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

'Enjoy what may be your last Christmas!' Trump attacks 'sleazebags' in dark holiday screed

(Raw Story) President Donald Trump attacked people he described as "losers" and "sleazebags" in a dark screed on social media on Christmas night. In the post, Trump attempted to distance himself from disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, someone he has previously referred to as a close friend. This comes at a time when new revelations from recently released Epstein files show Trump rode on Epstein's private plane, dubbed the "Lolita Express," at least eight times. Other documents indicate Trump spent time at Epstein's home in New York City, and that the two men exchanged birthday pleasantries.

BumRushDaShow

Republican State Senator faces backlash for his weird AI-generated Christmas Day assault on Santa

(Huff Post) Talk about a violent night! Indiana state Sen. Chris Garten (R) is facing backlash after he kicked off Christmas Day by posting a bizarre series of AI-generated pictures showing him beat up Santa Claus in front of the state capitol building. The mock images depict a sleeveless Garten surrounded by a crowd of cheering supporters as he kicks, punches and pulls off a body splash on Kris Kringle in wrestler-like fashion.

Omaha Steve

Trump says US struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians

(AP) President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he’d launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after he spent weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians. The president’s post did not include information about how the strike was carried out and what effects it had and the White House did not immediately provide further details.

BumRushDaShow

Bankruptcies hit US spirit makers as Americans drink and spend less

(USA Today) You'll have to excuse distillers and spirits makers if they need a stiff drink this holiday season. The past year has dealt makers of whiskey and other liquor a mix of challenges – from Americans cutting back on their alcohol consumption for health and spending reasons to declining exports hampered by trade issues and tariffs. It's not just restaurants and retailers hit with bankruptcies in 2025. Several distilleries across the U.S. filed for bankruptcy this year

KS Toronado

Friday's Condensed News Cartoons

BumRushDaShow

Zelenskyy says meeting with Trump to happen 'in the near future'

(ABC News) A meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump will happen “in the near future,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, signaling progress in talks to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. “We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level – with President Trump in the near future,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “A lot can be decided before the New Year,” he added.

BumRushDaShow

White House to present plans for Trump's East Wing ballroom in January

(Reuters) The White House will unveil new details on President Donald Trump's planned East Wing ballroom during a hearing early next month, according to a federal commission tasked with reviewing the project. The new ballroom, which Trump has said would cost $400 million and would dwarf the adjacent White House building, has been challenged in court by preservationists, while Democratic lawmakers have called it an abuse of power and are investigating which donors are supporting it.

Coldwater

JD Vance is living in an alternate reality

BumRushDaShow

Trump Says 'Housing First' Failed the Homeless. Here's What the Evidence Says.

(New York Times) When the Trump administration announced plans last month to redistribute billions of dollars in homelessness aid, the move capped a conservative attack on the once-bipartisan philosophy that has guided federal work for a generation, an approach called Housing First. The administration called the policy a permissive approach that had let homelessness rise, while supporters said Housing First was backed by proven science.

BumRushDaShow

'We're being blindsided': Federal charity drive suffers historic losses under Trump

(Raw Story) A federal charity drive is reportedly facing hardship due to Trump's actions. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10927, which authorized the U.S. Civil Service Commission to authorize nonprofit solicitations from employees of the federal government. The federal charity drive, according to Washington Post reporter Meryl Kornfield, has "raised more than $9 billion from federal government employees" over the years. But Kornfield, in an article published on Christmas Day 2025, reports that the program is "facing a steep decline in donations and other challenges just months after the Trump administration weighed canceling it altogether."

Expand Featured Stories

Issue Forums

Latest Breaking News

Former IRS worker says months after retiring, she's still waiting for money she's owed

12 min ago - Posted 9:00 AM, Dec 26, 2025 For 33 years, Donna Talbott worked for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), spending the majority of her years working remotely. “I absolutely loved my job," Talbott said. "I helped taxpayers, I always said I worked f ... (Scripps News)

Social Security Could Be Under Threat From AI

38 min ago - Published Dec 26, 2025 at 11:02 AM EST A report published by Barron's on Friday pointed out some of the negative effects that artificial intelligence (AI) could have on the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is already facing a funding gap a ... (Newsweek)

Lawmakers push to reimburse food stamp benefits lost to theft

1 hr ago - Posted December 26, 2025 at 7:00am Lawmakers in 2024 let lapse the authority for states to reimburse food stamp recipients who lost their benefits to fraud. Several lawmakers want to reverse course. In the two years the Agriculture Department had the ... (Roll Call)

Cops ask federal judge to compel Capitol architect to 'follow the law' and install years-delayed Jan. 6 memorial plaque

1 hr ago - Dec 26th, 2025, 12:08 pm The plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit are imploring a federal court to "compel" the architect of the U.S. Capitol Complex to "follow the law" and install a memorial plaque honoring police officers who protected the national le ... (Law & Crime)

