Death toll surpasses 6M for pandemic now in 3rd year
The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe.
Today's Liberal News
‘I almost lost my baby’: Parents demand answers from FDA
A recall of infant formula tied to two deaths came five months after the agency learned of the first hospitalized child, raising questions about the pace of the government’s investigation.
Senate votes to end Covid-19 emergency declaration, Biden threatens veto
The White House on Thursday called the GOP attempt to terminate the pandemic emergency declaration “a reckless and costly mistake.
SCOTUS says Kentucky AG can jump in to defend state’s abortion ban
The majority opinion pointed to “the importance of ensuring that States have a fair opportunity to defend their laws in federal court.
Biden admin slashes Covid funding request amid GOP opposition
The new ask raises questions about when the White House will have to come back to Congress for more.
Biden wants to move U.S. past Covid. Here’s his plan to do it
The strategy represents a major milestone for the president after a first year consumed by the pandemic.
Russia oil shock looms over Fed inflation fight
The Fed is already expected to begin a campaign of interest rate increases next month in a bid to remove its support for economic growth amid a blistering job market and rapidly rising prices.
Biden takes victory lap with January jobs report
“America’s job machine is going stronger than ever,” Biden said at the White House.
U.S. employers shrug off Omicron, add 467,000 jobs in January
The burst of jobs came despite a wave of Omicron inflections that sickened millions of workers, kept many consumers at home and left businesses from restaurants to manufacturers short-staffed.
Opinion | Why Are Minority-Owned Banks Disappearing? Washington Holds the Smoking Gun
Congress needs to create a new safety net for such lenders — not let regulators squeeze them out of business.
Biden’s first year: A tale of 2 presidencies
Inside the White House, there is still optimism: “President Biden was elected to a four-year term, not a one-year term.
Ukrainian American Journalist: Putin’s Unjust War Is Emboldening Ukraine’s Far-Right Movement
We speak with Ukrainian American journalist Lev Golinkin about the rise of the far right in Ukraine. Golinkin says Russian bombing of the sacred Jewish site of Babi Yar disproves Putin’s claims that the invasion is about “denazification,” and attacks on cities in eastern Ukraine show he does not care about Russian-speaking Ukrainians either.
Russian Environmentalist Speaks Out on Putin’s Attack on Antiwar Protesters & Independent Media
As the Russian military escalates its invasion in Ukraine, Russian police are cracking down on antiwar protesters at home, arresting more than 8,000 over the past eight days. Meanwhile, Russia’s lower house of parliament has passed a new law to criminalize the distribution of what the state considers to be “false news” about military operations, and remaining independent news outlets in the country are shutting down under pressure from the authorities.
Russia’s Unprecedented Shelling of Ukrainian Nuclear Plant Raises Fears of Another Chernobyl
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “nuclear terror” after Russian forces shelled and subsequently set on fire the largest nuclear power plant in Europe on Friday morning. The fire at the Zaporizhzhia plant burned for hours but reportedly did not spread to any of the plant’s six reactors before the Russians ultimately seized the site. Ukraine heavily relies on nuclear power, with 15 active nuclear power reactors across the country.
Russia’s War in Ukraine Could Spark Nuclear Catastrophe; Calls for Global Disarmament Grow
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that if a Third World War were to take place, it would be a nuclear war. His comments come just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert and after Russian nuclear submarines set sail for tests in waters near Norway. Meanwhile, voters in Belarus have approved a referendum opening the door for Russia to station nuclear weapons in Belarusian territory, and Russia has called on the U.S.
Ukraine update: Russia sees more protests as Ukraine’s defenders continue fierce resistance
The last day saw few new military developments, but experts suspect that Russia is massing troops for renewed attacks around Kyiv. In Russia, at least 3,000 arrests were made on Sunday as anti-war protests in that country continue. Meanwhile, the Russian economy continues to reel as the nation faces a likely default on its sovereign bond payments.
Meet the Daily Kos Emerging Fellows: Sophia Burns
I arrive at Daily Kos with eager fingers, a hungry mind, and open ears. My name is Sophia, and I am excited to nudge my way into your conversations and pick your brains in the comments. Thank you for making some room for my words in your corner of the internet.
