Today's Liberal News

The Boy Scout Defense: Elmer Stewart Rhodes takes the stand at seditious conspiracy trial

Relaxed and so easy with a response that he would often apologize for speaking over his attorney, Elmer Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the extremist Oath Keepers organization now on trial for seditious conspiracy, finally took the witness stand on Friday. 

He and his fellow militia members Jessica Watkins, Kelly Meggs, Thomas Caldwell, and Kenneth Harrelson have been on trial at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C.

America After Affirmative Action

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.The Supreme Court may soon rule against race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities. I called the Atlantic staff writer Adam Harris to talk about how this week’s news fits into the broader story of higher education in America.

America Ruined College Football. Now College Football Is Ruining America.

Every sports fan, whether they acknowledge it or not, has a line they won’t cross—where the intrusion of the ugly real world onto the playing field becomes too much to ignore and they have to look away. Maybe you’re a Miami Dolphins fan, so you’ll root for Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins’ $120 million wide receiver whose girlfriend accused him of threatening her life and breaking their 3-year-old son’s arm, but you refuse to draft him in your fantasy league.

The Indie Horror Film That Everyone Is Suddenly Talking About

This story contains major spoilers for Barbarian.On the opening day of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, one film was on everybody’s lips. As I ran into other critics around town, they kept asking, “Have you seen Barbarian yet? You’ve gotta.” That kind of chatter is typical at a festival, but the only wrinkle was that Barbarian wasn’t even playing at TIFF.

America Has Made a Monster Out of Pickleball

In April, thousands of people, and occasionally their pets, flocked to the coastal city of Naples, Florida. They weren’t in town for an AARP convention or the bacchanalia of spring break. No, the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships, brought to you in part by Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts, was in the final stretch of its seven-day run. For one week, attendees watched, cheered, and imbibed as hopefuls thwacked it out for the title and its $100,000 purse.

Tig Notaro Is Still Being Vulnerable

The comedian Tig Notaro is perhaps most famous for her 2012 stand-up set in Los Angeles during which she revealed a recent cancer diagnosis. “With humor, the equation is tragedy plus time equals comedy,” she said at the time. “I am just at tragedy.” The performance’s release as an album, Live (as in to be alive, not in person), hit No.

Dept. of Homeland Security Ramps Up Efforts to Police Online Speech on Ukraine, COVID & Afghanistan

Documents obtained by The Intercept reveal the Department of Homeland Security is working with private tech companies to fight online speech that undermines support for the U.S. government. We speak to one of the co-authors of The Intercept’s report, investigative journalist Lee Fang, who says the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act signed into law in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump expanded the government’s power to reshape online discourse.

Meet the New Yorkers Welcoming Asylum Seekers Bused to City After Hostile Reception at U.S. Border

As thousands of asylum seekers continue to arrive on buses in New York, we speak with a man from Venezuela about his journey, and two New Yorkers who have been helping since August to welcome them with dignity and ensure they get the housing, food and other assistance they need. “The system here in New York City is not created for this type of community, which is the migrants that are arriving,” says former asylum seeker, Adama Bah.

From Terrorist Backer to Kingmaker: Itamar Ben-Gvir & Israeli Far Right Help Netanyahu Regain Power

Benjamin Netanyahu is set to return as Israel’s prime minister, with Tuesday’s election results showing his Likud Party and far-right allies winning enough seats to form a parliamentary majority. This includes far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, who openly supports the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, vows to crack down on the LGBTQ community and was once convicted of racist incitement against Arabs.

Wall Street Journal goes cuckoo for cross tabs on white suburban women

UPDATE: Thursday, Nov 3, 2022 · 7:35:43 PM +00:00 · Kerry Eleveld

UPDATE: NPR/PBS/Marist poll released Wednesday found essentially no change among suburban women in last couple months:

-Suburban women in late Aug/early Sept—52D/ 35R

-Suburban women now—53D/34 R  

Not to be outdone by all the garbage GOP polls swamping the aggregators, the Wall Street Journal used what was ostensibly a good poll of 1,500 people to make 

FBI busts ‘Boogaloo Bois’ in Ohio and Michigan on weapons charges amid flood of threats, violence

While other far-right paramilitary groups who played key roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection, such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, have remained highly active in its aftermath, the followers of the antigovernment Boogaloo civil-war movement have mostly kept a low profile. But it’s fairly clear, as two arrests made this week in separate states indicate, that its followers remain quietly active, lurking in the background.

What’s at Stake for Election Workers

Poll workers serve an essential, if usually uncelebrated, role in American democracy. Organizing and tabulating is the basic business of elections. Or, it was until 2020.When then–President Trump refused to accept his loss and spread falsehoods about a stolen election, vote-counters were among the first people to face blowback. Poll workers endured combative protestors, threats, and harassment while completing their work.

A Closing Argument for Democracy

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.Joe Biden asked Americans to remember that democracy is on the ballot next week. He seemed dispirited. I understand why.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.