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

Trump Shrugs Off Soaring Gas Prices As 'Peanuts' Amid Iran War

(Huff Post) Donald Trump did little to dissuade people from the idea that he is out of touch with the concerns of everyday Americans during a Tuesday press conference. “I had gas down to $1.85 in Iowa. I was in Iowa, and the stations had it at $1.85. But I was down to, in many cases, less than two dollars a gallon,” Trump said. He eventually acknowledged that gas prices have increased since then, but wasn’t exactly contrite. “You want to see the world exploded? You want to see a problem? And this is peanuts.”

BumRushDaShow

Senate Republicans angry and alarmed over Trump's Paxton endorsement

(Politico) President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate primary set off panic among Republicans who worry that keeping the seat will now be a more expensive and potentially futile endeavor. By endorsing Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, Trump rejected the pleas of GOP leaders in Congress who for months had pushed Trump to back a proven winner in the Lone Star State. Now with Trump in his corner, Paxton is well situated to win the primary runoff next week and face Democratic nominee James Talarico in the general election — a matchup Democrats have dreamed of for months.

question everything

Trump's Deal With His Administration Also Ends His Tax Audits

(Wall Streeet Journal) President Trump’s extraordinary agreement with the federal government expanded Tuesday to end all pending tax audits of him and his businesses, according to a document posted by the Justice Department. In the document, signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the government said it would be “FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED” from pursuing certain claims against Trump, his businesses and family members. The agreement specifically blocks the government from taking any action regarding tax returns that already have been filed.

Dulcinea

'Point of no return': A research firm says the oil market is headed for a dire turning point

(Business Insider) Market watchers have puzzled over the reasons for oil's resilience in recent weeks, but things could be about to change for the worse, one research firm is warning. HFI Research, an investment research firm with a focus on energy markets, said it sees the oil market hitting a major turning point in the first week of June. If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed through that time, oil markets will likely descend into "real panic," it said, suggesting that nations around the world could start panic-buying and hoarding oil as oil inventories hit rock bottom.

KS Toronado

Wednesday's Condensed News Cartoons

demmiblue

Iran threatens war 'beyond the region' if US attacks

(Reuters) Iran threatened on Wednesday to spread war beyond the Middle East if the United States attacks again, after President Donald Trump said he had come within an hour of restarting the military campaign. Six weeks since Trump paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have largely stalled.

BumRushDaShow

NAACP calls for Black student-athletes to boycott Southern schools amid redistricting backlash

(NBC News) The NAACP launched a campaign Tuesday calling on Black student-athletes to boycott Southern colleges in the wake of a Supreme Court decision last month that weakened the Voting Rights Act, leading to the dismantling of one majority-Black congressional district and a push to scrap others. “The NAACP will not watch the same institutions that depend on Black athletic prowess to fill their stadiums and their bank accounts remain silent while their states strip Black communities of their voice,” NAACP National President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement.

BumRushDaShow

John Adams quote projected on DOJ building in protest of $1.8B fund

(NBC News) Opponents of a $1.776 billion taxpayer-backed “anti-weaponization” fund projected a quotation from one of the Founding Fathers onto the Justice Department building in protest. “A government of laws, not of men,” read the quotation from John Adams, the second president. The quotation was shown over one of the large banners of President Donald Trump that were set up in February at the Justice Department headquarters, known as “Main Justice.”

BumRushDaShow

Democrats eye 2027 crackdown on AI in election ads

(Axios) House Democrats plan to push legislation regulating the use of AI in political ads if they retake power next year, Axios has learned. The use of AI in election ads has exploded in the 2026 midterms, with some campaigns using the new technology to push the limits of negative campaigning. Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, told Axios that regulating the use of AI on the campaign trail will "absolutely" be a priority for him.

Baitball Blogger

Alan Chambers, former Exodus International leader, charged with soliciting minor

(RNS) The former leader of a now-defunct ex-gay ministry was arrested in Florida on Tuesday morning (May 19) in connection with a sheriff’s department sting. In an arrest affidavit, an undercover officer alleged that 54-year-old Alan Chambers, the former president of Exodus International, which disbanded in 2013, exchanged sexual messages for several months with someone he thought was a teenager.

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Trump orders banks to take a closer look at clients' citizenship in new immigration enforcement move

13 min ago - May 20, 2026, 9:21 AM EDT WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that requires banks to take a closer look at the citizenship of their customers, a new measure in his administration’s push to clamp down on ... (NBC News/AP)

Trump attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell nominated to judgeship pledges to recuse from cases

42 min ago - Trump attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell nominated to judgeship pledges to recuse from cases By Nate Raymond May 20, 2026 2:56 PM EDT Updated 3 hours ago Matthew Schwartz appears before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing on his judici ... (Reuters)

Mike Johnson Grilled on Whether J6 Rioters Who Assaulted Cops Can Cash In on $1.8B 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

47 min ago - May 20th, 2026, 2:00 pm House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) danced around the question of whether the January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers would be eligible for President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” ... (MEDIAite)

George Soros' foundations pledge $300M for US democracy amid attacks on nonprofits

