Today's Liberal News

Trump’s Reelection Playbook: Racist Tropes & Downplaying COVID Pandemic by Slowing Down Testing

As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 nears 120,000 and mass protests against police brutality and racism continue, President Trump faces condemnation for his remarks at his poorly attended campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he repeated racist terms like “kung flu” and lashed out at protesters. “You just see this tremendous impulse to divide,” says Emily Bazelon, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. “This is what has worked for Trump in the past.

99 Years Later, Wounds of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Have “Never Been Remedied”

President Trump’s first campaign rally since the start of the pandemic takes place Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, despite a spike of COVID-19 cases there. Trump rescheduled the rally to Saturday after facing backlash for saying it would happen on Juneteenth — a celebration of African Americans’ liberation from slavery — amid a nationwide uprising against racism and police brutality. Tulsa is also the site of one of the deadliest massacres in U.S.

How DREAMers Defeated Trump: Supreme Court DACA Win Shows “Sustained Pressure of Activism” Works

In a 5-4 decision led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Trump’s attempt to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The federal program created by President Obama in 2012 protects from deportation about 700,000 immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. Luis Cortes, one of the lawyers who defended DACA at the Supreme Court, says the key to the victory was being able to share the stories of DACA recipients.

“Movements Work”: As Activists Occupy Seattle’s Capitol Hill, City Bans Tear Gas, Expels Police Union

In Seattle, the fight to demilitarize and defund the police continues as the King County Labor Council voted to expel the Seattle police union Wednesday, following weeks of protest. Seattle police sparked outrage for responding to massive protests against police brutality by using pepper spray, tear gas and flashbangs on demonstrators and reporters. Activists then formed an autonomous zone in response to the police department’s abandonment of a precinct building.

Fatphobia: Where it comes from, why it happens, and how it hurts women of color the most

Fat shaming and obsessing over womens’ bodies is a longstanding problem. Toxic internet commentary, unattainable societal weight expectations, and misinformation surrounding obesity have only exacerbated the problem. Fat shaming often stems from “fatphobia,” an aversion to people who are in a heavier weight group for whatever reason and don’t adhere to society’s standards of what an “attractive” body should look like.

University of Florida announces it will no longer use unpaid inmate labor

On Thursday, University of Florida president Kent Fuchs released a statement with the title “Another step toward positive change against racism.” One of the important takeaways from the statement was that the university would end the practice of using unpaid inmate labor. “There are agriculture operations where UF has relied on prison and jail inmates to provide farm labor.

Juneteenth celebrations and Black Lives Matter protests center ongoing calls for justice

Thousands across the nation participated in peaceful protests, rallies, and street celebrations to commemorate Juneteenth this weekend amid the ongoing call to end racial injustice. This year’s Juneteenth celebrations coincided with nationwide protests following the violent death of George Floyd. Worldwide, people took this year to commemorate the holiday alongside peaceful protests against police brutality and racism. Demonstrations in the U.S.