GOP Candidate Critical Of Mail-In Voting Used Mail To Vote: Report
Mark Finchem, a Trump-endorsed GOP nominee for Arizona secretary of state, said he did “not care for mail-in voting” in September.
Today's Liberal News
Ukraine update: It’s Vladimir Putin’s birthday, don’t forget to think of him today
Vladimir Putin is 70 today. The best gift that Putin could give to the world would be his retirement, either in the usual or the intelligence agency meaning of that word. However, that seems unlikely. So we’ll just have to hope that this is the last birthday Putin ever celebrates in a position of power, and check to see what presents the Russian army has brought to him this day. If we all keep Putin in mind today, maybe we can achieve a Scanners moment.
New book: During first impeachment, Ted Cruz admitted all 100 senators knew Trump was guilty
Republicans love their phony bugaboos. Whether it’s graduate-level courses being taught in kindergarten, migrant caravans shoving old women out of the way at the A&P to score the last marble rye, or foreign drug cartels handing out fentanyl to trick-or-treaters for Squad-knows-what reason, the GOP is great at distracting you from the hell demons feasting on your viscera all day, every day, like so much Laffy Taffy.
Prosecutors tell a story of sedition through Oath Keepers’ ‘bloody’ texts, speeches
Time was running out. It was exactly 14 days until Congress would meet to certify the results of the 2020 election, and Elmer Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, was unable to contain his frustration.
“This will be DC rally #3. Getting kinda old. They don’t give a shit how many show up and wave a sign, pray or yell. They won’t fear us until we come with rifles in our hand,” Rhodes wrote on Dec.
Judge finds DeJoy harmed the Postal Service in 2020 election balloting interference
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has somehow managed to remain in his job, one of the last high-profile Trump holdovers, even though he has been under an ethical and legal cloud for the entirety of his tenure. We heard from one of those clouds Thursday, when a federal judge ruled that DeJoy’s changes to the U.S. Postal Service prior to the 2020 election harmed the service, but didn’t break election laws. Nonetheless, the judge blocked DeJoy from doing it again.
Arizona appeals court reinstates injunction blocking abortion ban
The ruling means that abortions can again take place in Arizona, at least for now, unless the state Supreme Court steps in.
Herschel Walker’s Ex-Girlfriend Says He Urged Her To Get Second Abortion
The woman told The New York Times that she decided to have the child anyway and that Walker has “done nothing” as a father.
Jon Stewart Nails Arkansas AG On Ban Of Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Youth
The TV host asked Leslie Rutledge why she would take a doctor’s advice if her kid had cancer but ignore experts on treating gender dysphoria.
Flynn, Gingrich Testimony Sought In Georgia 2020 Election Probe
Each of the petitions filed Friday seeks to have the potential witnesses appear in November after the election.
The President and the Bomb
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.President Biden has warned the Russians that the use of a nuclear weapon in Ukraine could lead to a wider nuclear conflict. He’s right to be worried—and he’s right to warn the Russians yet again not to take that fateful step.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.
The Year I Tore Through Annie Ernaux’s Books
When I was living in Paris in 2018, a friend passed Annie Ernaux’s book Happening to me as if it were an envelope containing treasure. The memoir tells the story of the abortion Ernaux had in 1963, when the procedure was illegal in France, and, like nearly all of her books, it is an excavation of memory, of self, of the powers and the limits of writing.
The GIF Is on Its Deathbed
About 40 percent of my first full-time job was dedicated to making GIFs—a skill I had professed to have during the interview process, and that turned out to be much harder than I thought. It took trial and error to figure out how to make sure the colors weren’t too weird, the frame rate too fast, the file too big.This was 2015, and GIFs had to be smaller than 1 megabyte before you could upload them to most social platforms.
The Simple Pleasures of Baking
To me, the true sign of fall isn’t apple picking, fuzzy sweaters, or leaves turning new colors. It’s the sudden urge—which typically emerges on sleepy weekend afternoons—to dig up a cookbook and start measuring and mixing ingredients for sweet treats. The practice can be a salve for anxiety and provides comfort in stressful moments. It’s also just really cozy.
