Today's Liberal News
In Major Win for Indigenous Rights, Ecuador Votes to Ban Oil Drilling in Protected Amazon Lands
Ecuadorian voters have overwhelmingly supported a ban on future oil extraction in a biodiverse section of the Amazon’s Yasuní National Park — a historic referendum result that will protect Indigenous Yasuní land from development.
Vijay Prashad on BRICS & Why Global South Cooperation Is Key to Dismantling Unjust World Order
As a two-day BRICS summit gets underway in South Africa, we speak with author and analyst Vijay Prashad about whether the bloc — which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — can meaningfully challenge U.S. and Western domination in world affairs by building an alternative forum for countries of the Global South.
Lawrence O’Donnell Has Bold Prediction About Trump’s ‘Greatest Humiliation’
The MSNBC host said this moment will define Trump “for hundreds of years.
Ron DeSantis Wasted His Big Moment, And 4 Other GOP Debate Takeaways
The first Republican presidential debate was notable for what it didn’t do to help Florida’s governor as other candidates seized the spotlight in Milwaukee.
Joe Biden Drops 3 Sharp Words On GOP In A Swift Flip Of Nikki Haley’s Debate Jab
Biden cooked up a brief message alongside Haley’s remarks after she went after fellow candidates at the first GOP presidential debate.
Vivek Ramaswamy Got The Front-Runner Treatment In The First GOP Presidential Debate
Ron DeSantis who? The 2024 field aiming their guns on a political newcomer is another sign of the Florida governor’s weakened position in the race.
Despite Cracks In Support, Most GOP Presidential Candidates Want More Ukraine Aid
Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and Chris Christie say the issue is a moral as well as strategic one.
Ramaswamy and the Rest
The epigraph for the first 2024 Republican presidential debate came from Vivek Ramaswamy. “It is not morning in America. We’re living in a dark moment,” he said, midway through the melee in Milwaukee. He seemed to speak for every candidate on the stage during a dour and punchy evening on Fox News.Ramaswamy was a fitting messenger for the mantra, because the debate was his coming out party. He was, if not definitively the winner of the debate, clearly the main character.
The Book-Piracy Problem
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.Last week, The Atlantic published an investigation revealing that tens of thousands of pirated books are being used to train major generative-AI programs.
Prigozhin’s Death Heralds Even More Spectacular Violence
Updated at 8:20 p.m. ET on August 23, 2023Vladimir Putin’s Russia has long been a land of mysterious deaths. In 1998, soon after he had been appointed head of the security services, Galina Starovoitova, a parliamentarian who believed in bringing democracy to Russia, was gunned down in the stairwell of her apartment building in St. Petersburg.
Yevgeny Prigozhin May Have the Last Laugh
Initial reports suggest that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the ruthless mercenary leader of the Wagner Group, has been killed. Although confirmed details are scant, his private plane has allegedly crashed or been shot down, an event that many have interpreted as an assassination. Prigozhin probably knew to stay away from windows in high buildings, so it seems plausible that Vladimir Putin took him out at 28,000 feet instead.Coup plotters rarely die of old age.
A Very Public Execution in Russia
A plane carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary chief who led a short-lived mutiny two months ago, crashed today in a sparsely populated area northwest of Moscow. According to Russian media, Prigozhin and at least one of his top commanders are dead.
White House to name first 10 drugs for Medicare negotiations early
The administration is expected to unveil the first 10 drugs selected for price negotiations Tuesday, in a milestone for the president’s health agenda.
“It’s Always About Oil”: CIA & MI6 Staged Coup in Iran 70 Years Ago, Destroying Democracy in Iran
We look at the 70th anniversary of the August 19, 1953, U.S.- and U.K-backed coup in Iran, which took place two years after Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh nationalized Iran’s oil industry that had been controlled by the company now known as British Petroleum. “If nationalization in Iran of oil was successful, this would set a terrible example to other countries where U.S.
“They Fired on Us Like Rain”: Saudis Accused of Killing Hundreds of Ethiopian Refugees at Border
We speak to the author of a new Human Rights Watch report that details how border guards in Saudi Arabia have killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers — many of whom are fleeing human rights abuses in Ethiopia’s Tigray region — trying to cross the Yemen-Saudi border since March 2022. The report documents Saudi border guards shooting women and children, firing explosive weapons at migrants and “executing” people at close range.
CDC, pharmacies try to speed up Covid vaccine program for the uninsured
The timing gap prompted concerns from public health experts, who fear that it would further complicate the fall vaccination campaign.
Generic drug giants settle federal price-fixing charges
The settlements resolve a long-running criminal probe of the generic pharmaceutical industry dating to 2014.
GOP push to get more Americans into high-deductible health is dividing Democrats
Bipartisan legislation aims to get more Americans into high-deductible insurance, but perils would remain.
Biden’s fall Covid vaccine rollout for the uninsured won’t include pharmacies at first
The administration doesn’t expect to finalize contracts with pharmacies distributing the vaccine to the uninsured until mid-October, weeks after the shot is made widely available.
Abortion pill ruling sets up Supreme Court showdown
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals largely sided with groups challenging policies making the drugs more accessible
‘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.
Georgia Rep. Reveals What ‘Ought To Scare’ Trump Most In Criminal Case
State Rep. Tanya Miller explains why the former president’s usual tactics won’t work in Georgia.
First Mug Shots In Trump’s Georgia Election Interference Case Released
The ex-president is expected to turn himself in on Thursday.
Key Witness In Documents Case Gave New Intel That Implicates Trump, Court Filings Say
Federal prosecutors said the witness, reportedly an IT director at Mar-a-Lago, has retracted “prior false testimony” after switching attorneys.
Kevin McCarthy Threatens Impeachment Inquiry Over Biden Bank Statements
By framing the impeachment question as a battle over documents, Republicans can sidestep the fact that their main allegation against the Bidens remains completely unfounded.