Califf confirmed: The 6 challenges that await the new FDA commissioner
Returning to the FDA early in President Joe Biden’s tenure gives Califf greater ability to place his stamp on the agency than the last time he led it.
Today's Liberal News
Jerusalem Demsas Joins The Atlantic as a Staff Writer
Jerusalem Demsas will join The Atlantic’s editorial staff next month, when she will become a staff writer. Jerusalem is currently at Vox, where she has written extensively on America’s housing crisis and co-hosts The Weeds podcast.“Jerusalem is a force. She is extremely smart, creative, curious, and naturally drawn to counterintuitive ideas and arguments.
Dems, despite their control, all but concede on federal abortion spending
After months of tense negotiations, the two parties joined together last week on a government spending framework they insist will swiftly lead to a massive deal to boost agency bottom lines into the fall.
National Cuisine Is a Useful Illusion
My first daughter was born in a London hospital, but her surroundings soon felt very Palestinian. By 6 a.m. the morning after she arrived, my mother had brought ijjeh (a herb frittata often made for new mothers) stuffed inside a pita slathered with labneh (a strained yogurt) to my bedside. In the afternoon, she returned with hilbeh (a fenugreek-semolina cake), purported to improve milk supply.
Backed by AOC & Bernie, House Candidate Greg Casar Says “Big Progressive Change” Is Possible in Texas
Two competitive congressional races are heating up in Texas. Former labor organizer Greg Casar and immigrant human rights lawyer Jessica Cisneros have both gained national endorsements from progressive lawmakers like New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who traveled to the state to campaign for them this past weekend.
As Early Voting Begins, Texas Sees Spike in Rejected Ballots Due to Sweeping New Voter Restrictions
Early voting in the first 2022 primary elections kicked off Monday in Texas with extreme new anti-voter laws in effect. The Republican-enacted restrictions have already caused Texas voters issues, with some 40% of ballots in Houston rejected.
“Adding Insult to Injury”: Afghan Activist & 9/11 Mother Condemn Biden’s Seizure of Afghan Funds
President Biden is facing mounting criticism for seizing $7 billion of Afghanistan’s federal reserves frozen in the United States. Biden is giving half of the money to families of September 11 victims while Afghanistan faces a humanitarian catastrophe.
An Off-Ramp from War? Russia Says It Pulled Back Some Troops from Ukraine Border as Talks Continue
Russia has announced plans to pull back some troops from the Ukrainian border in a possible effort to deescalate the standoff over Ukraine but still intends to continue with military exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated on Monday the country may drop its bid to join NATO and the U.S. continues to urge U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine, warning a Russian invasion could come as soon as Wednesday.
The Seven Habits of COVID-Resilient Nations
The tweet has stuck with me for months now: a chart of cumulative COVID-19 deaths per capita in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. The U.S. and U.K. lines rise up like mountains relative to the valley of South Korea below. Even as Omicron-related deaths have increased in South Korea more recently, the picture hasn’t changed much.
Schumer moves to limit debate on Califf nomination
The Senate is expected to officially vote on his confirmation as early as Tuesday, three people with knowledge of the matter said.
Masks off? Democrats try for a pandemic pivot
The party’s governors are ditching them. Its swing-state lawmakers are ready to follow. But not everyone agrees, and it may be too little, too late.
U.S.-brokered J&J vaccine deal for refugees in Thailand is delayed
The delay underscores the legal and logistical hurdles U.S. and COVAX face in getting vulnerable populations vaccinated.
Prince Charles isolating after testing positive for Covid-19
A message on the royal’s official Twitter page said Charles tested positive on Thursday morning.
CDC weighs updating messaging around transmission and masking
The debate at the CDC comes as governors across the country in states such as New York, New Jersey and Delaware, announce they are lifting mask mandates in schools.
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.
