Gov. Gavin Newsom Fires Back At Sen. John Cornyn’s Gun Tweet With A Blunt Fact-Check
The California Democrat hit back after the Texas Republican seemed to imply that gun laws don’t work.
Today's Liberal News
Rep. Matt Gaetz Grilled Big Time Over Testimony He Sought A Pardon From Trump
The Florida Republican responded characteristically.
Biden White House Plans To End COVID-19 Public Health Emergency In May
The shift signals the U.S. is ready to move back into some semblance of normality after three years of the pandemic.
RNC Brings Pillow Guy And His Outrageous Election Conspiracy Theories Into The Fold
Mike Lindell, once photographed at Trump’s White House holding a document discussing “martial law,” is being welcomed by the RNC for his marketing expertise.
Florida Has a Right to Destroy its Universities
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.Elections have consequences. Florida’s governor has decided to root out wrong-think at one of Florida’s public colleges, and his harebrained meddling will likely harm the school, but he has every right to do it.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.
What Makes a Good Cop
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.
Background
Editor’s Note: Read an interview with Elaine Hsieh Chou about her writing process. Gene called them his good-day-bad-day bagels. When he was having a good day, he’d allow himself a bagel, and when he was having a bad day, he’d also allow himself a bagel. How he landed on bagels was a matter of both convenience and health: New York had no shortage of them and doughnuts upset his blood sugar. But bagels, on the other hand—they possessed an inoffensive, neutral quality.
Elaine Hsieh Chou on the Ethics of ‘Trauma Porn’
Editor’s Note: Read Elaine Hsieh Chou’s new short story “Background.” “Background” is a new story by Elaine Hsieh Chou. To mark the story’s publication in The Atlantic, Chou and Katherine Hu, an assistant editor for the magazine, discussed the story over email. Their conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
“Every Community Has a Tyre Nichols”: New Jersey Activists Demand Justice for Carl Dorsey
A New Jersey grand jury has decided not to indict Newark Police Detective Rod Simpkins in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man named Carl Dorsey on New Year’s Day 2021 in Newark, New Jersey.
Tyre Nichols: Video of Fatal Police Beating in Memphis Spurs New Demands for Police Accountability
Memphis police released disturbing footage on Friday showing the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by five former police officers who now face murder charges over the 29-year-old Black father’s death. The videos show officers kicked, punched, electrocuted and struck Nichols with batons for several minutes while he offered almost no resistance. It took more than 22 minutes for medics to appear on site and treat Nichols, who died three days later from his injuries.
“An Intolerable Situation”: Rashid Khalidi & Orly Noy on Israeli Colonialism & Escalating Violence
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories amid an alarming rise in violence, with Israel killing at least 35 Palestinians since the beginning of January. The deadliest incident occurred on Thursday, when Israeli forces raided the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, killing 10 people, including two children — the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in two decades.
Change to Covid vaccine formulation signals start of FDA pivot in immunization strategy
The expert panel voted on Thursday to recommend replacing the primary Covid-19 vaccine series with the BA.4/5 bivalent shot.
Social media is a defective product, lawsuit contends
A California court could decide whether social media algorithms contribute to mental illness.
New booster works against dominant Covid strain
Only 15.3 percent of eligible Americans — or about 50 million people — have received the bivalent vaccine.
Pair of lawsuits kick off state-federal battle over abortion pills
The cases come as both supporters and opponents of the right to terminate a pregnancy are increasingly focusing on abortion pills.
California enacts new abortion laws, expecting copycats
New policies taking effect aim to make California an abortion haven.
Wall Street’s biggest bear: Fed’s Jerome Powell
Fed officials are signaling that they’re determined to keep their vise-like grip on the economy through the end of 2023.
Yellen to stay on as Biden’s Treasury chief as debt fight looms
People close to Yellen said she had considered leaving for family reasons and because the Treasury job is highly political — and would become more so with Republicans in control of the House.
U.S. inflation slowed sharply to 7.1 percent over past 12 months
Even with last month’s further easing of inflation, the Federal Reserve plans to keep raising interest rates.
Tyre Nichols’ Parents Remember Son as “Beautiful Soul” & Describe Video of Beating by Memphis Police
A day after prosecutors charged five former Memphis police officers with murder over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, we speak with his parents, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, about their drive to seek justice for their son. “He had a beautiful soul, and he touched everyone,” RowVaughn Wells says of her son.
Memphis BLM Activist: Tyre Nichols’ Killing Is Part of Police Brutality Crisis Facing Black Residents
Amid nationwide protests, prosecutors have charged five former Memphis police officers with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols, who died January 10 of kidney failure and cardiac arrest after a vicious beating three days earlier during a traffic stop. Memphis and other cities across the U.S. are expecting mass protests against police violence over the weekend, with body-camera footage of the deadly traffic stop set to be released Friday evening.
Biden Proposes Renters Bill of Rights as Landlords Make Record Profits; Housing Advocates Want More
A new Biden administration plan announced Wednesday aims to make rent more affordable and protect tenants’ rights. This comes as rental costs in the United States rose nearly 25% between 2019 and 2022. It also comes as investors bought nearly a quarter of all single-family homes sold in 2021, making home ownership increasingly impossible for people forced to spend much of their money on ever-increasing rent.
“20 Days in Mariupol”: Meet the Ukrainian Filmmaker Who Risked His Life Documenting Russian Siege
Ukrainian Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov joins us for an in-depth interview about how he and others risked their lives to document the Russian invasion. He is the director of the new documentary, “20 Days in Mariupol,” which has just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Elon Musk Finally Apologizes For Creepy Conspiracy Theory About Paul Pelosi Attack
However, Musk pointedly does not denounce the concocted tale in his half-hearted apology. In fact, he indicates that he still believes it could be true.
Television Is Better Without Video Games
“Fudge,” I remember saying, only I didn’t say fudge, I said fuck, a word for adults. I was playing The Last of Us, a narrative video game for adults about a zombie apocalypse, and I had just died for what seemed like the thousandth time in the first room with a “clicker,” the game lore’s name for a medium-difficulty enemy.
‘Loser, Loser, Loser, Loser’: Chris Christie Says Trump Can’t Win in 2024
That’s based on polling before the 2020 election, the actual vote — and dismal midterms, said the Republican and one-time staunch Trump ally.
Kevin McCarthy Dodges Grilling On George Santos, Claims It’s Congress That’s ‘Broken’
He doesn’t mention Santos’ name once as he’s blistered over hypocritical treatment of the Republican serial liar on “Face the Nation.
Trump: Police Beating Of Tyre Nichols ‘Never Should Have Happened’
The former president, who has a history of encouraging rough treatment of people in police custody, called the beating “vicious and violent and hard to believe.
SNL Is Excelling in One Particular Way
The defining quality of Saturday Night Live throughout its staggering 48 years on the air has been its live factor. Where other sketch or variety shows have had the benefit of post-production—namely planning and polish—SNL’s spirit has most often emerged under the pressure of live television.
Inside The Online Community Where Home-Schoolers Learn How To Turn Their Kids Into ‘Wonderful Nazis’
A Telegram group called Dissident Homeschool has been a resource for neo-Nazis who want to teach their kids hate at home. Now its administrators have been unmasked.