‘Painful period’: RFK Jr. eliminates 10,000 jobs at HHS
The cuts amount to more than 20 percent of staff.
Today's Liberal News
Elon Musk’s Family History in South Africa Reveals Ties to Apartheid & Neo-Nazi Movements
Elon Musk was born in 1971 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised in a wealthy family under the country’s racist apartheid laws. Musk’s family history reveals ties to apartheid and neo-Nazi politics. We speak with Chris McGreal, reporter for The Guardian, to understand how Musk’s upbringing shaped his worldview, as well as that of his South African-raised colleague Peter Thiel, a right-wing billionaire who co-founded PayPal alongside Musk.
Can Elon Musk Buy Wisconsin? Ari Berman on Billionaire-Funded Attempt to Flip State Supreme Court
After spending over a quarter of a billion dollars on Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign, Elon Musk is pouring money into a Supreme Court election in Wisconsin. Musk has spent more than $18 million to support Trump-backed candidate Brad Schimel over liberal Susan Crawford and has been paying Wisconsin voters $100 to help flip the state’s top court.
“Kidnapped”: 1,000+ Protest After Masked ICE Agents Abduct Tufts Ph.D. Student Rumeysa Ozturk
Over a thousand protesters gathered near Tufts University on Wednesday after masked plainclothes immigration agents snatched Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts Ph.D. student and Fulbright scholar, from the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts. Surveillance video shows agents approaching her on the streets near her home Tuesday evening and handcuffing her while she screamed for help. Tufts University’s president said the school had no prior notice of her arrest.
Fired Kennedy Center VP Marc Bamuthi Joseph Speaks Out After Trump Guts Social Impact Team
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has fired at least five members of its social impact team, including its artistic director, the renowned artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph. The team aimed to expand the art center’s reach to diverse audiences and to commission new works by Black composers.
DOGE Plays with Power
Trump, Musk and the founder of Pirate’s Booty are testing what having authority really means.
Goodbye, Forever 21. You Will Forever Be in Our Hearts, if Not Our Closets
As the fast fashion giant declares bankruptcy, we remember what it gave us.
Money Talks: The World’s Favorite Asset
Edward Fishman and Saleha Mohsin join to discuss how the US dollar became a global currency and what that means under Trump.
The Unnerving Meaning of the Two Kinds of Instagram Kitchens
They look different, but they underscore the same anxieties.
MrBeast is Doing Big Numbers…In the Candy Aisle
The most successful Youtuber ever is selling his fame in the form of chocolatey treats.
Long Covid office ‘will be closing,’ Trump administration announces
The move comes as part of the administration’s reorganization of HHS, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO.
Trump to tap CDC acting director as nominee
Susan Monarez was the deputy director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health since January 2023.
Global AIDS program teetering after Trump admin’s shock-and-awe
President Trump is taking apart one of George W. Bush’s proudest achievements.
Trump admin considers shutting down some CDC expert panels
HHS tells CDC leaders it is “recommending termination” of the discretionary advisory committees.
Is Aziz Ansari Sorry?
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
Your Opinions on Her Wardrobe Are Probably Unwelcome
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
What Role Does HR Play in the #MeToo Era?
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
‘There are no guarantees’: Scott Bessent won’t rule out a recession
He also said he isn’t worried about stock market turbulence, following the worst week in the market in two years.
Trump’s business acumen has long been his armor. It’s being put to the test.
The normally bullish Trump over the weekend declined to rule out the possibility of a full-blown recession as his tariff policies threaten to spark a massive global trade war.
Trump won’t rule out a recession in 2025
“I hate to predict things like that,” Trump said when pressed about the possibility of a recession during a recorded interview that aired on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.
‘He Finally Shot the Hostage’: Trump’s Trade War Is a Brutal Reality Check
Trump imposing new tariffs on top of broader policy uncertainty will mean a hit to growth. The question is how large of a hit it will ultimately be.
What Antitrust ‘Reformers’ Got Wrong
Lina Khan and her allies tried to remake antitrust law. Trump’s team is likely putting an end to that.
“Much Worse Than Ever Before”: Abubaker Abed Reports from Gaza as Israel Weighs Broader Invasion
We go to Gaza for a report on the brutal conditions of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians from Abubaker Abed, a 22-year-old journalist who has recently been diagnosed with malnutrition as a result of Israel’s total siege of the Gaza Strip. “It’s unending misery,” says Abed. “We’re here stranded. We’re seeing the systematic killing of everyone, as Israel is targeting every single one here in Gaza.
It’s Not Easy Being (Marjorie Taylor) Greene
Where have you gone, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird?
In a more innocent time, the hallowed puppets of Sesame Street were recurring characters in congressional debates about public broadcasting.
Documents reveal scope of Trump’s foreign aid cuts
The State Department sent the list of impacted grants and contracts to Congress, according to a document seen by POLITICO.
The Right Way to Make a Superhero Human
This article contains spoilers through Episode 6 of Daredevil: Born Again.
For a character whose flagship show ended seven years ago, the blind lawyer Matt Murdock—better known as the vigilante Daredevil—has maintained a steady presence on Marvel’s roster. In the film Spider-Man: No Way Home, he impressed Peter Parker (Tom Holland) with his reflexes. In the TV series She-Hulk, he flirted with the titular heroine.
The Trump Team’s Denials Are Laughable
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
The defense of the United States is a serious business. Breaches of national security are especially dangerous.
Netanyahu Takes Desperate Measures
In a little more than a week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has reignited the war in Gaza, dismissed the head of Israel’s internal security agency, and moved to fire its highest legal official—all while pushing toward a political takeover of the judicial branch.