Price spikes threaten to ground Biden’s big-spending plans
The government reported Wednesday that the consumer price index, the most widely watched gauge of inflation, hit a four-decade high in December compared to the previous year.
“American Reckoning”: 55 Years After KKK Murder of Mississippi NAACP Leader, Case Remains Unsolved
This month marks 55 years since the assassination of an NAACP leader. The new documentary “American Reckoning” seeks justice in the cold case of murdered civil rights activist and local NAACP leader Wharlest Jackson Sr. in Natchez, Mississippi. No one was ever charged with his 1967 murder, despite evidence pointing to the involvement of the inner circle of the local Ku Klux Klan. It’s one of many unsolved crimes targeting civil rights activists.
Spotify Signed Joe Rogan for $100 Million But Won’t Hold Him Accountable for Spreading Misinfo, Hate
Comedian Joe Rogan has come under fire for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, using racial slurs and other harmful rhetoric on his Spotify podcast. Musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have pulled their music from the platform in protest of his $100 million contract reportedly paid by Spotify, raising questions how responsible audio platforms should be over hateful content.
Twitter Critics Mock Trump’s Ex-Accounting Firm For Taking A Decade To Finally Get A Clue
Suddenly Trump “is unreliable? Please.
George Conway: Accounting Firm’s Move Is Worse For Trump Than Being Impeached Twice
Having your statements pulled by your accountants “is just about the most calamitous thing that could happen” to your business, the conservative attorney said.
News Roundup: EV goes (very) mainstream; Senate to finally patch up U.S. Postal Service
In the news today: As new Democratic infrastructure funding looks to fill out the nation’s roadways with a comprehensive map of new charging stations, car manufacturers looked to fill out Super Bowl commercial time with slick ads for vehicles that leave the combustion engine behind. Some actually good news out of the Senate, where lawmakers aim to undo one of the nastiest attempts to sabotage the U.S. Postal Service—but, of course, there’s a Republican complication.
QAnon Chronicles: Disney is the illuminati, baby! Epstein associate gives money to QAnon GOP
The Qronicles is a series that will collect some of the news, videos, and general mis/dis-information roiling around the conspiracy world of QAnon. You can cringe, you can laugh, but these folks are organizing and showing up at the polls!
This Qweek (see what I did there?!?!?!) on the QAnon Chronicles, we have Canadian truckers—or is it Canada truckers? (See what I did there???) Is the Disney corporation really a Satanic cult? The evidence might surprise you.
Lauren ‘Boebart’ gleefully accepts crass, sexist award, complete with a Red Lobster gift card
Everything about the image is perfect—in a way. If Donald Trump ever achieves his longstanding goal of turning America into a giant kleptocratic Chuck E. Cheese, this will be the new flag of Colorado—in honor of the state’s governor-for-life, Lauren J. “Le Petomane” Boebert.
It’s a perfect snapshot of America in the Year of Our Lord 2022. A crass deference to shallow values and superficial virtues? Check.
Former Trump aide says Donald’s ‘terrified’ of upcoming NYT reporter’s book
While I can only assume Donald Trump is terrified of any book that hasn’t been hollowed out and stuffed with lunchmeats, he’s apparently really nervous about The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s upcoming tell-all-that-maybe-should-have-been-told-years-ago magnum opus.
Is it really time to ‘open everything?’ Yes, writes Yascha Mounk for The Atlantic
This piece, written by Yascha Mounk and published this week in The Atlantic, has generated considerable debate (and engendered considerable angry pushback) on social media and in various outlets of widely varying political orientations, and because of its undeniable (if simplistic) appeal, it is probably worth bringing to people’s attention, if only for purposes of discussion.
San Francisco Cops Have Been Using Rape Kits To Arrest Victims, DA Says
The practice could dissuade sexual assault survivors from coming forward, said District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
NYC Fires More Than 1,000 Workers Over Vaccine Mandate
The 1,430 workers who lost their jobs represent less than 1% of the 370,000-person city workforce.