Decriminalize & Deschedule: Advocates Welcome Biden Pardons But Demand Deeper Reform of Cannabis Laws
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is pardoning everyone convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law, and said the classification of the drug would undergo review. The move will remove many legal barriers for thousands of people to gain jobs, housing, college admission and federal benefits, and fulfills a campaign pledge made by Biden.
In Rebuke to Putin, Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Human Rights Campaigners in Ukraine, Belarus & Russia
The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to two human rights groups, the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine and Memorial in Russia, as well as imprisoned Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised their work criticizing power and protecting fundamental human rights in neighboring countries torn apart by war.
The Unexpected Power of Seeing Yourself as a Villain
Monsters in horror films aren’t just scary, or dangerous. They also “make one’s skin creep,” the philosopher Noël Carroll wrote: “Characters regard them not only with fear but with loathing, with a combination of terror and disgust.
Biden’s Operation Warp Speed revival stumbles out of the gate
The administration’s plans to create a new accelerator for Covid vaccines and treatments has hit a wall.
Biden admin allocates $6 million more for family planning clinics
The move comes as President Joe Biden meets with officials, doctors and advocates to mark 100 days since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Sheryl Sandberg gives ACLU $3M for abortion rights fight
It’s the biggest single donation to the ACLU’s political work on abortion rights in the group’s history.
Fed’s Powell ignores politics — and may pay a heavy price
It’s a rare moment for a Fed chair to toss aside all political considerations and ignore frantic investors.
The Fed’s Powell is squeezing the global economy
The Fed’s interest rate hikes have fueled market turmoil by boosting the value of the dollar and feeding higher borrowing costs.
The Fed is declaring war on inflation. It could lead straight to recession.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell has pledged to do whatever it takes to curb inflation.
Kari Lake Busted For Using Russia Troops In ‘Secure Our Border’ Ad
The spot for the GOP nominee for Arizona governor promises to “secure our border” with video of Russian soldiers.
U.S. inflation falls for 2nd straight month on lower gas costs
Despite the signs of moderating price increases, inflation remains far higher than many Americans have ever experienced and is keeping pressure on the Federal Reserve.
G-7 announces price cap deal on Russian oil in win for Yellen
The plan touted by the U.S. Treasury secretary aims to diminish the Kremlin’s revenue while preserving the global oil supply.
“There’s Going to Be a Fight”: Oath Keepers Trial Reveals Plan to Use Violence to Keep Trump in Office
The Oath Keepers trial, in which senior leaders of the right-wing extremist group are accused of plotting violence at the January 6 insurrection, began Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors played a secret audio recording Tuesday of a meeting held by the Oath Keepers after the 2020 election in which founder Stewart Rhodes discussed plans to bring weapons to the capital to help then-President Trump stay in office.
Haiti Update: Gangs Rule Much of Port-au-Prince Amid Protests over Fuel Costs, Calls for PM to Resign
Mass protests in Haiti are condemning rising fuel prices and demanding the resignation of the U.S.-backed Prime Minister Ariel Henry. For nearly two months, street protests likened to a civil war have rocked the island nation’s capital Port-au-Prince after the government announced it would raise heavily subsidized fuel prices. We speak to Haitian activist Vélina Élysée Charlier about rising gang violence and how criminal groups are supported by the government.
Justice Department Thinks Trump In Possession Of More Government Documents: Reports
Jay I. Bratt, head of DOJ counterintelligence operations, told Trump’s lawyers he has not yet returned all the documents that should go to the National Archives.
Ukraine update: Finger-pointing becomes Russia’s national sport as Kherson line collapses
On Wednesday, two men sailed into the port at Gambell, Alaska, on the tiny island of St. Lawrence. The population of Gambell is under 700, and over 95% of the people who live there are Native Americans of the Yupik peoples. As might be expected, it’s one of those everybody-knows-everybody places … but nobody knew these guys, because they were Russians.
Biden pardons all prior federal marijuana possession charges, begins process to decriminalize
This is a big fucking deal, folks. President Joe Biden is making critical moves to decriminalize cannabis, most significantly erasing federal prosecutions for simple possession.
As I’ve said before, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Today, I’m taking steps to end our failed approach. Allow me to lay them out.