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.
Former Trump statistics chief slams Friday firing of Erika McEntarfer
Bill Beach said the president’s suggestions that the jobs report was rigged betrayed a misunderstanding in how those numbers are assembled.
Trump fires statistics chief after soft jobs report
The monthly jobs report showed just 73,000 jobs in July, with big reductions to May’s and June’s numbers
Trump is under water on some of his top issues — including immigration, poll shows
The president’s approval rating had been ticking upward since its biggest drop in April.
The New ChatGPT Resets the AI Race
Yesterday evening, Sam Altman shared an image of the Death Star on X. There was no caption on the picture, which showed the world-destroying Star Wars space station rising over an Earth-like planet, but his audience understood the context. In fewer than 24 hours, OpenAI would release an AI model intended to wipe out all the rest.
That model, GPT-5, launched earlier today with all the requisite fanfare. In an announcement video, Altman said that the product will serve as a “legitimate Ph.D.
A Political Game Could Redefine Voting in America
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Activists and organizers like to say that the world is run by those who show up, so the fact that what Texas’s Democratic legislators need to do to further their agenda is not show up is inauspicious for them.
Things Aren’t Going Donald Trump’s Way
Donald Trump has almost certainly complained more about journalists than any of his predecessors have, maybe more than all of them combined. So when Trump deemed a query “the nastiest question” he’s ever gotten from a member of the press, it was notable.
The moment came in May, when CNBC’s Megan Cassella asked Trump about “TACO,” an acronym for “Trump always chickens out.
Trump Just Did What Not Even Nixon Dared
“Is it Goldstein again?” Richard Nixon demanded.
In July of 1971, the president was infuriated that an unnamed official at the Bureau of Labor Statistics had seemed to downplay the administration’s progress on reducing unemployment while briefing reporters. His suspicions fell on Harold Goldstein, the longtime civil servant and BLS official in charge of the jobs numbers, who had attracted his ire for other comments earlier in the year.
Resist the Snark and Be Happy
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“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness,” wrote Robert Heinlein in his 1982 futuristic novel, Friday. “A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.
The Global Plastic Threat: Research Finds Plastics Can Lead to Disease, Disability & Premature Death
Negotiations are underway in Geneva on a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty that has been in the works for several years, as the crisis of pollution from plastics worldwide has grown more acute. An estimated 8 billion metric tons of plastic waste now pollute the planet. Without changes, the production of plastic is expected to triple by 2060 — much of it driven by single-use plastics.
“Tightening the Chokehold”: Amjad Iraqi on Israel’s Plans to “Empty Out” Gaza and Annex West Bank
Israel’s security cabinet is considering plans to expand Israel’s assault on Gaza toward a full military takeover, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly pushing for a monthslong offensive on Gaza City and central Gaza refugee camps. The cabinet meeting comes as Israel’s forced starvation of Gaza claimed at least four new victims over the past 24 hours, according to health officials.
From India to Brazil, Trump Intensifies Trade War Against BRICS Nations as New Tariffs Take Effect
Huge tariffs on more than 90 countries took effect shortly after midnight on Thursday. President Trump slapped one of the highest tariff rates of 50% on India — set to go into effect on August 27 — unless India stops buying Russian oil. Democracy Now! speaks with Jayati Ghosh, economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, on the hypocrisy of the tariffs.
“War in Perpetuity”: M. Gessen Warns Putin Won’t Make Peace with Ukraine Because It Risks His Own Survival
White House officials have confirmed that President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet as early as next week to discuss the war in Ukraine. It would be the first U.S.-Russia summit in more than four years. Trump reportedly plans to follow up that meeting with another three-way meeting between himself, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. We speak with The New York Times opinion columnist M.
Trump Is Making a Modification to the White House. It’s a Perfect Monument to His Presidency.
The president is trying to bring a taste of Mar-a-Lago to D.C.—but it’s not as unprecedented as some people think.
Money Talks: The Fabulous Wealth of Carrie Bradshaw
Cheyna Roth joins Emily Peck to dissect the money on display in And Just Like That…
Money Travels: Answering the Big Baggage Question
Should you check your bag or carry-on? A discussion.
Gambling Away the Game
Is the mobile betting boom ruining the integrity of major league sports? Does it matter?
Trump Fired the Person in Charge of the Job Numbers. It Brings Him Closer to a Sinister Goal.
Yes, the president firing the BLS commissioner is bad. Really bad.
Kennedy to halt $500 million in vaccine projects
The move ends investments in projects involving mRNA technology.
Trump drove firing of FDA official
The president overruled his HHS secretary and FDA chief, four people with knowledge of the decision tell POLITICO.
Women’s health care lacks funding, research, FDA chief says
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary has taken a personal interest in addressing hormone therapy treatment for menopause.
FDA commissioner: No ‘preconceived plans’ on policy changes for abortion drug
Some in Congress have put pressure on the FDA to review the pill, which ends pregnancy before 10 weeks.
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.