Supreme Court to hold special session on vaccine requirements
The high court announced late Wednesday that it would hear arguments in the cases on Jan. 7.
Today's Liberal News
De Blasio tells Biden: New York needs help now
The mayor said the White House should invoke the Defense Production Act.
Health spending growth more than doubled in first year of pandemic
Nearly the entire increase came from the burst of federal spending as the government mobilized to contain the spread of the virus.
Fed clears path for multiple rate hikes during election year as prices surge
The Fed plans to cease its bond buys entirely by March, rather than its earlier target of June to give itself room to begin raising interest rates as early as the second quarter of next year.
Inflation accelerates at lightning pace in new setback for Biden
Costs for key goods and services soared 0.8 percent for the month and 6.8 percent for the year, the highest since 1982, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Opinion | How the Return to Office Work Is Impoverishing the Middle Class
The middle class is facing serious economic hardship with little of the workplace flexibility now afforded to the well-off. Here’s how employers — and government — can help.
Powell: Fed may pull back economic support more quickly as prices spike
Powell’s comment came after the Fed already announced earlier this month that it would slow the pace at which it buys U.S. government debt and mortgage-backed securities.
News roundup: Trump and two of his stooges are fighting the Jan. 6 committee, and more
In the news today: Jim Jordan isn’t keen on appearing before the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 to explain his role in coordinating a coup with Donald Trump. Fine, lock him up. Michael Flynn lost his latest attempt to keep his role in the insurrection under wraps. Lock him up, too. And completing the trifecta of assholery, Donald Trump wants the Supreme Court to block the release of documents related to Jan. 6 to the House committee. This one? Lock him up and throw away the key.
Leading anti-vaxxer vows to make citizen’s arrest of Louisiana governor for inoculating kids
For the past two years—and especially since we all got access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines—I’ve felt like Luke Wilson’s character in Idiocracy trying to explain to relatives and acquaintances why they should irrigate their plants with water instead of sports drinks. It’s hard to get through to them, though—without an actual cranial saw, that is.
I can only imagine how Dr. Anthony Fauci feels.
West Virginians say Joe Manchin betrayed them and still have hope Build Back Better will pass
by Alexandra Martinez
This article was originally published at Prism
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s weekend announcement that he would vote “no” on the Build Back Better bill was a direct blow to caregivers, disabled coal miners, and anybody living below the poverty line in his home state. The Biden administration’s $1.
Ted Cruz still appears to think he’ll be president one day
Oh, hey, Ted Cruz still wants to be president! Of course he does. The “breaking” part of this news is that he still seems to think it’s possible. Though, to be fair, Ted did snag a lot of primary votes in 2016—and that was before the beard. Imagine the mojo he’s got workin’ now!
Of course, Ted is universally loathed among warm-blooded vertebrates, so he’s forced to run as a Republican.
Inside the secretive world of union busting: How employers use technology to defeat unions
An estimated 60% of large employers use workplace monitoring tools, some of which can be used to chill organizing.
By Jo Constantz for Capital and Main
Last January, at the height of the pandemic, an elderly housekeeper at a former hotel in Long Beach, California, that was being used to quarantine people with COVID-19 tested positive for the virus and died.
CDC sets shorter Covid isolation rules for health workers
Isolation time can be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages, according to the new CDC guidance.
Georgia Election Workers Sue Rudy Giuliani, OAN Over Election Fraud Claims
The woman accuse the right-wing cable news channel and the former New York City Mayor defaming them by falsely claiming they engaged in ballot fraud during the 2020 election.
How Far Can Marvel Keep Pushing Its Own Success?
In its opening weekend alone, Spider-Man: No Way Home became the highest-grossing movie of the year. On pace to be the only billion-dollar film of 2021 and already setting the record for biggest December opening ever, Spidey does impressive numbers.And as No Way Home is the third Tom Holland entry, the ninth overall Spider-Man movie, and the 27th release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its numbers are also testament to the enduring popularity of superhero movies.
