Today's Liberal News

Economists obliquely warn against letting the GOP economic terrorists get control of the House

The House Republicans’ threat to hold the debt limit hostage in return for drastic spending cuts if they gain the majority in next month’s midterm election is already creating angst for economists and analysts, even though the fight could be as much as a year away.

“If we go into recession, the response normally is stimulative fiscal policy, but it seems like the appetite for that may be waning.

The David S. Pumpkins Effect

Last night, Saturday Night Live returned to one of its singular successes—the jolly, always-grinning Halloween character David S. Pumpkins (played by Tom Hanks) from a breakout sketch in 2016—and gave him the honor of a second appearance. His return felt rare. Outside of the “Weekend Update” desk, recurring characters have been scant over the show’s past few seasons.

A Pandemic Silver Lining in Senegal

A version of this article was originally published in Undark Magazine.On a late April afternoon, the Ngor Health Center in Dakar, Senegal, is serene. Sunlight spills through architectural gaps in the ceiling and lush plants line cream-colored corridors. In a patient waiting area on the second floor, a staff member gently rolls a ball back and forth with a toddler.

Disaster Means ‘Without a Star’

Sixty-six million years after the end of the world, I click purchase
on an emergency go bag from Amazon. When it arrives, I’ll use my teeth
to tear open the plastic, unzip the pack stitched by girls who look like me
but for their N95s, half a judgment day away, no evacuation plan in sight.
Another episode of the present tense, and I can’t stop thinking
about the timeline where the asteroid misses, Earth ruled eternally
by the car-hearted and walnut-brained.

Jordan Calhoun’s Culture Picks: Black Panther, A Strange Loop, and More

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.Good morning, and welcome back to The Daily’s new Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer reveals what’s keeping them entertained.

“American Democracy Hangs in the Balance”: Carol Anderson on Midterms, Georgia Races & Voting Rights

Former President Barack Obama is in Georgia Friday to campaign for Democrats in the closely watched Senate and gubernatorial races. This comes as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was caught on a hot mic Thursday saying the race between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Trump-backed anti-abortion Republican nominee Herschel Walker is “going downhill,” and recent polls show Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is trailing Republican Governor Brian Kemp.

Children’s Hospitals See Surge in RSV as Experts Warn of Winter “Tripledemic” of Respiratory Illness

Public health experts in the United States are warning of a possible “tripledemic” of respiratory illness this winter: an increase in COVID cases, an early flu season and a surge in cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Hospitals in some parts of the U.S. are already seeing a surge in cases of RSV, which usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can be very serious for infants.

Ukraine update: A night attack on the port in Sevastopol damages at least three Russian ships

On Friday night, Ukraine launched an attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Russian sources have reported that this attack included at least nine UAVs (drones) and seven UMV (automated boats). Ukrainian sources have called these claims ridiculous. But however it was achieved, there are reports of damage to a number of Russian naval vessels, including the Frigate Admiral Makarov.

KEY GOTV DEADLINE: It’s finally time to drop all those Vote Forward letters in the mail!

Democrats have a secret weapon this election: you. More than 13,000 Daily Kos community members have come out of the woodwork this election cycle to volunteer with Vote Forward, writing “please vote” letters to Democratic-leaning voters in battleground races.

Together, the Daily Kos community has adopted over 750,000 voters—a 50% increase from the last midterm elections in 2018—who could make all the difference in this election.

GOP governor touts nonexistent features of Missouri’s famously weak gun control laws

These days, Republicans seem to think they can govern via talking points, but sometimes their well-rehearsed excuses for failing to pass urgently needed legislation violently collide with reality.

Such was the case on Thursday when Missouri Gov. Mike Parson visited St. Louis police headquarters to throw up his hands and assure his gormless gaggle of gun fetishists (i.e.