‘My Own Line Turned Around And Sacked Me’: James Lankford Hasn’t Forgotten The Border Bill Debacle
“Everyone knew what was in that bill,” the Oklahoma Republican said of the legislation on Ukraine and the U.S. border that failed in the Senate.
Today's Liberal News
Democracy’s Dark Winter
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.
Freedom and democracy have endured a long winter of setbacks. Spring will bring its own challenges both overseas and in the United States.
First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:
With Trump’s SCOTUS appeal, justice delayed is justice denied.
Obstruction, Money, Courts and Trump: How Mitch McConnell Changed American Politics
The so-called institutionalist is one of the biggest change agents in recent political history.
Senate Republicans kick off their food fight for next leader
The fight to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is on, with the “Three Johns”—Texan John Cornyn, South Dakota’s John Thune, and Wyoming’s John Barrasso— lining up against the MAGA wing of the party to determine the future of the Republican conference.
In the war of the Johns, Cornyn was first out of the gate to announce his bid and has been aggressively pursuing the top spot.
Shocker! Trump’s Truth Social co-founders say he’s screwing them over
Two founders of Donald Trump’s Truth Social social media platform filed a lawsuit against him on Wednesday. They allege that he and others have been involved in “11th hour, pre-merger corporate maneuvering,” machinations that would “drastically dilute” their partnership’s stake in the social media company.
Lisa Murkowski Endorses Nikki Haley In 2024 GOP Presidential Race
“America needs someone with the right values, vigor, and judgment to serve as our next President,” the Alaska Republican senator said Friday.
ICYMI: Hunter Biden shows his might, CNN does right, and Jim Jordan loves to gaslight
Hunter Biden absolutely owned Republicans in his testimony
This testimony was extremely satisfying to read, especially the Matt Gaetz smackdown.
GOP congressman demands president’s family be left alone. No, not that family
We have to admit that this level of gaslighting is almost impressive. Almost.
You’re Looking at TikTok All Wrong
When the Universal Music Group decided to pull its songs from TikTok last month in the midst of a protracted rights dispute, some called the move the “nuclear option.” UMG handles major artists including Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny, and isn’t music the lifeblood of the social app? Billboard has a separate chart for the most popular songs on TikTok; artists such as Lil Nas X effectively owe their career to the platform.
CVS, Walgreens to begin dispensing abortion pills this month
The move comes just weeks before the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could prohibit brick-and-mortar pharmacies from dispensing the commonly used abortion pill.
CDC loosens Covid isolation guidance
The guidance for Covid now aligns with RSV and the flu and comes amid a marked decrease in Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths, and as many people tell officials they don’t bother to test when ill.
A Memoir Shouldn’t Boss You Around
This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.
The temptation for a writer to turn their memoir into a self-help book must be strong. The author has looked back at her life, her choices, her blunders, her triumphs. And through this process of retrospection, she might see lessons learned that apply not just to her, but really, to everyone.
Cartoon: Justice evaded
A cartoon by Pedro Molina.
The Intercept: New York Times Exposé Lacks Evidence to Claim Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence Oct. 7
We speak with Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim of The Intercept about their exposé of a major New York Times piece into alleged mass rapes committed by Hamas militants on October 7 that raises serious questions about the accuracy of the story. The Times article was headlined “’Screams Without Words’: How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on Oct.
The Real Reason Trump Loves Putin
For nearly the entirety of the past decade, a question has stalked, and sometimes consumed, American politics: Why do Donald Trump and his acolytes heap such reverent praise on Vladimir Putin? The question is born of disbelief.
“Just Being Racist”: Biden & Trump Push Anti-Immigrant Policies in Dueling Border Visits
Joe Biden and Donald Trump both visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Thursday, where the two leading presidential candidates each pitched anti-immigration measures to further militarize the border and restrict asylum. Meanwhile, a federal judge blocked a new Texas law set to go into effect that would give police the power to arrest migrants they suspect of entering the U.S. without authorization.
