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.
January 17, 2025
House Republicans take first step in mass deportation scheme
(Daily Kos) Donald Trump’s Deputy Policy Chief and spokesman for "Hair in a can", Stephen Miller, met Wednesday with members of the House Republican Study Committee to begin planning for the mass deportation of immigrants. “He talked about how the cost of immigration is costing this country and he used the example of if an illegal has four children they have the same rights and privileges to the gimmes that Americans do, health care, education, all of that,” Rep. Ralph Norman, Republican of South Carolina, told the Daily Beast.
Go to discussionHouse GOP's Budget Hawks Now Want A $4 Trillion Debt Limit Hike
(Huff Post) The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-right conservative and libertarian Republicans, wants a $4 trillion hike in the nation’s debt limit as part of the GOP’s big but still-developing tax and spending cut plans. A hike in the debt limit would allow the government to continue borrowing to repay past debts and keep it from defaulting on the current $36 trillion-plus in outstanding debt. A default by the U.S. on its debt would trigger catastrophic economic consequences, economists say.
Go to discussionTrump's billionaire Treasury chief nominee says minimum wage should stay at $7.25 per hour
(Raw Story) Billionaire businessman Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Treasury Department, argued that the federal minimum wage should remain at $7.25 an hour. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) asked Bessent about raising the federal minimum wage.
Go to discussionDemocratic states brace for Trump by launching defense of Biden policies
(Reuters) Democratic states' attorneys general launched a legal bid this week to defend Biden administration policies on immigration, the environment and guns, just days before Donald Trump takes office on Monday. Trump has vowed to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally, roll back environmental rules and sweep away Biden transgender policies.
Go to discussion
Trump releases enemies list
(Daily Kos) Donald Trump has released a list of people he wants blacklisted from positions in his upcoming administration. The release of the list comes just a few weeks after Trump said he would not seek retribution against his detractors. On Wednesday night, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch), ‘Dumb as a Rock’ John Bolton, ‘Birdbrain’ Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, disloyal Warmongers Dick Cheney, and his Psycho daughter, Liz, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, General(?) Mark Milley, James Mattis, Mark Yesper, or any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, more commonly known as TDS."
Go to discussionTrump's inauguration will be coldest in decades
(ABC News) President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday is forecast to be the coldest in 40 years. An arctic front will pass by Washington, D.C., on Sunday night and winds will pick up out of the northwest, ushering in arctic air. Monday's temperature will be at its highest -- about 25 degrees -- when the clock strikes Inauguration Day at midnight. Throughout the course of the day, the temperature will slowly fall. When Trump is sworn in at noon, the temperature will be about 18 or 19 degrees. Due to the wind, the wind chill -- what temperature it feels like -- will be between 5 and 10 degrees.
Go to discussionZuckerberg lawyer skewers his 'toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness' as he drops Meta as client
(The Independent) An attorney who previously represented Meta as a client has dropped the social media giant amid growing frustrations over the company’s recent changes. Mark Lemley, a Bay Area intellectual property attorney and Stanford Law School professor, had represented Meta in a proceeding over the company’s alleged use of copyright texts for training artificial intelligence. The case, brought by a group of authors, could lead to precedent case law. But Lemley couldn’t rationalize what he called “Facebook’s descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness,” he wrote on Bluesky.
Go to discussionDeSantis' office proposed getting power to transport migrants outside the US
(Tampa Bay Times) Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office proposed that state lawmakers give him the extraordinary power to transport migrants living in the country illegally outside the United States, according to a list of proposals legislative leaders say they received from his office last week ahead of his push for a special session at the end of the month.
Go to discussionIsrael security cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire agreement
(The Guardian) Israel’s security cabinet has ratified a ceasefire deal to exchange dozens of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli jails and pause the 15-month war for an initial six weeks. The approval came after an unexpected delay which sparked fears that last-minute disagreements between Israel and Hamas could scuttle the agreement. Far-right members of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government also threatened to derail months of work to end the conflict.
Go to discussion