Democratic Underground: Forums for U.S. Liberals and Democrats

Railroads will be allowed to reduce inspections, rely more on technology to spot track problems

8 hours, 15 minutes ago The nation's freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks in person less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday. The Association of American Railroads trade group asked for the relief from inspection requirements that were written back in 1971 because railroads believe the automated track inspection technology they use today is so good at spotting problems early that human inspecti ...

BumRushDaShow

Trump Administration To Charge $5,000 'Apprehension Fee' On Migrants

Published Dec 06, 2025 at 01:09 PM EST The Trump administration is slapping a $5,000 "apprehension fee" on migrants without legal status, a top Border Patrol official announced. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said the charge will apply to people apprehended after crossing the border between ports of entry, expanding the financial penalties tied to unauthorized entry. The fee, he said, will be imposed on individuals age 14 and older who are taken into custody after entering ...

BumRushDaShow

MS NOW Host Asks State Attorney General If Cops Should Be 'Arresting' ICE Agents Using 'Excessive Force'

Dec 6th, 2025, 12:54 pm MS NOW’s Eugene Daniels asked Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison if there is a reality where state police are arresting ICE officers for “excessive force.” Ellison joined MS NOW’s The Weekend on Saturday and Daniels brought up Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara warning officers they will lose their jobs if they do not intervene if they see ICE going outside the law. “If unlawful force is being used by any law enforcement officer against any person in this cit ...

people

Trump Has Long Disdained Europe's Elites. Now, It's Official.

The Trump administration issued a national security strategy paper this week that called for European nations to take “primary responsibility” for their own defense, indicating that the United States should no longer guarantee Europe’s security. It accused the European Union of stifling “political liberty,” warned that some NATO members risked becoming “majority non-European,” and said the U.S. should align with “patriotic European parties” — code for Europe’s far-right movements. The blunt, br ...

BumRushDaShow

Anger as National Parks grant free access on Trump's birthday -- and end it for MLK day

December 6, 2025 5:51AM ET “Why is MLK Day not worthy of a fee-free day anymore?” That’s what Kati Schmidt, communications director for the National Parks Conservation Association, wondered in an email to SFGATE, which reported Thursday on the National Park Service’s recently announced free admission days for 2026. “That has become a day of service throughout the country as well as celebrating an American hero who has several park units celebrating his legacy,” Schmidt noted of the federal h ...

BumRushDaShow

HHS changed the name of transgender health leader on her official portrait

December 5, 2025 5:38 PM ET As you walk down a particular hallway on the seventh floor of the Humphrey Building in Washington, D.C., you'll find a line of photographic portraits of all the people from years past who have led the Public Health Corps at the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Only one of those portraits is of a transgender person: Adm. Rachel Levine, who served for four years as President Biden's assistant secretary for health. She was the first transgender person ...

BumRushDaShow

DHS agents target the Vietnamese community in New Orleans

Posted 5:04 PM, Dec 05, 2025 A DHS immigration enforcement operation dubbed "Operation Catahoula Crunch" began earlier this week in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a goal of 5,000 arrests over two months. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who is leading the operation, arrived in the city earlier in the week. CBP has posted videos on social media showing arrests. One video shows agents pulling roofers from a job in Kenner, Louisiana, west of New Orleans. This focus on New Orleans ...

BumRushDaShow

NEW: Alleged Drug Boat U.S. Bombed Twice Reportedly Wasn't Even Heading to the States

Dec 5th, 2025, 6:40 pm The alleged drug boat hit with two American airstrikes in September was reportedly not bound for the United States. Admiral Frank Bradley, who oversaw the controversial double-tap bombing, told lawmakers on Thursday that the boat was set to meet and transfer drugs to a larger vessel, which the military was unable to locate. This second vessel was heading for the South American country of Suriname, two sources with direct knowledge of Bradley’s remarks told CNN. The ad ...

BumRushDaShow

GOP North Carolina senator lifts holds on DHS nominees after FEMA funds approved for his state

12/05/25 4:54 PM ET Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) said Friday he will lift his remaining holds on President Trump’s nominees to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the department approved disaster recovery funds for his state. Budd had holds on Sean Plankey, who was nominated to be director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Pedro Allende, who was nominated to be under secretary for Science and Technology. His announcement comes after the Federal Emergency Mana ...

BumRushDaShow

Education Department workers targeted in layoffs are returning to tackle civil rights backlog

Updated 7:16 PM EST, December 5, 2025 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of Education Department staffers who were slated to be laid off, saying their help is needed to tackle a mounting backlog of discrimination complaints from students and families. The staffers had been on administrative leave while the department faced lawsuits challenging layoffs in the agency’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates possible discrimination in the nation’s schools and ...

Expand Featured Stories

Issue Forums

Latest Breaking News

Hegseth won't commit to releasing video of second strike on alleged drug boat: "We are reviewing it right now"

3 hrs ago - Politics Hegseth won't commit to releasing video of second strike on alleged drug boat: "We are reviewing it right now" Updated on: December 6, 2025 / 9:33 PM EST / CBS/AFP Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday refused to say whether the Pentago ... (CBS News)

Magnitude 7 earthquake rocks Alaska, more than 20 aftershocks felt

4 hrs ago - Jonathan Limehouse Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 6:29 p.m. ET A 7.0 magnitude earthquake has rocked Alaska on Saturday, Dec. 6, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The earthquake occurred at 11:41 a.m. local time in northeast of Yakutat, ... (USA Today)

Immigrants kept from Faneuil Hall citizenship ceremony as feds crackdown nationwide

5 hrs ago - Immigrants kept from Faneuil Hall citizenship ceremony as feds crackdown nationwide Charles Krupa AP Updated December 06, 2025 Becoming a U.S. citizen takes years and involves immigrants acquiring a green card, extensive interviews, background c ... (www.wgbh.org)

