A Biden-Voting Republican Could Pull Off A Shock Special Election Win In Utah
Winning would put Becky Edwards on a glide path to becoming the only Republican in the House who says she didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2020.
Today's Liberal News
This Week in Books: Could AI Ever Write Like Stephen King and Margaret Atwood?
This is an edition of the revamped Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.The precipitous arrival of artificial intelligence into our lives over the past year has provoked some very deep existential quandaries, such as: What is it that a human can do that a robot never could? When it comes to creativity and whether art is within the range of a machine’s capabilities, this question is not so academic.
The Other Work Remote Workers Get Done
Carolyn Vigil has spent most of her career in Big Tech. She is also the primary caregiver for her 23-year-old autistic son, Jax. Managing these two roles has never been easy, and at various times over the years, Vigil has had to step back from her job for the sake of her kid. It is somewhat remarkable that when schools shut down during the pandemic and Vigil became not only her son’s carer but also his teacher, she didn’t quit her job.
Six Books to Read When You Want to Feel Closer to Others
Anytime I’ve felt adrift or lonely, literature has been a bridge leading me back to other people. When I moved to a new country after living in the same city for three decades, I sought out literary events to meet fellow artists. Back when I was a disillusioned law student, frustrated with the limitations of the curriculum, I convened a reading group that addressed the gaps in our education and breathed new meaning into my degree.
U.S. employers added a solid 187,000 jobs in August in sign of a still-resilient labor market
The unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent to 3.8 percent, the highest level since February 2022 though still low by historical standards.
Biden Administration Sued as Thousands of Afghan Evacuees Are Detained Overseas Waiting for U.S. Entry
More than two years after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan evacuees seeking to come to the United States remain arbitrarily detained in other countries like Qatar, Kosovo and the United Arab Emirates. Many of the Afghans are living in camps that are largely coordinated, facilitated or under the control of the U.S. government.
Green New Deal Architect Rhiana Gunn-Wright Warns the Green Transition May Leave Black People Behind
As the cost of the climate crisis continues to rise and climate justice groups demand more government action to halt the heating of the planet, we speak with policy expert Rhiana Gunn-Wright, one of the architects of the Green New Deal. She says the Inflation Reduction Act championed by President Biden, which is the largest climate bill in U.S. history, has many provisions that “structurally leave out Black people.
Enbridge Is the Guilty Party, Not Me: Meet the Pipeline Protester Facing 5 Years for Peaceful Action
We speak with climate activist and water protector Mylene Vialard, whose trial for peacefully protesting the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline began this week in Minnesota. Vialard faces up to five years in prison for her 2021 protest, when she attached herself to a 25-foot bamboo tower erected to block a pumping station in Aitkin County. Vialard, who lives in Colorado, had come to Minnesota to take part in a wave of Indigenous-led acts of civil disobedience to stop the pipeline.
Jan. 6: Proud Boys Lieutenant Joe Biggs, Who Warned of “Second Civil War,” Sentenced to 17 Years
Two former leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys gang were sentenced Thursday for their actions during the January 6 insurrection, with the judge handing down some of the longest sentences yet for people involved in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Joseph Biggs, the former leader of the group’s Florida chapter, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison. Zachary Rehl, the former leader of the Philadelphia chapter, received 15 years.
Meryl Streep Is Giving Yet Another Killer Performance
Only Murders in the Building is easy to watch. Each season follows Charles (played by Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez), true-crime podcasters who solve murders in the Arconia, the titular building in which they live. Every episode mines comedy from the trio’s generational differences and explores how their unusual shared hobby bolsters their equally unusual friendship.
Fentanyl is killing kids. State lawmakers are searching for answers.
Families grieving lost children want policymakers to take emergency action.
‘Go after it’: GOP strategists say Republicans need to hit Biden on drug pricing
Republicans are working to persuade Americans that the Biden plan will stifle innovation and lead to price controls.
Drugmakers, trade groups push back against Medicare drug price negotiations
Here are summaries of the cases and where they stand.
How the first 10 drugs set for Medicare negotiations were chosen
While the IRA requires CMS to select the drugs on which Medicare spends the most, experts said calculating annual expenditures is not a cut-and-dried process.
First 10 drugs for Medicare price negotiations chosen
Makers of the drugs have 30 days to agree to participate.
‘Pathetic’: Voters of color slam Biden’s performance on the economy
“Our economy is the lowest it’s been.
Biden’s approval rating for the economy remains at about a third, poll finds
The Biden administration has hit hard the president’s economic policy, known as “Bidenomics,” amid falling inflation, steady job growth and diminished talk of a forthcoming recession.
The White House plays it cool as ‘Bidenomics’ struggles to catch on
The president made a big bet on owning the economy. His team says give it time.
DeSantis’ conservative populism has left some donors chafing
The Florida governor has made a name for himself with the fights he’s picked.
“Modern Form of Slavery”: Haitians at Dominican Sugar Plantations Work Under Inhumane Conditions
We go with Democracy Now! correspondent Juan Carlos Dávila to the Dominican Republic, where many Haitian migrants and their descendants work on sugar plantations under conditions amounting to forced labor and live in heavily underresourced communities known as bateyes. Many bateyes do not have electricity or running water.
Trump Legal Spokesperson Makes Major Freudian Slip On What Ex-President Does ‘Right’
Alina Habba, in an appearance on Newsmax, swiftly corrected herself after fumbling remarks aimed at Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Trump Proudly Shows Off New T-Shirt ― With 1 Glaring Flaw
The former president is trying to cash in on his most recent arrest.
Trump’s Georgia Trial Will Be Livestreamed, Judge Rules
The Fulton County election interference case could be the only court proceedings from his four indictments this year to be seen by the public in real time.
When Sci-Fi Anticipates Reality
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.The relationship between tech and sci-fi is closer—and messier—than observers might think.
Nikki Haley Calls Senate A ‘Privileged Nursing Home’ After McConnell Freezes
“We need to know they’re at the top of their game,” Haley told Fox News. “You can’t say that right now looking at Congress.
Biden Administration Proposes Major Expansion Of Gun Sale Background Checks
More gun sellers would have to put their buyers through background checks as a result of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
This Hurricane Season Is Unprecedented
Updated at 5:29 p.m. on August 31, 2023Earlier this week, mission control commanded the International Space Station to turn its cameras toward the Gulf of Mexico. Giant white clouds, gleaming against the blue of the planet’s oceans and the blackness of space beyond, indicated the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, hovering menacingly off the coast of Florida.
A looming child care funding crisis threatens Biden’s economic recovery
About 3 million children could lose child care after funding expires at the end of next month.
When the State Has a Problem With Your Identity
This week Texas will join the 20 or so other states that have passed laws restricting access to medical therapies and procedures for transgender children. The new law is a triumph for Governor Greg Abbott, who has tried a couple of different strategies to restrict gender transitions, first threatening to investigate parents and caregivers for child abuse and now, in the latest bill, threatening doctors with prosecution.
U.S. Aquifers Are Running Dry, Posing Major Threat to Drinking Water Supply
A major New York Times investigation reveals how the United States’ aquifers are becoming severely depleted due to overuse in part from huge industrial farms and sprawling cities. The Times reports that Kansas corn yields are plummeting due to a lack of water, there is not enough water to support the construction of new homes in parts of Phoenix, Arizona, and rivers across the country are drying up as aquifers are being drained far faster than they are refilling.