Trump Takes Personal Credit For COVID-19 Vaccines In Interview With Candace Owens
The former president touted the shots as “one of the greatest achievements of mankind” in a chat with the right-wing media host, who said she is unvaccinated.
Amazon Settlement With NLRB Gives Workers Power To Organize
The National Labor Relations Board will now be able to more easily sue Amazon if it is found that the online company reneged on its agreement.
Andrew Cuomo Won’t Be Charged For Touching Trooper At Racetrack
Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said an investigation found the allegations against the former New York governor to be “credible, deeply troubling, but not criminal under New York law.
Joan Didion Was Our Bard of Disenchantment
In 1988, Joan Didion joined a scrum of reporters on the tarmac of the San Diego airport to witness the writing of the first draft of history. The assembled journalists were trailing the Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. She was trailing the journalists. Didion watched as a baseball was procured, a staffer tossed the ball to the candidate, he tossed it back—and as the cameras dutifully captured the exchange.
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Block Release Of Documents
Trump turned to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort to keep documents away from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Omicron Is Our Past Pandemic Mistakes on Fast-Forward
With Omicron, everything is sped up. The new variant is spreading fast and far. At a time when Delta was already sprinting around the country, Omicron not only caught up but overtook it, jumping from an estimated 13 to 73 percent of U.S. cases in a single week. We have less time to make decisions and less room to course-correct when they are wrong. Whereas we had months to prepare for Delta in the U.S., we’ve had only weeks for Omicron.
FDA authorizes Merck’s Covid-19 pill
Clinical trials showed that Merck’s pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death from the virus by 30 percent.
Pentagon Clamps Down on Extremism & White Supremacy After Dozens of Jan. 6 Rioters Had Military Ties
The Pentagon has announced new rules to slow the spread of extremism in the military, one of which will discipline soldiers for liking or resharing white nationalist and other extremist content on social media. The Pentagon announcement comes just two weeks before the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, where more than 80 of the 700 individuals charged with the attack had ties to the U.S. military.
“It’s a Win for Us”: Striking Kellogg’s Workers Get Raises, Improved Benefits & Avoid Two-Tier System
In a major victory for labor rights, 1,400 unionized Kellogg’s workers have ended their nearly three-month strike across four states after approving a new contract that provides a wage increase and enhanced benefits for all. The prior agreement that Kellogg’s tried to bargain only offered wage increases and improved benefits to longtime workers, whereas the new agreement ensures newer workers have a guaranteed option to receive the same improvements.
Tea Party Redux: How the Koch Network Funds and Fuels the Anti-Lockdown Movement
A new report titled “How The Koch Network Hijacked The War On COVID” reveals how a right-wing network linked to billionaire Charles Koch has played a key role in fighting public health measures during the pandemic, including mask and vaccine mandates, contact tracing and lockdowns. The groups include the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), Donors Trust, the Hoover Institution and Hillsdale College.
No One Is Safe Until Everyone Is Safe: Oxfam on Vaccine Equity & Taking On Moderna
Oxfam America has accused Moderna of misleading its investors about an ongoing dispute over whether it needs to share vaccine patent rights with the U.S. government. Oxfam filed a shareholders complaint against Moderna with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the company’s resistance to recognizing the role played by three scientists with the National Institutes of Health in developing the vaccine.
Gaps remain in safety data on State Veterans Homes
As Omicron strikes, families lack a full picture of how well homes for elderly veterans have adapted to Covid risks.
Biden expanding testing and reinforcing hospitals in face of Omicron
The initiatives come as Omicron blankets the U.S. and amount to a redeployment of emergency defenses seen last year.
Health spending growth more than doubled in first year of pandemic
Nearly the entire increase came from the burst of federal spending as the government mobilized to contain the spread of the virus.
Fed clears path for multiple rate hikes during election year as prices surge
The Fed plans to cease its bond buys entirely by March, rather than its earlier target of June to give itself room to begin raising interest rates as early as the second quarter of next year.