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

New Plan Proposed To Save Social Security

Published Jul 09, 2025 at 10:36 AM EDT A bipartisan pair of senators have floated a bold new solution to the insolvency crisis facing Social Security, which they say could save the program within a decade. In a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine announced a proposal to set up an alternative funding model for the safety net program, which would supplement the program's Trust Fund with a new diversified pool of investments. Wh ...

BumRushDaShow

Immigration Officials Issue New Warning to Green Card Holders

Published Jul 09, 2025 at 9:18 AM EDT | Updated Jul 09, 2025 at 10:21 AM EDT Green card holders have been warned that federal authorities may revoke their legal status if they have a criminal record and violate immigration laws. "Under our nation's laws, our government has the authority to revoke your green card if our laws are broken and abused," Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. The agency added that lawful permanent residents arriving ...

Tennessee Hillbilly

Trump announces 50% tariff on Brazil in retaliation for Bolsonaro trial, trade deficit

President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will slap a 50% tariff on Brazil’s imports, partly in retaliation for the ongoing prosecution of the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Trump said in a letter that the new tariff — a massive jump from the 10% rate the U.S. imposed on Brazil in early April — is also being imposed in response to the “very unfair trade relationship” between the two countries. ... Trump has previously sounded off on Brazil over its treatment of Bolsonaro, a vo ...

BumRushDaShow

Student loan interest charges to kick back in for roughly 8 million borrowers

July 9, 2025, 2:19 PM Roughly 8 million student loan borrowers will see their interest charges restart next month, the Department of Education announced Wednesday. Borrowers on the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education Plan -- about 7.7 million people -- will have interest charges return on Aug. 1 after a yearlong pause on payments. The return to interest charges was first reported by Bloomberg. "For years, the Biden Administration used so-called 'loan forgiveness' promises to win vo ...

highplainsdem

Over 2,000 senior staff set to leave NASA under agency push

At least 2,145 senior-ranking NASA employees are set to leave under a push to shed staff, according to documents obtained by POLITICO — potentially spelling trouble for White House space policy and depriving the agency of decades of experience. The 2,145 employees are those in GS-13 to GS-15 positions — senior-level government ranks that are typically reserved for those with specialized skills or management responsibilities. The losses are particularly concentrated at higher levels, with 875 GS ...

spanone

Trump predicted 90 trade deals in 90 days. So far there have been two.

(AP) President Donald Trump and his advisers promised a lightning round of global trade negotiations with dozens of countries back in April. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro predicted “90 deals in 90 days.’’ Administration officials declared that other countries were desperate to make concessions to avoid the massive import taxes – tariffs -- that Trump was threatening to plaster on their products starting July 9. But the 90 days have come and gone. And the tally of trade deals stands at two – one with the United Kingdom and one with Vietnam.

applegrove

Loss of Foreign Workers Begins to Bite U.S. Economy

(Political Wire) “President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration is starting to ripple across the U.S. economy,” Politico reports. “From small farms in California, to meat packing facilities in Nebraska to corporate giants like Disney, businesses are scrambling to replace workers after recent administration actions have taken immigrants, both legal and illegal, out of the labor force, including several hundred thousand people who had been given temporary work permits under President Joe Biden.”

Judi Lynn

U.S. Measles Cases Reach a Record High Since the Disease Was Declared Eliminated 25 Years Ago

(Smithsonian Magazine) Measles cases in the United States have reached a record high since the disease was declared eliminated from the country 25 years ago. Officials had declared measles eliminated in 2000, when there had not been continuous transmission for more than a year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it “a historic public health achievement.” Now, however, experts warn that the U.S. could soon lose its elimination status, if the nation reaches 12 months of continuous spread of related measles cases.

Brenda

'Off The Rails': Trump's Ramble In The Middle Of Cabinet Meeting Is 24-Karat Nonsense

(Huff Post) President Donald Trump delivered a wild and rambling performance at a Cabinet meeting that ran for more than 90 minutes, ending with a long aside about interior decorating. Trump said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ― who is Jewish ― has “abandoned the Jews” and “become a Palestinian,” then compared Schumer to Jon Lovitz’s lying “Saturday Night Live” character Tommy Flanagan, complete with an impression. He described the B-2 bombers that flew to Iran for last month’s attack, saying they “went skedaddle” and then tried to define the word “skedaddle.” "Do you know the word skedaddle?” he asked. “It means skedaddle.”

Dulcinea

Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized pause on weapon shipments to Ukraine, sources say

(CNN) Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized a pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, according to five sources familiar with the matter, setting off a scramble inside the administration to understand why the halt was implemented and explain it to Congress and the Ukrainian government. President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he was not responsible for the move.

