Today's Liberal News

Start of a New Cold War? U.S. Hawks “Want to Jack up the Military Budget and Use Ukraine as an Excuse”

With NATO countries recommitting themselves to the alliance and passing sweeping sanctions against Russia as punishment for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, is this the dawn of a new Cold War? We speak with foreign policy expert William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute, who warns that hawks in Washington are pushing for a massive increase in the U.S. military budget, which is already a record-high $800 billion a year.

Yanis Varoufakis: The West Is “Playing with Fire” If It Pushes Regime Change in Nuclear-Armed Russia

A month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 3.6 million Ukrainians have left the country as refugees, and the war risks becoming “an Afghanistan-like quagmire,” warns Greek lawmaker Yanis Varoufakis, founder of the Progressive International with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. He says the West’s sweeping sanctions on Russia and bottomless military aid to Ukraine risk escalating the conflict and foreclosing chances of a peaceful resolution.

Conservatives on Supreme Court Prepare to “Gut Roe v. Wade” as State Abortion Bans Multiply

Anti-abortion bills are sweeping the U.S., with the Guttmacher Institute reporting that 82 restrictions have been introduced in 30 states in 2022 so far. On Wednesday, Idaho signed into law a six-week abortion ban, and lawmakers in Oklahoma passed a near-total ban on abortions — each modeled after a Texas “bounty hunter” law that allows private citizens to sue abortion providers. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on Dobbs v.

The Most Shocking Moment in Oscars History

This year’s Oscars had a slightly chaotic air to them from the start, with awards choppily edited in from earlier in the night, three hosts awkwardly trading off zingers, and bizarre fan-voted prizes given to the films of Zack Snyder. But nothing tonight, or in the 94-year history of the Academy Awards, could have prepared viewers for what happened during the presentation of Best Documentary Feature.

Ukraine update: Making sense of a battlefield that defies logic in a war that defies reason

There has been little new news on the ground in Ukraine—that is, of the confirmable sort. Video footage continues to suggest Ukraine continues to make some headway in rolling back the most tenuous of prior Russian advances, continuing to close in on Kherson and making substantial apparent progress northeast of Kyiv. Russian forces, meanwhile, continue to direct much of their fire towards non-military targets.

California retools its fight against COVID-19, pledging equity

What are Gov. Newsom’s plans for protecting workers who have suffered disproportionately?

By Minerva Canto, for Capital and Main

Until Feb. 16, most people could walk into almost any eatery or supermarket in Southern California and find most workers wearing masks as protection against COVID-19. Now, employees are mainly on their own.

Not just in those industries, of course, though these public spaces are among the most visible workplaces.

Nuts & Bolts—Inside the Democratic Campaign: The No. 1 rule in all campaigns

Welcome back to the weekly Nuts & Bolts Guide to small campaigns. Over the course of more than a decade, I’ve taken time to speak with campaign managers, field directors, communications directors, finance directors, and, of course, been a part of as many campaigns as I could. As election season gets close, there are always questions we ask of candidates who are considering running for office.

Russian journalist to auction off his Nobel Peace Prize medal to help Ukrainian refugees

Independent Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov says he will have his Nobel Peace Prize medal auctioned off to raise money to help Ukrainian refugees. Muratov made the announcement on Wednesday in Novaya Gazeta, the independent newspaper that he helped found in 1993. He has been its editor-in-chief since 1995.

“Novaya Gazeta and I have decided to donate the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Medal to the Ukrainian Refugee Fund. There are already over 10 million refugees.

Goodbye Letter to My Lover’s Wife

To the one who begged for no more guests and carved a kitchen chair for me anyway:
      I took a seat at your overturned table, legs snapped and trembling.
      Licked his fingers while you stomped the dishes back to sand.
      Cried in closets for three days before you asked where I’d gone.

Charlie Baker and the Rise of One-Party Rule

At least once a week during the past two years, a flock of protesters could be found outside the seaside home of the Republican governor of Massachusetts, airing their grievances about the man they call “Char-lie Baker.” (It rhymes with pie—get it?) Two years of “Char-lie Baker” would be a lot for any person to take, especially when the clamor is coming from members of your own party.

How Propaganda Became Entertaining

Social media has become a weapon of war for Ukrainians, and through it, President Volodymyr Zelensky has emerged as a global star. His virtual appeals for international support, such as his recent message to Congress, and videos that show him and top Ukrainian officials bravely standing their ground in Kyiv are helping him win the fight for public opinion.