Here are today's featured stories, posted by DU members and curated by the Administrators. More news items can be found in our Latest Breaking News forum, and for all the most up-to-the-minute stories that are being talked about by DU members, visit the Latest Discussions page.
June 18, 2025
700 troops have been mobilized to help ICE in raids in Florida, Louisiana and Texas
(The Independent) The Defense Department has mobilized 700 troops to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Florida, Louisiana and Texas. These troops will “not participate in law enforcement activities” but will “provide logistical support, and conduct administrative and clerical functions,” according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. The troops were deployed last week, Parnell said.
Go to discussionNo one on the inside of US foreign policy has any foreign policy or military crisis experience
(TPM) I think it’s very possible that the U.S. is on the verge of a major, major military campaign that it wasn’t considering at all just a few days ago and that we may be doing that more or less solely because Donald Trump is jazzed about and attracted by the idea of “winning.” And Israel is now “winning.” So he wants in. It’s important to step back and recognize that there is really, literally no one in the inner discussion of U.S. foreign policy today who has any level of foreign policy or military crisis experience at all.
Go to discussionTrump U-turn on deporting farm workers came after fury from Noem and Miller, report claims
(The Independent) Donald Trump’s rapid flip-flop on not deporting undocumented migrant farm and hotel workers came after the president was reportedly met with angry pushback from Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem. Trump briefly changed his mind on who ICE should kick out of the country after getting a phone call from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, according to Axios.
Go to discussionWhiplash at the White House: Whether it's Iran or ICE raids, Trump just can't make up his mind
Go to discussionTrump's pardons cost victims and taxpayers $1.3 billion, House Judiciary Committee Democrats' review says
(CBS News) President Trump's flurry of recent presidential pardons has cost crime victims and taxpayers approximately $1.3 billion in restitution and payments, according to a review by House Judiciary Democrats. The pardons absolved hundreds of convicted criminals from having to pay for damages and restitution caused by their crimes. Victims have not been made whole, the Democrats said — including U.S. taxpayers who must now foot the bill for the millions of dollars in repairs and cleanup from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.
Go to discussionHow cities are scaling back Juneteenth celebrations after Trump-era DEI rollbacks
(CNN) Despite Juneteenth’s status as a federal holiday, celebrations across the country are being scaled back or canceled. Organizers say safety issues along with mounting resistance to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are making it harder to hold events – raising concerns that political backlash is threatening the commemoration of Black freedom at a time when experts say it is most needed.
Go to discussionForeigners not coming, FIFA World Club Cup Ticket Sales Tank
(Digby's Blog) Sales for the FIFA Club World Cup, a series of precursor games ahead of next year’s North American World Cup, were already lackluster when, last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection bragged online about how its agents would be “suited and booted and ready to provide security for the first round of games.” A whole lot of soccer fans in America are Latino and foreign born. Why would they attend something like this with ICE and CBP saying they are “suited and booted up” for the event? CBP took down the statement but obviously word got around.
Go to discussionKristi Noem is 'alert and recovering' after trip to hospital over allergic reaction, official says
(AP) U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was taken to the hospital on Tuesday after experiencing an allergic reaction, her spokeswoman said. “She is alert and recovering,” said the statement from department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, who said the hospital treatment was out of an “abundance of caution.” Noem, 53, heads a sprawling department with roughly 260,000 employees handling immigration enforcement, airport security, disaster response and other matters.
Go to discussionFar-Right 'Appeal to Heaven' Flag Flown Above Government Agency in DC
(Wired) A controversial “Appeal to Heaven” flag that has recently become associated with the “Stop the Steal” movement and Christian nationalism was flown above the Small Business Administration (SBA) agency last week in Washington, DC. On June 11, Kelly Loeffler, the former senator from Georgia and current administrator of the SBA, participated in a ceremony where a new flag of the United States was raised over the agency’s headquarters. Just beneath that flag, on what appeared to be the same halyard, was an Appeal to Heaven flag.
Go to discussionEPA Will Revisit Biden-Era Ban on the Last Type of Asbestos Used in US
(US News and World Report/AP) The Environmental Protection Agency told a federal appeals court it will reconsider the Biden administration's ban on the last type of asbestos used in the United States to determine whether it went “beyond what is necessary." Asbestos is linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually and causes mesothelioma as well as other cancers. It has been largely phased out in the United States. Last year, the Biden administration sought to finish the decades-long fight by banning chrysotile asbestos.
Go to discussion