Today's Liberal News

10 Reader Views on the Varieties of Anti-racism

This is an edition of Up for Debate, a newsletter by Conor Friedersdorf. On Wednesdays, he rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.Last week I wrote, “A child born today will turn 18 in 2040.

Rishi Sunak, Scion of Britain’s New Ruling Class

In December 2019, nearly 14 million people voted for Boris Johnson to become prime minister of Britain. Last month, 140,000 Tory members voted for Liz Truss to succeed him. And today, the support of 195 Conservative members of Parliament was enough to install Rishi Sunak on Downing Street.British democracy is shrinking, and the result is Sunak—a politician who lacks a popular mandate but does have incredible wealth and an air of hoodie-wearing dorkiness.

House of the Dragon Actually Pulled It Off

This story contains spoilers for the entire first season of House of the Dragon.One of the most common complaints about serialized television in the streaming era is that it moves far too slowly. Whole seasons contain plotlines that probably could fit within one episode; characters spend a year getting ready to do something.

“Free Speech Issue”: Meet the Arkansas Publisher & ACLU Lawyer Asking SCOTUS to Overturn Anti-BDS Law

The ACLU is asking the Supreme Court to overturn an Arkansas anti-BDS law that penalizes state contractors unless they pledge not to boycott the state of Israel. Arkansas is one of more than 30 U.S. states to have passed “copycat” legislation to criminalize the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which seeks to boycott Israel and Israeli goods to protest its violation of Palestinian rights.

Intentional Disinvestment: EPA Launches Civil Rights Probe of Water Crisis in Mostly-Black Jackson, Mississippi

The Environmental Protection Agency is launching a civil rights investigation into whether the state of Mississippi discriminated against the majority-Black capital of Jackson when it refused to use federal funds to address the city’s dangerous water crisis. Mississippi has received federal funds to address drinking water needs since 1996 but distributed funds to Jackson just three times over this 26-year span.

“Promoting Stability or Fueling Conflict?”: Biden’s U.S. Arms Sales Boom from Ukraine to Saudi Arabia

We speak with national security expert William Hartung about the Biden administration’s unprecedented military spending on Ukraine and the impact of U.S. arms sales on national and global security. Despite Biden’s campaign promises to curb arms sales, Hartung says the administration has followed an “outmoded ideology” that necessitates the U.S. achieve global military dominance through weapons sales.

“Democracy Demands We Participate”: Black Voters Mobilize for Midterms Amid GOP-Led Voter Suppression

We speak to law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw and civil rights attorney Barbara Arnwine, who are on an Arc of Voter Justice bus tour of 26 cities across the country to increase Black voter turnout at critical midterm elections in November. They discuss fighting voter suppression and racial gerrymandering, and the high stakes in states where Republicans have instated bans on what they describe as critical race theory.

Sisters of Alaa Abd El-Fattah Stage Sit-In in U.K. Demanding His Release from Egypt Prison Before COP27

The family of imprisoned Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been staging a sit-in outside the British foreign office to demand the government help release him. El-Fattah, who was recently granted British citizenship, has been on hunger strike for over 200 days to protest being held in harsh conditions during his seemingly endless jail sentence in Egypt. “We’re not sure how much time is left.

“We Are a Democracy in Name Only”: George Monbiot on Truss Resignation & Who Will Be Next British PM

British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday after just 45 days in office, the shortest term in the nation’s history. Her low-tax, low-regulation financial policies were widely criticized after they sent the pound plummeting, causing several senior ministers to quit. We speak to George Monbiot, British journalist at The Guardian, about her short-lived time in office, what this says about the Conservative Party, and who her likely successor will be.

Massachusetts organizers call for no new women’s prisons and an end to their construction

This article was originally published at Prism

When MCI-Framingham (MCI-F), the sole women’s prison in Massachusetts and the oldest operating women’s prison in the country, was established in 1877 as the Sherborn Reformatory for Women, it was a radical experiment in meeting the needs of incarcerated women. The prison was meant to better serve women who, at the time, were imprisoned in the same facilities as men.

Nuts & Bolts—Inside a Democratic campaign: Knowing less than nothing about rural America

Welcome to Nuts & Bolts, a guide to Democratic campaigns. I’ve helped write this series for years, using information from campaign managers, finance directors, field directors, trainers, and staff, responding to questions from Daily Kos Community and Staff members, and addressing issues that are sent to me via kosmail through Daily Kos.

Recently, the Washington Post ran an analysis on why rural voters trend Republican.

Ukraine Update: Russia claims Ukraine will detonate ‘dirty bomb’ in weirdest false flag effort yet

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UPDATE: Sunday, Oct 23, 2022 · 11:28:32 PM +00:00 · kos

Bakhmut update: 

Bakhmut axis: ➡️Russian forces have been pushed back completely to the M03/06 intersection. What they fought for for 2 (!) months, the AFU (particularly through the 93rd mechanical brigade) regained it in just 2 days. ➡️🇷🇺 tried breaking trough to Klischchiivka but failed. pic.twitter.

A mass disabling event: The effects of long COVID don’t stop at the individual

Before getting COVID-19, you may have been a runner who could finish a marathon in your sleep, or you’re a parent who could work a full day and always find the energy to play with your child. But now, you can only run a quarter as far before you’re winded, and you don’t bounce back the next day. Now, there are some days you can’t even get through your work, let alone come home and play.

The Green Tram

In my 46th year there
are so many things
I want to tell you.
How everyone is
drunk at Wimbledon,
and a fox has come to live in our
garden. We feed
him duck livers from a can.
In return he doesn’t destroy
the plantings. We are shunned
on the block.
          Oh, there are days when
the darkness falls
too fast and I feel myself
spinning.

Truffles Are Everywhere Now

This article was originally published in Knowable Magazine.Every morning, for three months of the year, Lola wakes up at 8 and goes hunting. She races past oak trees, running at full speed through a 50-hectare field set in the southern end of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The daily challenge—to find her elusive prey—never fails to excite her.