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.
February 20, 2025
Trump can't end birthright citizenship, appeals court says, setting up Supreme Court showdown
(CNN) An appeals court will not allow the Trump administration to end birthright citizenship for certain children of immigrants, in a ruling that could propel the issue to the Supreme Court. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday declined an emergency Justice Department request that it lift the hold a Seattle judge had placed blocking implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order, after concluding the order ran afoul of the Constitution.
Go to discussionUS objects to calling out 'Russian aggression' in G7 statement on Ukraine
(Financial Times) The US is opposing calling Russia the aggressor in a G7 statement on the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, threatening to derail a traditional show of unity, according to five western officials familiar with the matter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation at a virtual G7 summit on Monday has also not yet been agreed, the officials said. The disagreement comes after US President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for the war, described Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections”, and suggested that Russia should be invited back into the G7.
Go to discussionWall Street Journal: Trump Tilts Toward a Ukraine Sellout
(Wall Street Journal) Mr. Trump on Tuesday mimicked Russian propaganda by claiming Ukraine had started the war with Russia and that Kyiv is little better than the Kremlin because it hasn’t held a wartime election. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky replied on Wednesday that Mr. Trump was living in a “disinformation space,” which may have been imprudent but was accurate.
Go to discussionTrump administration yanks CDC flu vaccine campaign
(NPR) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stopping a successful flu vaccination campaign that juxtaposed images of wild animals, such as a lion, with cute counterparts, like a kitten, as an analogy for how immunization can help tame the flu. The news was shared with staff during a meeting on Wednesday, according to two CDC staffers who spoke with NPR on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, and a recording reviewed by NPR.
Go to discussionKristi Noem Reportedly Warned DHS Employees She's Going to Start Polygraphing Them Over Leaking to the Media
(Mediaite) Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told employees under her leadership they will be soon subject to polygraph tests asking about whether or not they have leaked to the media, reported Bloomberg News on Tuesday. Bloomberg’s Homeland Security reporter Ellen Gilmer scooped the news and reported that “Noem last week issued an internal directive that all polygraphs the Department of Homeland Security administers must include a question about unauthorized communications with media and nonprofit organizations, according to a memo described to Bloomberg Government by two people without authorization to speak publicly.”
Go to discussionFired federal workers around the country protest job cuts
This is just the beginning...
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Lawmaker files articles of impeachment against SDNY judge who blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive government data
(Law & Crime) A Republican member of the House on Wednesday introduced articles of impeachment against a federal judge who recently barred DOGE staffers from accessing sensitive Treasury Department data. Early on the morning of Feb. 8, Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued a temporary restraining order blocking such access and requiring all the relevant Elon Musk-aligned employees to “destroy” any copies of documents that were previously downloaded. Reaction online was swift and fierce – with numerous allies of President Donald Trump calling for Engelmayer’s impeachment. Now, those calls have been answered.
Go to discussionDOGE Now Has Access to the Top US Cybersecurity Agency
(Wired) Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old engineer with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) known as “Big Balls,” is now on staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), WIRED has confirmed. He is joined by another member of the DOGE team, 38-year-old software engineer Kyle Schutt, who is now also on the CISA staff, according to a government source. CISA referred WIRED to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), of which it’s a component agency, when reached for comment. DHS did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Go to discussionTyranny requires your fear, your silence, and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage.
Go to discussionTrump must fork over his personal financials if he follows through with Kamala Harris '60 Minutes' lawsuit, CBS says
(Law & Crime) Lawyers for CBS say they plan to demand that President Donald Trump — who is allegedly letting DOGE pillage U.S. treasury data, according to multiple lawsuits — fork over his own personal finance information to the network, should he follow through with his $20 billion lawsuit against it over a Kamala Harris “60 Minutes” interview from last year, which he claims was deceptively “doctored.”
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