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.
October 29, 2025
US Senate passes bill with Republican support to rescind Trump's tariffs on Brazil
(The Guardian) The US Senate on Tuesday approved a measure that would terminate Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Brazilian imports, including coffee, beef and other products, in a rare bipartisan show of opposition to the president’s trade war. The legislation passed in a 52-48 vote, with five Republicans – senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and the former Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky – joining all Democrats in favor.
Go to discussionNavy launches review of Marines' and sailors' personal social media posts
(Task & Purpose) Navy Secretary John Phelan has announced a review into whether sailors’ and Marines’ social media posts have been “misaligned” with official guidance. The Department of the Navy is looking into whether sailors’ and Marines’ social media posts have violated the department’s social media guidance, according to a recent message from Navy Secretary John Phelan.
Go to discussionWhite House fires arts commission expected to review Trump construction projects
(Washington Post) The White House on Tuesday fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency that was expected to review some of President Donald Trump’s construction projects, including his planned triumphal arch in Washington. The commission, which was established by Congress more than a century ago and traditionally includes a mix of architects and urban planners, is charged with providing advice to the president, Congress and local government officials on design matters related to construction projects in the Capitol region.
Go to discussionEpstein Victim Virginia Giuffre Was 'Forced to Sexually Service' Prince Andrew, Author Tells Piers Morgan
(Mediaite) Late Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre was “forced to sexually service” Prince Andrew, according to author Amy Wallace, who helped Giuffre write her recently-published memoir, Nobody’s Girl. Wallace did not mince words during an interview on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored show on Tuesday. Morgan asked Wallace if she had “any doubt” that Giuffre had sex with the prince, and Wallace, while shaking her head, said she did not.
Go to discussionVa. Dems roll out redistricting 'safeguard' to counter GOP map changes in other states
(Raw Story) Virginia House Democrats on Tuesday afternoon released the long-awaited text of their proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to modify congressional districts mid-decade if another state redraws its own congressional map for political reasons. The proposal, House Joint Resolution 6007, would amend Article II, Section 6 of the Virginia Constitution to authorize the legislature to “modify one or more congressional districts … in the event that any state … conducts a redistricting of such state’s congressional districts … for any purpose other than completion of the state’s decennial redistricting or as ordered by a court to remedy an unlawful or unconstitutional district map.”
Go to discussionThe Republicans thwarting the White House's redistricting hopes
(Politico) A fiercely independent governor in New Hampshire, an octogenarian iconoclast in Nebraska and a Kansas Republican who bucked his party on transgender legislation have unwittingly formed a national bulwark against President Donald Trump’s aggressive redistricting push. Despite threats and force, Trump’s team is finding there are some state-level Republicans who simply won’t budge on a legally questionable strategy that would grow the GOP’s advantage in next year’s fight to keep the House.
Go to discussion'A clear and present danger': Judge threatens Bondi, Noem with sanctions after 'troubling' public slams of Abrego Garcia
(Law & Crime) On the same day that the DOJ in one courtroom apparently reversed course on its stated intent to prosecute Kilmar Abrego Garcia before deporting him to Liberia or elsewhere, the federal judge separately handling his criminal human smuggling case threatened U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with sanctions if they continue to pose "a clear and present danger," through their words, to the defendant's right to a fair trial.
Go to discussionCourt disqualifies Trump-appointed US attorney from overseeing multiple criminal cases
(AP) A federal judge disqualified acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in Southern California from several cases after concluding Tuesday that the Trump appointee has stayed in the temporary job longer than allowed by law. U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright disqualified Essayli from supervising the criminal prosecutions in three cases, siding with defense lawyers. Essayli has been unlawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California since July 29, Seabright wrote.
Go to discussionIsraeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 104 overnight as ceasefire looks increasingly fragile
(The Guardian) Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight killed at least 104 Palestinians, including children, in what appeared to be the gravest challenge yet to the increasingly fragile US-brokered ceasefire and the deadliest day since the truce began. The strikes, one of the bloodiest attacks in the two-year war, killed at least 35 children and injured 200 people, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. They took place hours after Donald Trump said nothing would jeopardise the ceasefire agreement he had helped broker.
Go to discussionKennedy directs CDC to study alleged harms of offshore wind farms
(Reuters) U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff to probe the potential harms of offshore wind farms, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The move is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to scrutinize offshore wind development, which Trump himself has repeatedly criticized.
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