Today's Liberal News

Why Stocks Keep Going Up

The military stalemate between the United States and Iran is crippling the flow of oil around the world. Gas prices are soaring. Inflation is back above 3 percent. Consumer confidence is tanking, and most Americans are pessimistic about the economy. Yet the S&P 500 has risen 29 percent over the past 12 months, and hit an all-time high last week. After a sell-off at the start of the war, stocks are up 13 percent in 30 days.

The End of Cigarettes Is Coming

For almost two decades, British retailers have told customers that if they were born after the current date 18 years ago, they can’t buy cigarettes. Starting next year, that date will freeze. Under a recently passed law, selling cigarettes to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, will be illegal—in perpetuity. As long as the law is in effect, no one who is 17 or younger on New Year’s Day 2027 will ever be allowed to buy tobacco legally.

Trita Parsi on Iran War: Trump Still “Looking for a Silver Bullet” Instead of Negotiating Seriously

We discuss the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft’s Trita Parsi. U.S. officials are denying Iranian reports that a U.S. vessel was struck by Iranian missiles amid the two countries’ dual blockade of the strait. The warring nations still say they are observing a fragile temporary ceasefire as negotiations continue for a possible longer-term deal.

Abortion Rights Movement Shifts to “Plan C” as Court Restricts Mifepristone by Mail

In a major blow to abortion access, a federal appeals court decision siding with the state of Louisiana has placed major restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone. The medication, used in roughly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S., can no longer be sent by mail or prescribed through telemedicine. But previous abortion restrictions show that curtailing access doesn’t reduce the prevalence of abortions. Instead, they make the procedure more dangerous, and even deadly.

“A People’s History of Invisible India”: Journalist Neha Dixit on Dire State of Worker Rights

On International Workers’ Day, we take a look at the state of workers’ rights and freedoms in India, where pressure on fuel supplies from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has deepened the cost-of-living crisis and labor unrest is on the rise. In mid-April, tens of thousands of workers from the industrial hubs around New Delhi blocked roads to demand a fair wage and better working conditions.

“No School, No Work, No Shopping”: Workers, Immigrants to Lead Thousands of May Day Protests

As workers around the world rally to mark May Day, International Workers’ Day, we speak with organizers in Los Angeles and Chicago. The May Day Strong coalition here in the United States says 3,000 protests and events are scheduled across the country with organizers calling for “no school, no work, no shopping.”
The largest May Day protest in Los Angeles is planned at MacArthur Park.

From Springfield, Ohio, to the Supreme Court: A Pastor’s Fight to Protect TPS for Haitians

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week on President Trump’s push to strip temporary protected status from 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians living in the United States. The TPS program grants protection from deportation and work authorization to immigrants whose home countries are deemed unsafe to return to, most often because of war or natural disaster. The case could ultimately have ramifications for more than 1 million TPS holders from over a dozen countries.

Sunlight Doesn’t Go Through the Strait of Hormuz: Bill McKibben on Iran Oil Shock & Green Transition

We speak with author and activist Bill McKibben about the worsening climate crisis and why the world must rapidly transition to renewable energy in order to stave off the worst impacts. He says the Iran war has exposed the “utter folly” of fossil fuel dependence. “Sunlight has to travel 93 million miles to reach the Earth, but none of those miles go through the Strait of Hormuz,” says McKibben.

The Only Thing Worse Than Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines died as it lived: lots of angry customers and no one picking up the phone. Early yesterday morning, when America’s most hated airline announced that it would immediately cease all operations, Spirit left tens of thousands of passengers at airports across America scrambling to figure out what to do next.

A Hilarious SNL Sketch About Heartbreak Goggles

With time, a breakup can become an edifying event in one’s life. The immediate aftermath of a split tends to be less clear, a hazy maelstrom that can involve medicinal tubs of ice cream, insomnia by way of intrusive thoughts, and an aversion to wearing anything other than sweats.

The Cost of ‘Natural’ Womanhood

Supposedly, the menstrual cycle is a gift. It’s a product of good design. It’s a miraculous dance of hormones that can’t be contained. Such are the messages flooding the internet these days, courtesy of lifestyle influencers, crunchy moms, so-called hormone coaches, and all sorts of popular entertainers.
The menstrual cycle, according to these same voices, is also an emotional roller coaster, best ridden with the aid of bespoke products.