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

Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting

The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. The records viewed by ProPublica list Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, as the shooters during the deadly encounter last weekend that left Pretti dead and ignited massive protests and calls for criminal investigations. Both men were assigned to Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enf ...

ificandream

Leftist and liberal gun groups are seeing a rush of new members

By Harmeet Kaur Several niche, left-leaning gun advocacy groups said that since the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, they can hardly keep up with the surging demand for firearms training. With President Donald Trump sending armed federal agents into communities around the country, even more once gun-shy liberals and leftists are considering getting armed. And while Americans tend to think of gun owners as leaning more Republican and male, already more women, gay people ...

groundloop

US committee is reconsidering all vaccine recommendations

All vaccine recommendations are being reconsidered by the US’s vaccines committee, according to its top adviser, who in recent interviews slammed vaccination requirements for attending school and said vaccines should be taken on the advice of an individual’s doctor. The stance from Kirk Milhoan, chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), represents a dramatic departure for the group tasked with making US vaccine recommendations for decades, signaling an increasingly hosti ...

BumRushDaShow

Deputy AG Blanche defends Epstein files release as survivors slam administration over redaction failures

February 1, 2026, 11:14 AM Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Justice Department's release of more than 3 million pages from the department's files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as survivors and lawmakers criticize the disclosure as insufficient and filled with redaction errors. "We took great pains, as I explained on Friday, to make sure that we protected victims," Blanche told ABC News' "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoul ...

riversedge

More winter weather leads to heavy snow, canceled flights and, in Florida, falling iguanas

By ADRIAN SAINZ Updated 3:34 PM CST, February 1, 2026 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A huge swath of the U.S. from the Gulf Coast into New England was mired in extra-cold temperatures Sunday after a bomb cyclone brought heavy snow and hundreds of flight cancellations to North Carolina, flurries and falling iguanas in Florida, and more misery for thousands who are still without power from last weekend’s ice storm in the South. About 150 million people were under cold weather advisories and ext ...

muriel_volestrangler

Democrat Taylor Rehmet wins a reliably Republican Texas state Senate seat, stunning GOP

(NPR/AP) Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election for the Texas state Senate on Saturday, flipping a reliably Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024. Rehmet, a labor union leader and veteran, easily defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist, in the Fort Worth-area district. With almost all votes counted, Rehmet had a comfortable lead of more than 14 percentage points.

Omaha Steve

Democrat Christian Menefee wins election for US House, narrowing GOP's slim majority

(AP) Democrat Christian Menefee won a Texas U.S. House seat in a special election Saturday that will narrow Republicans’ already-slim majority, telling President Donald Trump that the Democratic district “topples corrupt presidencies.” Menefee, the Harris County attorney, prevailed in a runoff against Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member. He will replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, who died in March 2025. The seat representing the heavily Democratic Houston-based district has been vacant for nearly a year.

BumRushDaShow

2007 memo laying out Epstein case revealed for the first time

(ABC News) After being shrouded in secrecy for nearly two decades, a 2007 draft memo laying out the evidence gathered against Jeffrey Epstein -- and the argument to move forward with a 60-count indictment against him -- has come to light, as part of the document trove released by Justice Department on Friday. "Epstein is considered an extremely high flight risk and, from information we have received, a continued danger to the community based upon his continued enticement of underage girls," the memo said. That proposed indictment and memo were never pursued in court. It would gather dust in draft form, as Acosta instead negotiated a controversial plea deal with Epstein even as his prosecutors and the FBI were still investigating the case and identifying new victims in other jurisdictions.

muriel_volestrangler

Slovakia PM's national security adviser resigns over Epstein links

(BBC News) The national security adviser to Slovakia's prime minister has resigned after documents released by the US showed he exchanged messages about girls and diplomacy with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Fico announced he had accepted Miroslav Lajčák's departure in a video message on Saturday, describing the adviser as "an incredible source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy".

BumRushDaShow

Pro boxer rescinds Trump endorsement after new Epstein file drop: 'I just can't support'

(Raw Story) Donald Trump is known to flaunt his pro sports endorsements, but he lost one Saturday. Ryan Garcia, the right-wing, former champion boxer who is known for his Trump support and who was previously expelled by the World Boxing Council for repeatedly hurling racial slurs against Black people and disparaging Muslims, over the weekend announced that Trump has gone too far for his own moral tastes.

