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.
July 18, 2026
Israeli ministers announce plans for new illegal settlements in Gaza and West Bank
Israels defence and finance ministers announced plans for three illegal settlements in Gaza and more than $400m (£300m) in funding to expand construction in the occupied West Bank, as Israels military commander for the region celebrated violent outposts as his security partners. With national elections scheduled for 27 October, Benjamin Netanyahus far-right coalition is racing to expand control of land in occupied Palestine and drive out Palestinians before its mandate expires. The defenc ...
Go to discussionDemocrat drops out of Wisconsin governor race amid financial disarray
July 17, 2026, 3:36 p.m. ET MADISON Less than a week after the bombshell revelation that her campaign infrastructure was in disarray, Wisconsin's Democratic Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez has ended her gubernatorial campaign. "As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear that there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction not just for this campaign, but for the primary and for Wisconsin. This race is too important to Wisconsin to let that happen," ...
Go to discussionStephen Miller Declares Trump Admin Pushing to De-Bank Illegal Immigrants
Jul 17th, 2026, 6:01 pm White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said President Donald Trumps administration will be pushing to de-bank illegal immigrants a move he said will be a major driver of self-deportation. Miller talked about the plan during a Friday radio interview on Clay Travis and Buck Sextons show. Contrary to popular perception, you know this stupid phrase that illegal aliens live in the shadows illegal aliens dont live in the shadows, Miller said. Illega ...
Go to discussionAppeals Court Lifts Block on USPS Mail-In Ballot Plan in Win for Trump
Jul 17th, 2026, 10:08 pm The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a stay on Friday, temporarily lifting a lower courts block on USPSs mail-in ballot proposal, in a major win for President Donald Trump. On March 31, Trump issued an executive order, Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections, which directs federal agencies to develop state-specific lists of voters who are confirmed U.S. citizens. A provision calls on USPS not to hand ...
Go to discussionTrump says he's holding Canada responsible for wildfire smoke and threatens higher tariffs
PUBLISHED Jul 17, 2026, 4:49 PM ET President Donald Trump said Friday hes holding Canada responsible for wildfire smoke hovering over much of the Midwestern and eastern United States and vowed to call Prime Minister Mark Carney, suggesting that the cost of this pollution could be added to tariffs Canada is already paying. We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily inva ...
Go to discussion