Birth control clinics rush to reapply for funding after receiving new Trump admin guidance
Current grants run out on April 1.
Today's Liberal News
This Year’s Oscar Winners Will (And Should) Be …
The run-up to the Academy Awards is a fun, ridiculous, and loopy monthslong stretch. It also encourages something vital to Hollywood’s artistic ecosystem: Movie studios, in the hopes of achieving Oscar glory, put money toward more stylistically challenging projects, rather than consistently aiming for the broadest common box-office denominator.
High Stakes, and a Low Bar, For Markwayne Mullin at DHS
During the 14 months of Kristi Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security, I regularly heard from staffers—career law-enforcement officers and political appointees alike—who were desperate for a return to institutional normalcy. Their concerns weren’t ideological. They felt, instead, that Noem was running the department and its law-enforcement agencies as an attention-grabbing spectacle, undermining their mission.
Consider Noem’s appearance at a Salvadoran megaprison.
A Test for Trump’s Most Faithful
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Let’s get this out of the way: Rumors of a major MAGA schism have been greatly exaggerated.
The Movie Star Hiding in Plain Sight
Look at a list of the highest-grossing actors of all time, and you’ll see a lot of familiar names. The group includes franchise-hopping performers such as Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Zoe Saldaña; legacy A-listers such as Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks; and one 74-year-old Swede who has built a bustling, storied career doing a little bit of everything.
General McChrystal’s Dolly Parton Doctrine
The name Stanley McChrystal might bring a few things to mind: the U.S. Army general who led NATO forces in Afghanistan; a legendary Special Forces operator; a decorated military career cut short by reported tactless remarks about a vice president; a daily food intake of just one meal—a “reward” dinner after a hard day. One thing that might not come to mind: a Dolly Parton fan.
Economist Jeffrey Sachs: U.S.-Israeli “War of Choice,” Assault on U.N. Charter Could Lead to WWIII
The global economy has been rocked by the war in the Middle East, with Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatening energy flows and sending the price of oil soaring to its highest level in years. The United Nations Security Council responded to the unprovoked U.S.-Israeli war by passing a resolution this week condemning Iran — specifically for its attacks on U.S.
Israeli Journalist Gideon Levy: Israel Will Not Stop Wars & Occupation Until U.S. Pulls Support
Inside Israel, “there is no room for any question marks or doubts about this war,” says journalist Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz and a member of the newspaper’s editorial board. He says war fever has taken over the country, with polls showing 93% support for the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, Lebanon and beyond — at least among the Jewish public. “Israel is doing as much as it can,” he says. “As long as the American support is so massive, so blind and so automatic, this will go on.
Report from Beirut: Israel Expands Bombing Campaign & Mass Displacement in Lebanon
We speak with journalist Lylla Younes in Lebanon, where she says Israel’s “massacres are multiplying” amid the broader U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Israeli strikes have killed nearly 700 people in Lebanon over the past two weeks, while attacks have expanded to include areas of central Beirut, which Israel claims are aimed at the powerful Hezbollah militia. This comes as Israel has vowed to expand its incursion into southern Lebanon.
The World’s Most Hated Ticket Company Is Finally Being Forced to Change
Live Nation’s settlement with the Justice Department is a big step toward accountability—and cheaper ticket prices.
The Tiny Bite Heard Round the Internet
The McDonald’s CEO took the tiniest bite of their biggest burger—and the internet went wild.
Money Talks: This Season on ‘Industry’
Hillary Frey and Anna Szymanski join Emily Peck to unpack the wild ride that was ‘Industry’ season 4.
Trump’s Tariffs Were Illegal. Now What?
A week after the Supreme Court ruled Trump’s tariff unconstitutional , no one really knows how or if tariff refunds will happen.
The Warner Bros. Sale Is Even Worse Than It Looks
The Ellisons might have beat Netflix, but their $111 billion deal still needs to survive lawsuits, regulators, and a mountain of debt.
RFK Jr.’s department is revealing its thoughts about women’s health
A conference in Washington this week showcases mainstream and alternative health practices, a teen beauty queen and scientists.
‘Damaging and punishing’: Birth control clinics serving millions face federal funding cliff
Clinics are pleading with Congress and HHS for answers amid “radio silence” about the imminent expiration of Title X funding.
FDA backs away from RFK Jr.’s claims about drug’s promise for autism patients
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said in September he was changing leucovorin’s label because it could help “hundreds of thousands” of children with the neurological condition.
‘I share your outrage’: Democrats woo MAHA moms ahead of the midterms
Democrats hope the Trump administration’s recent pesticide move will sway voters in their direction.
The food industry is done taking RFK Jr.’s abuse
Processed food manufacturers say there’s a conflict between the Health secretary’s plans and Trump’s desire to rebuild factory towns.
When Church Was a Queer Space
Outward’s hosts sit down with the host and co-creator of When We All Get to Heaven.
Remembering, with the People of MCC San Francisco, AIDS Still Isn’t Over.
The neighborhood changes, the church moves, people forget and remember “the AIDS years,” but AIDS isn’t over.
What Happens When You Organize Church Around AIDS – and AIDS Changes?
The AIDS cocktail opens new possibilities. And MCC San Francisco tries to use the experience of AIDS to make bigger social change.
The Church’s Pastor Gets Diagnosed with AIDS. And the Church Wonders How Much They Might Lose.
The church’s minister gets sick and everyone knows it.
A Church Romance Between a Hula Dancer and a Lumbersexual Blossoms in a Dangerous Time.
The church’s “it couple” faces AIDS, caregiving, and loss as part of a pair, part of families, and part of a community.
Trump Keeps Gambling With the Economy — And Getting Away With It
President Donald Trump has taken one risk after another that could have destabilized the American economy. Iran is the latest crisis to test U.S. economic resilience.
‘I’ve won affordability’: Trump previews SOTU in Georgia rally
The president stopped in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old district to defend his economic record.
Trump in Iowa tries to shift the conversation back to the economy
A brief swing through the farm state underscored administration fears about the midterms.
Americans give Trump low marks on handling of economy as midterms likely to center on affordability
Sixty-one percent of voters told a CNN poll released Friday that they disapprove of the way Trump is handling the economy.
“Killers of Roe”: Amy Littlefield Investigates the “Mysterious Death of Abortion Rights” in U.S.
Killers of Roe is a new book by the reproductive rights journalist Amy Littlefield on what she describes as the death of abortion rights in the United States. The book is framed as a murder mystery, examining a “twisted alliance of believers and opportunists” in the years and decades before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Ex-Marine, Senate Candidate Speaks Out After Arrest, Arm Broken During Iran War Protest in Senate
A Marine Corps veteran suffered a broken arm last week after he disrupted a Senate hearing to voice his opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Democracy Now! speaks with the veteran, Brian McGinnis, who is also a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina. McGinnis is critical of U.S. policy in Israel and the Trump administration’s decision to go “full speed ahead with military action” in the Middle East.