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.
August 16, 2025
Press groups accuse LAPD of violating judge's ban on targeting journalists covering protests
Aug. 15, 2025, 3:57 p.m. ET Press groups are accusing Los Angeles and its police department of violating a court order by striking journalists with batons and arresting them as they reported on an Aug. 8 protest. The Aug. 13 complaint, filed by the First Amendment Coalition and attorneys representing the Los Angeles Press Club and the independent media outlet Status Coup, said the department’s actions on Aug. 8 showed a “blatant disregard for the First Amendment” and a restraining order the c ...
Go to discussionCalifornia Democrats release map ahead of redistricting in response to Texas
Updated Aug 15, 2025, 11:27 PM ET PUBLISHED Aug 15, 2025, 9:29 PM ET California Democrats on Friday released their redistricting proposal, aiming to produce up to five additional Democratic seats in the US House in response to Texas Republicans' mid-decade redrawing of lines at the behest of President Donald Trump. The release comes ahead of the California legislature meeting Monday, with final passage possible later next week. Unlike in Texas, where the GOP can pass new US House maps as soon ...
Go to discussion'Putting the nation in jeopardy': Trump's FBI chief plans mass layoffs -- and a lot more
August 15, 2025 7:06PM ET President Donald Trump's FBI Director Kash Patel is planning massive changes to the nation's top law enforcement agency, which experts fear would cripple their ability to keep America safe. The news was reported by MSNBC's Ken Dilanian on Friday evening. "FBI Director Kash Patel is imposing changes aimed at transforming the bureau into a national police force focused on violent crime, current and former officials tell MSNBC — at the expense, they say, of the FB ...
Go to discussionZelenskyy To Meet Trump In Washington After Inconclusive Alaska Summit
August 16, 2025 10:04 CET Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will travel to Washington on August 18 to meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy made the announcement on Telegram on August 16 in a detailed statement following a “lengthy, substantive conversation” with Trump, during which Zelenskyy was updated on the August 15 summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The Ukrainian president said he first ...
Go to discussionTrump's controversial $250 visa fee could cost the US economy $11 billion as tourists stay away, research finds
Friday 15 August 2025 23:29 BST Research suggests President Donald Trump’s new $250 “visa integrity fee” could cost the United States $11 billion — a much larger figure than the Congressional Budget Office previously estimated, according to a report. The fee, packed in Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” that he signed into law last month, applies to all visitors traveling to the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa. The fee doesn’t apply to countries on the Visa Waiver Program, which includes mo ...
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