Today's Liberal News
Why Americans Love Coffee So Much
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.Coffee is one of the great loves of my life, and I’m not alone. The majority of my fellow Americans love coffee too, so much so that they refuse most alternatives—including yerba mate, an energizing option that happens to be South America’s most consumed beverage.
Technology Makes Us More Human
Updated on January 28, 2023, at 7:51 p.m. ETChatGPT, a new AI system that sounds so human in conversations that it could host its own podcast, is a test of temperament. Reading between its instantly generated, flawlessly grammatical lines, people see wildly different visions of the future.For some, ChatGPT promises to revolutionize the way we search for information, draft articles, write software code, and create business plans.
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.
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.
Jim Jordan’s Fearmongering Question Prompts Withering 1-Word Reply From Stephen King
“Oh shut up,” another Twitter user bluntly responded to the Ohio Republican.
Mike Pence Takes ‘Full Responsibility’ For Classified Documents Found In His Home
“Let me be clear: Those classified documents should not have been in my personal residence,” Pence said. “Mistakes were made.
Trump Calls For ‘Certifying’ Patriotic Teachers, Election Of Principals By School Parents
He also demands funds be slashed for schools teaching “critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.
Inhumanity in Memphis
Even before the city of Memphis released video Friday evening of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, it seemed the footage would be horrifying. Defense attorneys compared it to the Rodney King beating in 1991, a comparison that now rings true, but the Memphis police chief and the head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation similarly said they were appalled by what they’d seen.
Inhumanity in Memphis
Even before the city of Memphis released video Friday evening of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, it seemed the footage would be horrifying. Defense attorneys compared it to the Rodney King beating in 1991, a comparison that now rings true, but the Memphis police chief and head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation similarly said they were appalled by what they saw.
DOJ Signals Launch of George Santos Criminal Probe After Telling FEC To Stand Down: Report
The request indicates an “active criminal investigation” by the Justice Department, a campaign finance lawyer told The Washington Post.
Joe Biden ‘Deeply Pained’ By Tyre Nichols Bodycam Footage, Calls For Peaceful Protests
The disturbing videos released by Memphis police show officers beating the driver, who died several days after his arrest.
Yes, You Have to Be Smart to Play Jeopardy
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.A recent Jeopardy contestant lit into the show, claiming that it isn’t really all that good a measure of a player’s intelligence. He’s got a point—but not the one he thinks he’s making.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.
Death By a Thousand Personality Quizzes
One might assume that when your boss finally comes to tell you that the robots are here to do your job, he won’t also point out with enthusiasm that they’re going to do it 10 times better than you did. Alas, this was not the case at BuzzFeed.Yesterday, at a virtual all-hands meeting, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti had some news to discuss about the automated future of media.
Infinity Pool Isn’t Just Another Satire of the Ultra-Wealthy
One of pop culture’s favorite locales of late is a secluded resort for the rich and irresponsible, a landscape defined by both gorgeous vistas and cutting satire. Think The White Lotus, Glass Onion, the culinary getaway of The Menu, or the doomed luxury yacht of Triangle of Sadness. It’s the perfect setting for a story to deride opulent foolishness, give some wealthy villains their comeuppance, and critique the churning, ever-widening gyre between the haves and have-nots.
Even When Ticketmaster Works, It Doesn’t
There was a time, not so long ago, when you actually had to show up at a concert to get ripped off. Scalping, the process of buying tickets for cheap and reselling them to desperate fans, usually on the day of a show, used to be limited to crowded stadium entranceways and sidewalk waiting areas.These days it all happens on Ticketmaster.
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.
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.


























