Today's Liberal News

“Enshittification”: Cory Doctorow on Why Big Tech Sucks, Keeps Getting Worse & What to Do About It

Writer Cory Doctorow returns to Democracy Now! to discuss his new book Enshittification, which explores the term he coined in 2022 to describe how online platforms like Facebook degrade over time as companies seek to maximize profit at the expense of their users, and it has since become shorthand for describing a pervasive sense of dropping standards across various aspects of modern life.
Enshittification is “the collapse of discipline,” says Doctorow.

You’re Fired. Just Kidding!

It was a strange weekend for employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to say the least. On Friday, hundreds of workers at the agency, many of whom have been furloughed since the federal government shut down on October 1, found out they were being fired as part of widespread layoffs across federal agencies. Less than a day later, a curt follow-up email landed in many of their inboxes informing them that they weren’t being let go after all. No explanation, no apology.

One Era Ends in Gaza, and Another Begins

Today at 9:30 a.m., Air Force One made a low pass over Tel Aviv on its way into Ben Gurion Airport. The flight had more in common with an astronomical portent—a medieval comet, say, and all the swings in mood that might entail among the public—than a mere act of aviation. Israelis had stayed up for days in hopes that hostages would be released. The sight of the 747 meant: This is really happening. Within a few hours, it had happened.

“We Survived the Night”: Julian Brave NoiseCat on Residential Schools & Recovering Native History

To mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we sit down with the award-winning Indigenous writer, journalist and filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat, member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen and a descendant of the Lil’Wat Nation of Mount Currie. His debut book, We Survived the Night, is part-memoir, part-investigative journalism, telling both his family story and the story of Indigenous erasure and resistance in what is now called North America.

Israeli Historian Ilan Pappé: Despite Ceasefire, Palestinians Still Face “Elimination, Genocide”

Renowned Israeli historian, author and professor Ilan Pappé discusses the postwar prospects of Palestinian statehood and of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under investigation for corruption in Israel and subject to an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Despite the newly implemented Gaza ceasefire, says Pappé, Israeli political leaders have not changed their policy aim to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their remaining territory.

Stop Lowering the Flag

In the predawn hours of July 4, a small, blue house just outside Binghamton, New York, caught fire. James Sitek, chief of the West Colesville Fire Company, was one of the firefighters who responded to the blaze. Shortly after emerging from the building, he went into cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital later that day.
The following week, more than 200 people attended Sitek’s funeral.

“We Lost Everything”: Palestinian Writer Ahmed Abu Artema on Gaza Ceasefire, Hostage Exchange & More

“War is over,” declared Donald Trump Sunday night, as the first phase of the U.S.-backed 20-point Gaza peace plan got underway. Hamas has returned the remaining 20 living hostages back to Israel, while Israel has released around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. We get a reaction to the ceasefire from the Palestinian writer and human rights activist Ahmed Abu Artema.

Your Genes Are Simply Not Enough to Explain How Smart You Are

Seven years ago, I took a bet from one of the most controversial figures in the scientific world. Charles Murray, the political scientist who—along with the late psychologist Richard Herrnstein—wrote The Bell Curve in 1994, wagered that one of his core ideas about genetics and intelligence would be proved true by 2025.

Avoiding Ultra-Processed Foods Is Completely Unrealistic

One day recently, my son had two long, back-to-back doctor appointments, which meant he was in the car and in waiting rooms for much of the afternoon. His lunch and snack would not have earned me a healthy-mom award: peanut-butter puffs, a grape-jelly Uncrustables sandwich, and a package of mixed-berry oat bites. All ultra-processed foods, the new boogeyman of public health.
I have many years of experience as a health reporter, and I understand the importance of healthy eating.