Today's Liberal News

Proposed Trump administration rules could create a major barrier for women and LGBTQ+ asylum-seekers

By Fatma Khaled

Fleeing Mexico in 2012 after receiving death threats due to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in the country, Mexican transgender activist Ishalaa Ortega was granted asylum in the U.S. on the basis of persecution on account of political opinion, gender identity, and sexual orientation. However, others like Ortega with similar asylum claims could now find their claims denied if the new asylum rules proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration go into effect.

Twitter users respond to AG Barr’s attack on federal funds for ‘anarchist’ cities with reality check

As the nation continues to face the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic and we near the November 2020 election, the Department of Justice released a list of three cities (New York, New York; Seattle, Washington; and Portland, Oregon) it designated as “anarchist” jurisdictions. Are these Democrat-led cities in a state of anarchy? No. While at first this is so absurd it’s laughable, the underlying intent here is important.

The Atlantic Daily: The Coming Confirmation Fight

GETTY / ARSH RAZIUDDIN / THE ATLANTICThe country spent the weekend mourning the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court justice and pop-culture icon.Her passing, just a month and a half before a presidential election, opens up a vacancy on the high court—one, my colleague Russell Berman warned, with the potential to aggravate political tensions in the final weeks of the race.

The Core Lesson of the COVID-19 Heart Debate

Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. Last Monday, when I called the cardiologist Amy Kontorovich in the late morning, she apologized for sounding tired. “I’ve been in my lab infecting heart cells with SARS-CoV-2 since 6 a.m. this morning,” she said.That might seem like an odd experiment for a virus that spreads through the air, and primarily infects the lungs and airways.

To Have Known Her

The loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is absolutely devastating. It is, quite obviously, devastating for the country. But for those of us who knew her, it is also personally devastating.I consider it one of the single greatest privileges and honors of my life to have served as Justice Ginsburg’s law clerk. (Each justice has three to four law clerks who help them screen the Court’s petitions and draft opinions.

The Fight Against Words That Sound Like, but Are Not, Slurs

When the news began circulating on social media, many couldn’t believe it was true––that the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California would remove a longtime professor from a class because a Mandarin word he used correctly in a lesson sounded sort of like a racial slur. One skeptic warned that the “ridiculous sounding story” seemed like a “fabricated Reddit meme.

“A National Tragedy”: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Friend & “Favorite Client” Remembers the Legal Icon

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg first gained fame in the 1970s when she co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union and argued six gender discrimination cases before the Supreme Court. One of those cases was Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld, which centered on a widower who was refused Social Security benefits after his wife died during childbirth.

Remembering RBG: Legal Giant’s Death Sparks Furious Fight in D.C. over Vacant Supreme Court Seat

We look at the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as well as the future of the Supreme Court, in a wide-ranging interview with Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at Slate, where she is the senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter. Ginsburg died September 18 at the age of 87 after serving 27 years as a Supreme Court justice, where she became the most prominent member of the court’s liberal wing.

Dear Therapist: I’m Having an Affair and I’ve Never Been Happier. Should I Confess?

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Lori Gottlieb answers questions from readers about their problems, big and small. Have a question? Email her at dear.therapist@theatlantic.com. Dear Therapist,I was married for 25 years, had three children, and went through a very messy, traumatic divorce 10 years ago. My ex had become an abusive alcoholic and was very mean, especially to our middle child, a girl with learning disabilities.