Expand Featured Stories

Issue Forums

Alliance Forums

Latest Breaking News

Kennedy Center to close for 2 years for renovations in July, Trump says, after performers' backlash

42 min ago - WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts center for two years starting in July for construction, his latest proposal to upturn the storied venue since returning t ... (Associated Press)

The Government Published Dozens of Nude Photos in the Epstein Files

1 hr ago - The Justice Department published dozens of unredacted nude images on its website, showing young women or possibly teenagers whose photos were contained in files related to the wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. -snip- But in the process of reviewi ... (NYT)

'Melania,' panned by some film critics, opens with strong ticket sales for a documentary

1 hr ago - By JAKE COYLE Updated 11:27 AM CST, February 1, 2026 Leer en español NEW YORK (AP) — Promoted by President Donald Trump as “a must watch,” the Melania Trump documentary “Melania” debuted with a better-than-expected $7 ... (AP)

Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Iranian drama 'It Was Just an Accident' arrested in Tehran

3 hrs ago - By JAKE COYLE Updated 12:28 PM CST, February 1, 2026 Leer en español One of the Oscar-nominated screenwriters of the Iranian drama “It Was Just an Accident” has been arrested in Tehran just weeks before the Academy Awards. Represent ... (AP)

Source: Measles outbreak reported at ICE's Dilley family detention facility

4 hrs ago - San Antonio News Source: Measles outbreak reported at ICE's Dilley family detention facility ICE officials informed members of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the outbreak, immigration attorney Eric Lee said. by Stephanie Koithan February 1, 202 ... (San Antonio Current)

Blanche says DOJ unable to investigate tips about Trump's involvement with Epstein

5 hrs ago - Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that federal investigators are unable to investigate various tips the FBI received about President Trump’s alleged involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “ ... (The Hill)

Mayor of Portland, Oregon, demands ICE leave the city after federal agents tear gas protesters

5 hrs ago - February 1, 2026 / 5:21 PM EST The mayor of Portland, Oregon, demanded U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave his city after federal agents launched tear gas at a crowd of demonstrators — including young children — outside an ICE fa ... (CBS News/AP)

House Democrats tell GOP leadership they won't help pass funding package through fast-track process

5 hrs ago - House Democrats have informed GOP leaders they will not help pass a funding package through a fast-track process, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill — complicating Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) plan to swiftly pass the ... (The Hill)

Black philanthropy races to save history as Trump cuts support

6 hrs ago - 9h Private nonprofits and Black philanthropists are stepping in to save endangered Black history touchstones as the Trump administration orders agencies to scrub or rewrite "equity-related" public history. Why it matters: Private Black funding is be ... (msn/Axios)

More winter weather leads to heavy snow, canceled flights and, in Florida, falling iguanas

6 hrs ago - By ADRIAN SAINZ Updated 3:34 PM CST, February 1, 2026 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A huge swath of the U.S. from the Gulf Coast into New England was mired in extra-cold temperatures Sunday after a bomb cyclone brought heavy snow and hundreds of f ... (AP)

Washington scolds Cuba after crowds heckle US diplomat

6 hrs ago - The United States on Sunday accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its top diplomat in Havana after small groups of Cubans jeered at him during meetings with residents and church representatives outside the capital. Amid rising tensions between ... (Reuters)

Trump Quest for Voter Data Spurs Lawsuits, a Raid and Jail Risk

7 hrs ago - February 1, 2026 at 11:11 AM EST The recent FBI raid of a Georgia county election office is a precursor to battles ahead as President Donald Trump's administration steps up efforts to obtain sensitive voter information from states. The effort has se ... (Bloomberg)

Trump's deputy AG unable to explain why Tulsi Gabbard was present at politically-charged search

7 hrs ago - Sunday 01 February 2026 12:15 EST Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche found himself on Sunday struggling to back up the administration’s rationalization for an attempt to re-litigate the 2020 election with a raid on Fulton County, Georgia’ ... (The Independent)

5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and father return to Minnesota from ICE facility in Texas

8 hrs ago - MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained by immigration officers in Minnesota and held at an ICE facility in Texas, have been released following a judge’s order. They have returned to Minnesota, a ... (AP)

US FDA launches program to boost domestic drug manufacturing

8 hrs ago - February 1, 2026 12:16 PM EST Updated 4 hours ago WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sunday began accepting requests to participate in its PreCheck pilot program, designed to boost domestic drug supply by speeding ... (Reuters)

Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting

8 hrs ago - The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. The records viewed by ProPublica l ... (ProPublica)

Trump says US is 'starting to talk to Cuba' as he moves to cut its oil supplies

9 hrs ago - Updated 8:56 AM EST, February 1, 2026 ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said the United States was beginning to talk with Cuban leaders as his administration puts greater pressure on the communist-run island and cuts off key oil ... (AP)

Johnson supports 'reasonable' changes to federal immigration enforcement policies

10 hrs ago - 02/01/26 1:50 PM ET House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Sunday that he supports some of the federal immigration enforcement reforms backed by Democrats. “Some of these conditions and requests that they’ve made are obviously reasonable ... (The Hill)

Leftist and liberal gun groups are seeing a rush of new members

10 hrs ago - By Harmeet Kaur Several niche, left-leaning gun advocacy groups said that since the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, they can hardly keep up with the surging demand for firearms training. With President Donald Trump sending ar ... (CNN)

Deputy AG Blanche defends Epstein files release as survivors slam administration over redaction failures

11 hrs ago - February 1, 2026, 11:14 AM Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Justice Department's release of more than 3 million pages from the department's files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as survivors and lawmaker ... (ABC News)