Today's Liberal News
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.
Trump’s spending freeze spreads chaos across US
Supporters of climate, infrastructure, mortgage, tech, health, veterans’ and other projects expressed alarm as tens of thousands of programs appeared possibly at risk.
Lael Brainard’s ‘Crisis Management Agency’ — and Her Warning For Trump
Joe Biden’s top economic adviser opens up on harrowing moments from her time in the White House, and what makes her nervous about the Trump agenda.
Stephen Miran is Trump’s pick to lead Council of Economic Advisers
Miran has called for a sweeping overhaul of the Fed to ensure greater political control over the central bank, including giving the president the power to fire board members at will.
Congo, Jazz & the CIA: Oscar-Nominated “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” Revisits Lumumba Assassination
The Oscar-nominated documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat recounts the events leading up to Black American jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach’s 1961 protest at the United Nations of the CIA-backed killing of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. The first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lumumba was an icon of the Pan-African and anti-colonial movements.
Rebels Take 2nd Major City in Eastern DRC Amid Fight to Control Congo’s Vast Mineral Wealth
Rebels from the Rwandan-backed M23 group have taken a second major city in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which borders Rwanda. Congolese analyst Kambale Musavuli reports on the violence, emphasizing its connection to the DRC’s mineral resources, which are key to the development of high-tech goods. “This battle is coming out of a context: the control of Congo’s vast mineral wealth,” says Musavuli.
Sean Hannity Tries to Calm the Waters
Like many Americans lately, I am seized with curiosity about who is actually running the government of the United States. For that reason, I watched Sean Hannity’s Fox News interview tonight with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
But I am still not sure who’s in charge. If there is a headline from the interview, it is that the president of the United States feels that he requires the services of a multi-billionaire to enforce his executive orders.
The New, Unsettling Truth at the Heart of Yellowjackets
This article contains spoilers through the end of Yellowjackets Season 2.
A funny thing can happen to a hit show when it’s no longer the hot new thing on television. If such a series manages to produce more seasons, it often becomes weirder, stranger, and more specific, narrowing its appeal rather than attempting to maintain its wider following. Twin Peaks moved beyond probing its central mystery and into exploring the dream logic of its titular town.
DOGE’s Fuzzy Math
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Last week, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called the national debt “one of the biggest betrayals against the American people,” suggesting that Americans’ anger about debt “gave birth to the concept of DOGE.
‘Nothing … off limits’: Kennedy lays out plan for HHS
His first remarks to the department since being confirmed comes as Washington reels from mass firings and funding cuts.
Frozen Food’s New Wave
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In the 1990s, my childhood frozen-food dinners seemed precision-engineered for disappointment: gloppy Salisbury steak with a side of grainy mashed potatoes, a pile of limp fish sticks, a cardboardy personal pizza. Well into adulthood, I assumed that the most satisfying meal I could scrounge from the colder side of the fridge was a pint of Häagen-Dazs.
Palestinian Director Basel Adra: As “No Other Land” Gets Oscar Nod, Israel Ramps Up West Bank Attacks
The Israeli-Palestinian film No Other Land is nominated for an Oscar for best documentary at this year’s awards, to be held March 2. It follows the struggles of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank community of Masafer Yatta to stay on their land amid violent attacks by Jewish settlers aimed at expelling them.
“A Victory for Putin”? Jeffrey Sachs & Matt Duss Debate U.S.-Russia Talks to End Ukraine War
Top diplomats from the United States and Russia met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and improving relations between Washington and Moscow. The Riyadh summit represents a monumental shift in U.S. policy after the Biden administration led an international effort to isolate Russia over its invasion and gave tens of billions in military aid to Kyiv. Participants included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Money Talks: Government Data Is Going Missing
What Next: TBD’s Lizzie O’Leary unpacks the recent deletion of government data.
Influencers Taught Us How to Overconsume. Can They Also Help Us Break the Habit?
No matter how good their intentions, creators are still able to make money off of telling people to spend less.
Americans Are Actually in a Position to Make Elon Musk Feel Our Rage
His car company is in a precarious spot.
Trump Has Promised to Lower Prices. It Will be Impossible Without Private Equity Reform.
You can’t promise lower prices while backing away from regulations.
South Africans worry Trump’s aid freeze will cause HIV patients to default on treatment
“This is a matter of life and death.
Abortion access to restart in Missouri, clinics say, following state court ruling
The court blocked a restriction that had prevented clinics from operating. But the fight over abortion is far from over.
Trump officials defend HHS cuts as more methodical than the slashing at other agencies
The administration’s Friday night message comes as a sharp departure from the approach that Trump and DOGE have taken to cuts in other federal departments and agencies.
Democratic AGs win second court ruling against Trump’s order on gender-affirming care
“If the Order stands, transgender children will die,” the AGs warned in their lawsuit.
Louisiana to end mass vaccine promotion, state’s top health official says
The department will still “stock and provide vaccines,” according to a department memo.
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.