Why the Best Singers Can’t Always Sing Their Own Songs
Almost one-third of the way through Usher’s performance at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, Alicia Keys appeared, attached to a billowing red cape and seated at a matching piano. As the Grammys-festooned pop and R&B singer-songwriter gently played the opening arpeggios of one of her biggest hits, 2004’s “If I Ain’t Got You,” something small but unexpected happened.
GAO: Billions wasted on federal health insurance program
The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees health insurance for 8 million federal workers and their families at a cost of more than $60 billion a year, has never checked the eligibility of those on its rolls.
Alabama Republicans want to give IVF doctors immunity after court rules frozen embryos are kids
GOP Gov. Kay Ivey expects to sign legislation she believes will allow the state’s fertility clinics to reopen soon.
Liberals Dreamed of This Economy For Decades. What If Voters Don’t Like It?
Policymakers were determined to avoid the mistakes of the Great Recession — and they succeeded. But now they are in a mood of “fear and introspection.
Biden’s economy keeps messing up Trump’s message
“You can’t blame the president when policies go wrong, and then say he’s not responsible if things are going right.
US employers added surprisingly robust 353,000 jobs in January in further sign of economic strength
The unemployment rate stayed at 3.7%, just above a half-century low.
Biden’s new economic messaging strategy: Attack Trump’s tax legacy
The strategy shift focuses on Trump’s tax law and poses a simple question to voters: Whose side are you on?
The Life & Death of Aaron Bushnell: U.S. Airman Self-Immolates Protesting U.S. Support for Israel in Gaza
In an act that has captured the attention of the world, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force, set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington Sunday to protest Israel’s assault on Gaza and U.S. support for the military campaign. Bushnell, who live-streamed the action, said, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” before lighting himself on fire and repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine” as he was engulfed in the flames.
A Leap Day Tradition With a Dark Side
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.
A calendar is a site of order.
Just Asking Questions About Kate Middleton
Earlier this week, I woke up, checked my phone, and noticed that everyone online seemed fixated on the same question: Where is Kate Middleton?
Many of these people were not devoted Royal Family watchers. Rather, they were casual perusers of the internet who’d seen a post, a message-board thread, or an article on the princess of Wales’s recent absence from public life and found themselves hacking through a dense jungle of rumors.
The Pandemic’s ‘Ghost Architecture’ Is Still Haunting Us
Last Friday, in a bathroom at the Newark airport, I encountered a phrase I hadn’t seen in a long time: Stop the spread. It accompanied an automatic hand-sanitizing station, which groaned weakly when I passed my hand beneath it, dispensing nothing. Presumably set up in the early pandemic, the sign and dispenser had long ago become relics. Basically everyone seemed to ignore them.
Alabama legislature votes to restore IVF access
The votes in the House and the Senate come nearly two weeks after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen eggs are children, setting off a national debate about how IVF is performed in the U.S.
The Lost Boys of Big Tech
The original “Burn Book” from Mean Girls was used to spread rumors and gossip about other girls (and some boys) at North Shore High School. Kara Swisher’s new memoir, Burn Book, tells true stories about men (and some women) who ruled Silicon Valley. In the 1990s, Swisher was a political reporter in Washington, but tuned into the dot-com revolution early and moved to California to cover it.
Israel Kills 104 Palestinians Waiting for Food Aid as U.N. Expert Accuses Israel of Starving Gaza
In Gaza City, at least 104 Palestinian refugees were killed Thursday when Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd waiting for food aid. “This isn’t the first time people have been shot at by Israeli forces while people have been trying to access food,” says the U.N.’s special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, who accuses Israel of the war crime of intentional starvation.
Sen. Merkley: McConnell Paralyzed the Senate & Turned Supreme Court into “Far-Right Legislature”
As Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell announces he will step down as the Senate’s Republican leader after 17 years — the longest term in Senate history — we speak with Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, who says, “McConnell’s legacy has been one of obstruction.” He describes McConnell’s “aggressive” use of the filibuster, the topic of Merkley’s new book, Filibustered!: How to Fix the Broken Senate and Save America, as having “broken the cycle in which government can function.