Canada making border crossing change that will impact Americans

1 hr ago - 10h The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will scrap its long-running Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Program, a system that has allowed thousands of U.S. travelers to enter through remote northern crossings without reporting to a staffed port ... (msn/Newsweek)

Texas, Florida lead GOP battle against Muslim advocacy groups

2 hrs ago - 12/26/25 6:00 AM ET Republicans in Texas and Florida are leading efforts to target Muslim advocacy organizations in what civil rights advocates say is a coordinated effort to present Islam as a “national security threat.” According to advoc ... (The Hill)

Aluminum salts emerge as likely target as health officials scrutinize childhood vaccines

2 hrs ago - Dec. 26, 2025, 5:00 AM EST With further changes to the U.S.’ recommended vaccine schedule likely in the year ahead under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership, his agency’s recent scrutiny of one vaccine additive in parti ... (NBC News)

The cultural works becoming public domain in 2026, from Betty Boop to Nancy Drew

3 hrs ago - December 26, 2025 5:00 AM ET A new year means a new parade of classic characters and works entering the public domain. Under U.S. law, the copyright on thousands of creations from 1930 — including films, books, musical compositions and more ... (NPR)

China sanctions 20 US defense companies and 10 executives over massive arms sales to Taiwan

3 hrs ago - BEIJING (AP) — Beijing imposed sanctions on Friday against 20 U.S. defense-related companies and 10 executives, a week after Washington annoucned large-scale arms sales to Taiwan. The sanctions entail freezing the companies’ assets in China ... (AP)

Billboards telling troops to obey only lawful orders go up near Florida military base

3 hrs ago - Friday 26 December 2025 10:31 EST A billboard campaign telling troops to obey only lawful orders in defiance of the Trump administration has launched in Florida near a military base. Nonprofits Defiance.org and WhistleblowerAid.org launched the campa ... (The Independent)

New Medicare Program: Full List of Services That Will Need Prior Approval

4 hrs ago - Published Dec 26, 2025 at 12:39 PM EST updated Dec 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM EST Medicare is launching a new pilot program that will require prior approval for 17 health services using artificial intelligence tools. The Wasteful and Inappropriate Service ... (Newsweek)

As ICE ramps up deportations, Texas prosecutors say they're losing key witnesses in criminal cases

5 hrs ago - Published December 26, 2025 6:00AM (EST) In West Texas, a man was indicted in September for assaulting Manuel Chairez-Montes, fracturing the left side of his face. But before District Attorney Sarah Stogner could take the case to trial, Chairez-Monte ... (Salon)

US judge blocks Trump administration from deporting UK anti-disinformation campaigner

5 hrs ago - A US judge has blocked US authorities from detaining or deporting a British anti-disinformation campaigner who is among five European nationals targeted by the Trump administration because of moves to push back against hate speech and misinformation. ... (The Guardian/US)

Deal to extend ObamaCare subsidies faces uphill battle despite GOP optimism

6 hrs ago - 12/26/25 6:00 AM ET A key GOP senator is expressing optimism that Republicans and Democrats will agree to a deal that would extend expiring health care subsidies, but the effort faces an uphill climb in winning the backing of leaders in both parties. ... (The Hill)

Times Square to feature patriotic crystal ball for New Year's Eve, kicking off US's 250th birthday

6 hrs ago - By SUSAN HAIGH Updated 10:24 AM CST, December 26, 2025 After the crystal ball drops on New Year’s Eve in New York City, it will rise again, sparkling in red, white and blue to usher in 2026 and kick off months of celebrations for the nation’ ... (AP)

Amid a battery boom, graphite mining gets a fresh look in the US

7 hrs ago - Updated 12:02 AM EST, December 26, 2025 GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. (AP) — Graphite mines in the United States largely closed down seven decades ago. Mining the ubiquitous mineral found in everything from nuclear reactors to pencils seemed to make little s ... (AP)

Yemen separatists accuse Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes against their forces

7 hrs ago - By JON GAMBRELL and AHMED AL-HAJ Updated 6:45 AM CST, December 26, 2025 Leer en español ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Separatists in southern Yemen accused Saudi Arabia on Friday of targeting their forces with airstrikes, something not immediately ... (AP)

Zelensky says he plans to meet Trump in Florida for peace talks Sunday

8 hrs ago - Updated Dec 26, 2025, 9:47 AM ET PUBLISHED Dec 26, 2025, 8:11 AM ET Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida Sunday, as part of efforts to reach a peace deal to end Russia's nearly four-y ... (CNN World)

White House to present plans for Trump's East Wing ballroom in January

9 hrs ago - December 26, 2025 5:09 AM EST Updated 3 hours ago PALM BEACH, Florida, Dec 25 (Reuters) - The White House will unveil new details on President Donald Trump's planned East Wing ballroom during a hearing early next month, according to a federal commiss ... (Reuters)

South Korea prosecutor seeks 10-year jail term for ex-president Yoon

9 hrs ago - South Korea's special prosecutor requested a 10-year prison sentence on Friday for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including attempted obstruction of his arrest following his failed bid to impose martial law. Prosecutors have accused the ou ... (Reuters)