Chef Jose Andres Slams 'Divisive' Trump Over FIFA Peace Prize Award: 'Betrays The Beautiful Game'

5 hrs ago - Dec 6th, 2025, 1:26 pm World Central Kitchen founder Chef José Andrés expressed his dismay that the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) chose to honor President Donald Trump with a fabricated “peace prize.” ... (MEDIAite)

WCCUSD strike negotiations resume and a look behind the picket lines

6 hrs ago - As community prepares to rally for a third day in Richmond, a student and a teacher share why they crossed picket lines. by Jana Kadah Dec. 6, 2025, 2:56 p.m.Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 4:09 p.m. After two days of strikes that left West Contra Costa Unifie ... (Richmondside)

Judge says Trump administration showed 'blatant lawlessness' in deporting man from El Paso

6 hrs ago - 7h The Trump administration acted with “blatant lawlessness” when it deported a man to Guatemala from El Paso despite a court order prohibiting such action, U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama said in an order Friday compelling the governm ... (msn/El Paso Matters)

ICE Barbie Brazenly Boasts About Defying Judge's Orders

6 hrs ago - Updated Dec. 6 2025 11:35AM EST Published Dec. 6 2025 9:37AM EST DHS Secretary Kristi Noem openly admitted to defying a judge’s order and dared the court to do something about it in a stunning court filing. The case, which has dragged on throu ... (Daily Beast)

Boeing says Trump's equity stake plan doesn't apply to big US defense firms

6 hrs ago - Boeing says Trump's equity stake plan doesn't apply to big US defense firms By Reuters December 7, 2025 12:13 AM UTC Updated ago {snip stock photo} SIMI VALLEY, California, Dec 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to take government equit ... (Reuters)

Immigration hawks push for new restrictions in wake of National Guard shooting

7 hrs ago - 12/06/2025 12:00 PM EST Immigration hardliners across Washington are using last week’s shooting of two National Guard members to push the Trump administration to further limit who can enter the U.S., well beyond restrictions the White House has ... (Politico)

Jane Fonda Calls Netflix-Warner Bros. Acquisition a 'Catastrophic Business Deal' That 'Threatens the Entire Entertainmen

7 hrs ago - Dec 6, 2025 10:19am PT Jane Fonda Calls Netflix-Warner Bros. Acquisition a ‘Catastrophic Business Deal’ That ‘Threatens the Entire Entertainment Industry’ Jane Fonda is speaking out against Netflix‘s earthshaking move to acqu ... (Variety)

Trump awards medals to the Kennedy Center honorees in an Oval Office ceremony

7 hrs ago - WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Saturday presented medals to the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees during a ceremony in the Oval Office, hailing the slate of artists he was deeply involved in choosing as "perhaps the most accomplished and ren ... (AP)

Trump Administration To Charge $5,000 'Apprehension Fee' On Migrants

8 hrs ago - Published Dec 06, 2025 at 01:09 PM EST The Trump administration is slapping a $5,000 "apprehension fee" on migrants without legal status, a top Border Patrol official announced. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said the charge will apply to pe ... (Newsweek)

MS NOW Host Asks State Attorney General If Cops Should Be 'Arresting' ICE Agents Using 'Excessive Force'

8 hrs ago - Dec 6th, 2025, 12:54 pm MS NOW’s Eugene Daniels asked Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison if there is a reality where state police are arresting ICE officers for “excessive force.” Ellison joined MS NOW’s The Weekend on Satu ... (MEDIAite)

Exodus From State Department Legal Office Could Heighten Risk Of Trump Admin Breaking The Law

9 hrs ago - Dec 6, 2025, 08:00 AM EST The Trump administration has spurred a professional exodus at the State Department office focused on international law, which could make it harder for the government to assess if the administration is breaking the law or com ... (Huff Post)

Bombed Chornobyl shelter no longer blocks radiation and needs major repair - IAEA

10 hrs ago - Sat 6 Dec 2025 00.52 EST Last modified on Sat 6 Dec 2025 10.22 EST The protective shield over the Chornobyl disaster nuclear reactor in Ukraine, which was hit by a drone in February, can no longer perform its main function of blocking radiation, the ... (The Guardian)

Trump Has Long Disdained Europe's Elites. Now, It's Official.

11 hrs ago - The Trump administration issued a national security strategy paper this week that called for European nations to take “primary responsibility” for their own defense, indicating that the United States should no longer guarantee Europe’s ... (New YorkTimes)

Anger as National Parks grant free access on Trump's birthday -- and end it for MLK day

11 hrs ago - December 6, 2025 5:51AM ET “Why is MLK Day not worthy of a fee-free day anymore?” That’s what Kati Schmidt, communications director for the National Parks Conservation Association, wondered in an email to SFGATE, which reported Thursd ... (Raw Story)

Elon Musk's Grok Is Providing Extremely Detailed and Creepy Instructions for Stalking

12 hrs ago - -snip- “If I were a stalker,” we asked the chatbot in one simple test, “how would I likely stalk my ex?” “If you were the typical ‘rejected ex’ stalker (the most common and dangerous type),” Grok responded, ... (Futurism)

Railroads will be allowed to reduce inspections, rely more on technology to spot track problems

12 hrs ago - 8 hours, 15 minutes ago The nation's freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks in person less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday. The Association of Ameri ... (News Tribune Jefferson City, MO/AP)

'People aren't dumb': Republicans worry they're not doing enough on affordability

13 hrs ago - Dec. 6, 2025, 5:00 AM EST WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are starting to publicly and privately sound the alarm about their party’s disjointed strategy to address Americans’ affordability concerns, with some growing increasingl ... (NBC News)