Today's Liberal News

Bravo’s Summer House Is the Perfect Dead-of-Winter Watch

Sign up for Kaitlyn and Lizzie’s newsletter here.Lizzie: Have I ever been to the Hamptons? No, I don’t think so, although I do have a tendency to forget these things. For example, I have been to Staten Island, although I don’t remember driving over a bridge to get there, but it turns out I must have.

Leonard Peltier Has COVID; His Lawyer — an Ex-Federal Judge — Calls for Native Leader to Be Freed

Jailed 77-year-old Native American activist Leonard Peltier has tested positive for COVID-19 less than a week after describing his prison conditions as a “torture chamber.” Peltier was convicted of aiding and abetting the killing of two FBI agents during a shootout on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975 while a member of the American Indian Movement. He has long maintained his innocence and is considered by Amnesty International as a political prisoner.

We Almost Forgot About the Moon Trees

The American moon missions, more than 50 years later, are each memorable in their own way. Apollo 11, of course, is known for being the very first time human beings set foot on the moon. Apollo 12, for being a little rowdier. Apollo 13, for nearly ending in disaster. Apollo 14—the third of six moon landings—is known, as I recently discovered, for its “moon trees.”Stuart Roosa, one of the Apollo 14 astronauts, took a small canvas bag of tree seeds with him on the journey.

Why Simple Is Smart

Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here.A few years ago, a young writer asked me if I had any tips for an aspiring journalist. My first instinct was to say no. My career has been full of hard work but also quirky luck, and I think everybody should distrust individuals who claim that the path to success is a highly specific set of circumstances that just happens to match, step for step, the story of their life.A rant about selection bias seemed misplaced, though.

Dear Therapist: I Can’t Turn to My Mom for Support After My Dad’s Death

Editor’s Note: On the last Monday of each month, Lori Gottlieb answers a reader’s question about a problem, big or small. Have a question? Email her at dear.therapist@theatlantic.com.
Don’t want to miss a single column? Sign up to get “Dear Therapist” in your inbox. Dear Therapist,I’m writing about a struggle I’m having with my mother. My father passed away at the end of May after a long battle with prostate cancer.

How a Crossword Editor Plays Wordle

Sign up for Caleb’s newsletter here.This week I want to take a break from our usual format and write about the biggest news in the word-puzzle community since the invention of the anagram. By now, you’ve probably heard about Wordle 10 times over from friends and followers alike. The daily word game, originally created by the software developer Josh Wardle to amuse his partner during pandemic downtime, quickly became a viral sensation.

“Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”: Director Rory Kennedy & Michael Stumo, Father of Crash Victim

Families of passengers who died in fatal crashes while aboard Boeing 737 MAX jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia are urging the Department of Justice to reopen a Trump-era settlement that allowed the company to evade criminal prosecution. We speak with the father of one of the victims, as well as the director of the new documentary, “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing,” which details Boeing’s push for profit over safety and is set to air on Netflix February 18.

Home Demolition in Sheikh Jarrah Seen as Part of Broader Israeli Effort to Dispossess Palestinians

Israeli forces continue to expel Palestinians from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem, a move that the United Nations has described as a possible war crime. We speak to Palestinian poet and activist Mohammed El-Kurd, whose own family is among those facing eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Sheikh Jarrah is also where the Salhiyeh family recently gained attention for threatening self-immolation while protesting their eviction and the demolition of their home.

“The Lords of Easy Money”: How the Federal Reserve Enriched Wall Street & Broke the U.S. Economy

As the Federal Reserve signals it will raise interest rates in March, we talk to Christopher Leonard, author of the new book “The Lords of Easy Money,” about how the Federal Reserve broke the American economy. He details the issues with quantitative easing, a radical intervention instituted by the federal government in 2010 to encourage banks and investors to lend more risky debt to combat the recession.

News Roundup: Trump promises pardons for Jan. 6 seditionists; Spotify’s disinformation problem

In the news today: In a Saturday rally, Donald Trump promised presidential pardons for those involved with the Jan. 6 insurrection if he reclaims the presidency. He also urged supporters to take to the streets if prosecutors attempt to hold him, personally, accountable for crimes. It was a fascist speech to a fascist Republican party—and was hardly remarked upon by any of the Republican lawmakers who continue to kiss his delusional behind.

BIPOC workers won’t see ‘full employment’ without a federal jobs guarantee

by Trevor Smith

This article was originally published at Prism

When the pandemic first hit in Mar. 2020 and various states started to enforce mandatory lockdowns, the country’s low-wage workers of color suffered the most. Already facing lowered income, wealth, health coverage, and housing security, the pandemic only worsened these volatile economic conditions as Congress failed to pass bold economic legislation.

The criminalization of unlicensed street vendors fuels state-sanctioned violence

by Kinjo Kiema

This article was originally published at Prism

People selling food on the streets, whether out of a cart or a food truck, are ubiquitous in city life worldwide. Many street vendors sell fresh produce and food in places where grocery stores can be scarce in the U.S. But vendors themselves face challenges: Many are undocumented immigrants at risk of criminalization.

Fascism: Trump vows pardons for Jan. 6 seditionists, calls for nationwide protests if indicted

Republican Party leader and traitor to the nation Donald Trump continues to test new rally waters in anticipation of a repeat presidential bid. On Saturday the delusional narcissist made no particular effort to hide his disgust for the law and for those who would hold him to it, delivering an ugly, unhinged, and unabashedly fascist speech to a crowd of like-minded traitors.

His most newsworthy proclamation was a vow to pardon the seditionists of the January 6 insurrection.