s a setup that leaves no room for error.
Biden top economic adviser facing accusations of mismanagement, verbal abuse
A former high-level employee at Heather Boushey’s think tank publicly aired the accusations on Tuesday night.
Biden backs up Tanden as Republicans attack her tweets
“That disqualifies almost every Republican senator and 90 percent of the administration,” the president-elect said of GOP criticism.
How climate change could spark the next home mortgage disaster
Taxpayers are backing more than a trillion dollars in home mortgages, but the agencies buying them are neglecting to consider climate risks.
As COVID Surges Behind Bars in California, Why Is San Quentin Transferring Hundreds of Prisoners?
Prisons across the U.S. are facing their greatest swell in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Nearly a quarter-million incarcerated people in the U.S. have been infected with COVID-19, according to the Marshall Project, and advocates are pushing for incarcerated people to be prioritized in the country’s vaccine rollout.
Election Chaos Adds Fuel to Campaign for a National Popular Vote to Elect U.S. President
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris officially won the Electoral College Monday, as electors met in their respective state capitols to formalize their victory. President Trump continued to claim without evidence he was the victim of a massive conspiracy to rig the election. Republicans across the country attempted to undermine the election results, and right-wing supporters threatened violence.
Wednesday Night Owls: Excerpts from Harper’s Index
Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week
35 DAYS UNTIL JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE
It’s time once again for excerpts from the Harper’s Index:
Portion of single Americans who have had sex since the coronavirus pandemic began: 3/10
Portion of those single Americans whose sexual partner was a roommate with whom they were not in a relationship: 1/4
Estimated value of loans taken o
Wednesday Night Owls: Excerpts from Harper’s Index
Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week
35 DAYS UNTIL JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE
It’s time once again for excerpts from the Harper’s Index:
Portion of single Americans who have had sex since the coronavirus pandemic began: 3/10
Portion of those single Americans whose sexual partner was a roommate with whom they were not in a relationship: 1/4
Estimated value of loans taken o
New Warren report calls out ‘corrupt’ accreditation of nation’s prisons
While the rest of the Senate trundles on in various experiments to see how aggressively they can institutionalize futility and vacuousness, Senator Elizabeth Warren continues to weirdly use the resources that come with being a United States senator to uncover corruption, scandal, and government neglect. This has made her very unpopular with her Republican peers, who instead appear to believe that their offices are best used for trading stocks. Go figure.
New Warren report calls out ‘corrupt’ accreditation of nation’s prisons
While the rest of the Senate trundles on in various experiments to see how aggressively they can institutionalize futility and vacuousness, Senator Elizabeth Warren continues to weirdly use the resources that come with being a United States senator to uncover corruption, scandal, and government neglect. This has made her very unpopular with her Republican peers, who instead appear to believe that their offices are best used for trading stocks. Go figure.
Liberian immigrants eligible for legal status facing intentional ‘roadblocks’ set up by Trump admin
A new law last year allowing thousands of Liberian immigrants who faced separation following loss of their temporary protections to apply for green cards should have brought some much-needed relief. Should have. Instead, ProPublica reports that the Trump administration has largely undermined the application process, leaving advocates “surprised by how many hoops immigrants were being asked to jump through” as the deadline to apply quickly approaches.
Liberian immigrants eligible for legal status facing intentional ‘roadblocks’ set up by Trump admin
A new law last year allowing thousands of Liberian immigrants who faced separation following loss of their temporary protections to apply for green cards should have brought some much-needed relief. Should have. Instead, ProPublica reports that the Trump administration has largely undermined the application process, leaving advocates “surprised by how many hoops immigrants were being asked to jump through” as the deadline to apply quickly approaches.