Today's Liberal News

A WNBA Star Goes Scorched-Earth

It’s rare in professional sports to see a star publicly excoriate league leadership. Last week, the Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier delivered a savage takedown of commissioner Cathy Engelbert, saying the sport had “the worst leadership in the world” and accusing Engelbert of jeopardizing player safety by failing to address concerns with poor officiating.
“The real threat to our league isn’t money,” Collier said. “It isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play.

The Most Reviled Tech CEO in New York Confronts His Haters

If you haven’t already heard of Friend, the company that makes a $129 wearable AI companion—a plastic disk, containing a microphone, on a necklace—you probably also have not seen Friend’s recent ad campaign. Late this past summer, Friend paid $1 million to plaster more than 10,000 white posters throughout the New York City subway system with messages such as I’ll binge the entire series with you.
People hate these billboards. Revile them, even.

The Meme Shutdown

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Last week, on the first day of the still-ongoing federal-government shutdown, a curious meme appeared on New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s press-office X account.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia

Welcome back for another week of The Atlantic’s un-trivial trivia, drawn from recently published stories. Without a trifle in the bunch, maybe what we’re really dealing with here is—hmm—“significa”? “Consequentia”?
Whatever butchered bit of Latin you prefer, read on for today’s questions. (Last week’s questions can be found here.)
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The Supreme Court Is Giving Liberals an Opportunity

When the Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor this summer, liberal parents and advocates were understandably alarmed. The Court sided with the plaintiffs, parents from Montgomery County, Maryland, who wanted their young children excused from reading and discussing books on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Man-Made Famine & Malnutrition in Sudan, Exacerbated by U.S. Aid Cuts

Starvation is now being used as a weapon of war in numerous conflicts across the globe — including Sudan, which continues to endure a yearslong famine. Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric doctor who just returned from Sudan, says that the famine is man-made. “Atrocities in Palestine, atrocities in Sudan that relate to malnutrition, that relate to famine, are a consequence of underlying structures that enable these things to happen,” says Haj-Hassan, who also volunteered in Gaza.

Gaza Flotilla Update: U.K. Journalist Describes “Torturous Conditions” in Israeli Custody

Global condemnation is mounting as hundreds of international activists remain in Israeli prison days after Israel’s military raided and captured dozens of boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla. Reuters reports at least 170 flotilla activists, of the more than 400 arrested, have been deported from Israel. Many have described torture and mistreatment in Israeli custody.