1 hr ago - Updated 8:02 AM EDT, May 20, 2026 NEW YORK (AP) — George Soros ’ Open Society Foundations pledged $300 million Wednesday toward initiatives it says will defend democratic rights and advance economic security in the U.S. over the next five y ... (AP)

Trump officials say they can build 250-foot arch without Congress's approval

1 hr ago - Trump officials say they can build 250-foot arch without Congress's approval To build a triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery, the administration hopes to rely on a 100-year-old authorization for a different project on the site. May 20, 2026 at 4:53 ... (Washington Post)

RFK Jr. fires task force members who decide what preventive medical care should be provided at no cost

2 hrs ago - Wednesday 20 May 2026 16:58 EDT US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed the chair and vice-chair of an influential task force responsible for determining which preventive medical services should be provided to patients at no cost. Dr ... (The Independent)

Thune: Trump's targeting of Senate parliamentarian is 'concerning'

2 hrs ago - 05/20/26 1:36 PM ET Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that President Trump’s harsh attacks on Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough are “concerning” if those salvos could make the Senate rules-keeper a political tar ... (The Hill)

Samsung's union puts off strike after reaching last-minute wage deal with management

3 hrs ago - By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM Updated 9:48 AM CDT, May 20, 2026 Leer en español SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics’ labor union said Wednesday it’ll hold off on launching a planned strike and put a tentative wa ... (AP)

White House must comply with Presidential Records Act, judge rules

3 hrs ago - White House must comply with Presidential Records Act, judge rules A court ordered Trump aides to ignore a Justice Department opinion that said the records law is unconstitutional. he White House wrote in a Statement of Administration Policy that it ... (Politico)

Fed officials see rate hike ahead if inflation stays elevated, minutes show

3 hrs ago - Published Wed, May 20 2026 2:01 PM EDT Updated An Hour Ago WASHINGTON — A majority of Federal Reserve officials at their most recent meeting anticipated that interest rate increases would be necessary if the Iran war continued to aggravate infla ... (CNBC)

DOJ charges prosecutor with attempting to steal report on Trump's classified docs case

3 hrs ago - DOJ charges prosecutor with attempting to steal report on Trump's classified docs case The report has remained secret since it was sealed by a judge last year. By Alexander Mallin, Katherine Faulders, and Peter Charalambous May 20, 2026, 1:51 PM The ... (ABC News)

James Murdoch, Intent on 'Thoughtful Journalism,' Buys Half of Vox Media

4 hrs ago - May 20, 2026Updated 10:13 a.m. ET James Murdoch is acquiring roughly half of Vox Media, a dramatic expansion in American media for the younger son of the industry titan Rupert Murdoch. The deal includes Vox Media's podcast network as well as New Yor ... (New York Times)

Bipartisan home affordability bill passes the House

4 hrs ago - May 20, 2026 1:37 PM ET Republicans and Democrats in the House voted Wednesday to pass a bill to address the nation's housing affordability crisis. It encourages homebuilding across the country and would ban corporate landlords from buying up more th ... (NPR)

Trump demands Senate Republicans fire parliamentarian

5 hrs ago - Trump demands Senate Republicans fire parliamentarian The president’s broadside comes days after she rejected Republicans’ effort to fund the ballroom project through an immigration enforcement bill. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDono ... (Politico)

U.S. indicts Cuba's Ral Castro on murder and conspiracy charges for downing of planes in 1996

5 hrs ago - Updated on: May 20, 2026 / 1:45 PM EDT / CBS News Washington — Former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five others have been indicted by a U.S. grand jury in Florida in connection with the Cuban military's fatal downing of two planes 30 years ... (CBS News)

Tesla Cybertruck driver arrested after driving into lake to use 'wade mode', police say

6 hrs ago - A man has been arrested in Texas accused of intentionally driving his Tesla Cybertruck into a lake to use the vehicle's "wade mode" feature. The Grapevine Police Department said its officers were called to Grapevine Lake in north Texas on Monday to r ... (BBC)

The President's House has been named an endangered historic site. A Philly org is getting $25K to help keep it alive.

6 hrs ago - Published May 20, 2026, 8:01 a.m. ET The President’s House Site on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall is one of the 11 most endangered historic sites in the United States due to President Donald Trump’s administration’s targeting of ... (Philadelphia Inquirer)

All 50 states top $4 a gallon gas as Iran war impacts linger

7 hrs ago - 5h All 50 states have average gas prices above $4 a gallon, AAA said Wednesday, with seven now topping $5 a gallon. Why it matters: As the war with Iran approaches the three-month mark, soaring fuel prices are costing Americans millions of dollars a ... (msn/Axios)

Tennessee man jailed over Charlie Kirk post wins $835,000 settlement

8 hrs ago - By R.J. RICO Updated 8:01 AM CDT, May 20, 2026 Leer en español Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative ... (AP)

Longtime Trump ally Michael Caputo files first known claim for 'anti-weaponization' fund

8 hrs ago - May 19, 2026, 10:44 PM EDT Political operative and longtime Trump ally Michael Caputo filed the first known claim for the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization” fund Tuesday, seeking $2.7 million in restitution. Caputo, who was ... (NBC News)