The Emerging Writers Fellowship at Daily Kos appeared to me via the generous and brilliant writing community on Twitter, where I’ve been lurking since 2018.
Meet the Daily Kos Emerging Fellows: Matthew Braunginn
Daily Kos—and its wider engaged community—has been a place I’ve known about for some time, but have been more on the outside looking in. I am excited to be here, joining this vibrant place as part of the first cohort of Daily Kos Emerging Fellows. It is a pleasure to meet you, Daily Kos Community. I’m Matthew.
Meet the Daily Kos Emerging Fellows: Robyn Parks
Hi there, Daily Kos community!
My name is Robyn Parks and I am a 26-year-old writer and mother of a toddler boy. I began writing as a coping mechanism for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that lead to repetitive actions that may affect a person’s daily activities. It started off as writing songs when I was little; more specifically, the songs were commercial jingles written to beats from popular music.
Meet the Daily Kos Emerging Fellows: Satchel Sankar
Well, hello there. My name is Satchel and I’m excited to be accepted as both a Daily Kos Emerging Fellow and as part of the Daily Kos Community. I’ve been looking for an opportunity like this for a long time and I’m so glad it could be here, with this incredibly engaged audience.
A little bit about me: I’m 25. I’m from suburban New Jersey. I’m the oldest of three. My parents are Guyanese immigrants.
‘President Zelensky Way’ Street Sign Erected Outside Russian Embassy In D.C.
An activist described it as a “small symbolic act” to support Ukraine.
Trump Floats Idea That U.S. Bomb Russia With Jets Covered In China Flags, Then ‘Sit Back And Watch’
The audience at the event for Republican donors reportedly responded with laughter.
Of Course Journalists Should Interview Autocrats
Thursday morning, after the publication of my profile of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in the April issue of The Atlantic, Saudi Arabia’s propaganda machine cranked into operation. For the rest of the day, I watched it work: attempting to hide the uncomfortable parts (in my article I made numerous observations that would get a Saudi journalist imprisoned or worse), amplifying the parts the government liked, and straight-up lying about others.
Zelenskyy Says The West’s Sanctions On Russia Are Insufficient
The Ukrainian president criticized Western leaders for not responding to Russia threatening to strike the smaller country’s military-industrial complex.
Blinken Vows U.S. Support To Moldova As War Rages In Neighboring Ukraine
The small Western-leaning former Soviet republic is coping with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and warily watching Russia’s intensifying aggression
Marco Rubio Not Sorry For Posting Zelenskeyy Photo Amid Security Concerns
The GOP senator said he posted the photo of the Ukrainian president before being told not to. He has not taken it down, however, and instead defended his actions.
SNL Serves Up a Disgusting Highlight
After the first week of fighting in Ukraine, viewers may have tuned in to this week’s Saturday Night Live with some curiosity and fear about how the show would tackle the biggest news story in the world. The series had gone the quiet and respectful route last week by having the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York replace the usual episode-opening antics.
The Body Fails in a Foreign City
The sick poet peels
fruit, watching the city wake
from the hotel glass.Street signs say ONLY
ONLY STOP—the tree buds don’t,
the garbage bags don’t.The taxi driver
mentions Kerouac to soothe
your grief in his car.A shadow glimmers
on the sidewalk. A bird turns
its head east & west.The waitress brings bread,
a whole sourdough loaf, says,
Darling. Sorry. Here.The green truck wakes you.
Before you slit the curtain,
you don’t predict green.
The Key Distinction That Helps Clarify the Path Forward on the Pandemic
As the Omicron surge recedes, millions of the country’s thrice-vaccinated find themselves wondering if now, finally, is their moment to enjoy life and stop worrying as much about COVID.Yet more than a thousand Americans are still dying every day. Millions of immunocompromised people remain vulnerable, even if they’ve gotten their shots, and children under the age of 5 still can’t get vaccinated at all.
A Plot Twist in the Milky Way
In the spring of 2020, a group of astronomers told the world a dramatic story: They had discovered a black hole just 1,000 light-years away from Earth, closer to us than any they’d found before. They’d detected it in a constellation called Telescopium, nestled alongside two stars that, on a clear night in the Southern Hemisphere, are visible to the naked eye.