Expand Featured Stories

Issue Forums

Region Forums

Latest Breaking News

ICE says it arrested MS-13 'kingpin' in Omaha

1 hr ago - By: Aaron Sanderford - July 9, 2025 6:58 pm OMAHA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a man Wednesday from El Salvador that ICE described as one of that country’s most wanted criminals and said they had found him hiding in N ... (Nebraska Examiner)

Michigan's WK Kellogg cereal maker set to be bought by Italian candymaker Ferrero

1 hr ago - Michigan's WK Kellogg Co., the cereal giant, is set to be acquired by the Italian candymaker behind Ferrero Rocher in a nearly $3 billion deal, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. A deal with parent Ferrero SpA, the maker of Butterfinger cand ... (The Detroit News)

In Gaza, 'They're Prepared to Die for a Bagful of Rice'

2 hrs ago - "On the morning of June 1, Dr. Victoria Rose was nearing the end of her 21-day stint as a volunteer in Gaza when she saw news of a mass shooting of Palestinians near a food distribution point. ... For 21 months, Gazan civilians have suffered as Israe ... (NYT)

Trump taps Sean Duffy as interim NASA administrator

3 hrs ago - President Trump said late Wednesday that he was tapping Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to lead NASA on an interim basis after Trump yanked his original nominee for the post. “Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Tra ... (The Hill)

The MyPillow guy's lawyers fined for error-riddled AI-generated court filing

5 hrs ago - Updated Wed, July 9, 2025 at 11:49 a.m. EDT MyPillow CEO and election conspiracy enthusiast Mike Lindell's legal team is in some hot water after submitting an AI-generated court filing, as reported by The New York Times. The legal brief was filled wi ... (Yahoo! News/engadget)

FEMA's response to Texas flood slowed by Noem's cost controls

5 hrs ago - -snip- As CNN has previously reported, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — whose department oversees FEMA — recently enacted a sweeping rule aimed at cutting spending: Every contract and grant over $100,000 now requires her personal s ... (CNN)

DOJ sues California over alleged Title IX violations involving trans athletes

5 hrs ago - 07/09/25 12:22 PM ET The Justice Department took legal action Wednesday against California over the state’s refusal to comply with orders from the Trump administration to ban transgender girls from girls’ school sports teams. The departmen ... (The Hill)

Trump's auto safety nominee has a history of tangling with Tesla

6 hrs ago - 07/09/2025 12:11 PM EDT President Donald Trump’s pick for the agency that oversees auto safety tore into Tesla seven years ago for what he called “misleading” safety claims about one of its popular electric car models. The 2018 letter ... (Politico)

Student loan interest charges to kick back in for roughly 8 million borrowers

6 hrs ago - July 9, 2025, 2:19 PM Roughly 8 million student loan borrowers will see their interest charges restart next month, the Department of Education announced Wednesday. Borrowers on the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education Plan -- about 7.7 million pe ... (ABC News)

New Plan Proposed To Save Social Security

7 hrs ago - Published Jul 09, 2025 at 10:36 AM EDT A bipartisan pair of senators have floated a bold new solution to the insolvency crisis facing Social Security, which they say could save the program within a decade. In a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, R ... (Newsweek)

US sanctions UN expert Francesca Albanese, critic of Israel's Gaza offensive

7 hrs ago - The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, an outspoken critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked the move to her support for the Int ... (BBC)

Trump administration says it will subpoena Harvard for info on foreign students

7 hrs ago - Updated on: July 9, 2025 / 1:04 PM EDT Washington — The Trump administration said Wednesday that it will be sending administrative subpoenas to Harvard University for information about its foreign students, the latest escalation in its ongoing b ... (CBS News)

Trump announces 50% tariff on Brazil in retaliation for Bolsonaro trial, trade deficit

7 hrs ago - President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will slap a 50% tariff on Brazil’s imports, partly in retaliation for the ongoing prosecution of the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Trump said in a letter that the new tariff ? ... (CNBC)

Comey Tracked by Secret Service After Post Critical of Trump

8 hrs ago - July 9, 2025 Updated 4:45 p.m. ET The Secret Service had the former F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, followed by law enforcement authorities in unmarked cars and street clothes and tracked the location of his cellphone the day after he posted an imag ... (New York Times)

Democrats launch investigation into EEOC's probes of major law firms

8 hrs ago - 07/09/25 12:00 PM ET A coalition of Democratic lawmakers demanded the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) turn over documents relating to its “sham investigation” of several major law firms’ hiring practices, arguing the EEO ... (The Hill)

Over 2,000 senior staff set to leave NASA under agency push

8 hrs ago - At least 2,145 senior-ranking NASA employees are set to leave under a push to shed staff, according to documents obtained by POLITICO — potentially spelling trouble for White House space policy and depriving the agency of decades of experience. ... (Politico)

Supreme Court won't let Florida enforce controversial immigration law

9 hrs ago - Updated July 9, 2025, 3:13 p.m. ET WASHINGTON ? Florida can't enforce a controversial new law targeting undocumented immigrants entering Florida, the Supreme Court said on July 9 in rejecting an emergency appeal from the state. The decision l ... (USA Today)

Immigration Officials Issue New Warning to Green Card Holders

9 hrs ago - Published Jul 09, 2025 at 9:18 AM EDT | Updated Jul 09, 2025 at 10:21 AM EDT Green card holders have been warned that federal authorities may revoke their legal status if they have a criminal record and violate immigration laws. "Under our nation's l ... (Newsweek)

Congressional Democrats push for new watchdog to oversee Trump's White House

10 hrs ago - Updated on: July 9, 2025 / 7:58 AM EDT Senate Democrats are planning to introduce new legislation to create a new watchdog office to monitor the conduct and actions of President Trump's White House and future administrations. The bill, which will be ... (CBS News)

Jan. 6 rally organizer must pay $2K a day until she complies with subpoena, judge rules

10 hrs ago - 07/09/2025 01:15 PM EDT NEW YORK — A federal judge has ordered one of the organizers of Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, rally to pay a daily $2,000 fine, after weeks of skirting a civil court subpoena for records related to her role in the eve ... (Politico)