Progressive search for action

23+ min ago (237+ words) New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman warned on Thursday that President Donald Turmp's second administration appears to be pushing America toward its third civil war, citing the "flying elephants" that the administration keeps letting out. To Friedman, these flying elephants are incidents that reveal "something very different is going on" that people need to pay attention to. Friedman called attention to a 33-page National Security memo the Trump administration published last week as the latest flying elephant that "no one should ignore." In the document, the Trump administration described America's allies in Europe as democracies that "undermine political liberty and sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence." The language the administration used alarmed Friedman, as he noted in…...

31+ min ago (155+ words) Senate Republicans on Thursday rejected a Democratic proposal to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Notably, both Republican senators from Alaska stood out, as both broke party lines and voted with Democrats. There's a key reason for that, Politico reported on Thursday. "Both bills failed, so I hope it is a way to come together on these kinds of reforms," Sullivan said after the votes. "My state's hurting on this." Alaska, being a remote, rural state with a particularly high cost of living, has been particularly vulnerable to debates in Congress about federal cuts. During the passage of President Donald Trump's tax cut megabill, Murkowski negotiated a carveout for Alaska from the planned cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly known as food stamps. ALSO READ:…...

31+ min ago (235+ words) It's been no secret that First Lady Melania Trump has been accused of being a grinch, but an analyst Thursday suggested that she could be "quiet quitting" Christmas " and her marriage. Salon's Andi Zeisler pointed out how "first lady's retreat from the holiday season suggests a deeper kind of disengagement" and that her lackluster book reading to children this holiday season shows she has done "the barest minimum required." "And it wasn't surprising that when it came time for the annual tradition of reading a picture book to children at Washington, D.C.'s Children's National Hospital, the least-enthusiastic first lady in living memory did not bring her A game," Zeisler wrote. Melania has read to children audiences in the past, showing illustrations to kids. But some have argued that "hating Christmas is simply Melania Trump's thing, much the same as Nancy…...

43+ min ago (1720+ words) White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt lost it Thursday when CNN's Kaitlan Collins quoted President Trump's own statements on the economy and Christmas. Leavitt tried to deflect, saying that Trump actually meant that he wants products made in America by American small businesses, even if they cost more, because Americans would get a better-quality product and would be supporting their fellow Americans. "Again, with respect to affordability, every economic metric, Kaitlan, and I wish you would report more on it, does in fact show that the economy is getting better and brighter than where it was under the previous administration," Leavitt added, specifically pointing to inflation, real wages, and gas prices. Collins pressed further, pointing out that grocery prices have been up, but Leavitt kept repeating that inflation was down and that the press didn't report on the high levels…...

47+ min ago (224+ words) Social media exploded with users celebrating the Indiana Senate for rejecting President Donald Trump's attempt at redistricting before the 2026 midterm elections. Trump sought to redraw the state's district map that would have given Republicans more congressional seats. In a special session on Thursday at the Indiana Statehouse, 31 state senators voted against the bill, 21 of whom were Republicans. Right before the vote, Trump threatened Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray and his Republican colleagues. "Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring," Trump wrote. "Rod Bray and his friends won't be in Politics for long, and I will do everything within my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party, and our Country, again." Trump's mid-decade redistricting pressure campaign…...

58+ min ago (285+ words) U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during the announcement of new fuel economy standards, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins' (D) surprise blowout win in Miami, Florida's mayoral runoff race this week is a "wakeup call for President Donald Trump," according to the Washington Post editorial board. "It's a huge deal in Miami because Cuban Republicans have dominated local politics for a generation. A Democrat hasn't been elected mayor since 1997, and his victory was invalidated the next year because of ballot fraud," the Post wrote, noting that Trump's unpopular policies effectively doomed Gonz'lez. "Insiders in both parties say Trump's aggressive deportation campaign against immigrants who have no criminal record beyond being in the country illegally turned off Hispanic independents who backed him last year," the editorial read. "Another frustration was Trump…...

58+ min ago (175+ words) A person wears a hat reading Trump The Peace President before President Donald Trump speaks to the Knesset, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. Evan VucciPool via REUTERS "Runaway Country" Host Alex Wagner said President Donald Trump's own voters are feeling increasingly betrayed as Trump's slumping economy continues to turn on them. Wagner offered her opinion following a clip of a U.S. veteran telling Congressional lawmakers of watching his wife, who had been in the U.S. for decades, get arrested by ICE months after he voted for Trump in this last election. "Why did you vote for him?" a member of congress asked the veteran. "Because I was an idiot," answered the veteran. "Evangelical Christian people were lied to, if you really want to know the truth. And that's exactly what happened. They said "criminals [would be deported], and I believe criminals need to…...

1+ hour ago (170+ words) Hollywood actress Amanda Seyfried refused to apologize for calling the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk hateful, despite backlash following a Utah university shooting. In a defiant interview, she said her comment reflected her opinion based on reality and actual statements, framing it as a matter of free expression. Seyfried also criticized the political right, including President Donald Trump, and insisted she would not back down.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag. Hollywood star refuses to apologize for calling Charlie Kirk hateful Hollywood star refuses to apologize for calling Charlie Kirk hateful Hollywood actress Amanda Seyfried refused to apologize for calling the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk hateful, despite backlash following a Utah university shooting. In a defiant interview, she said her comment reflected her opinion based on reality and actual statements, framing it as…...

1+ hour ago (703+ words) A North Texas woman says a luxury shopping splurge through Neiman Marcus didn't go as planned. Instead of delivering the expensive JW Anderson handbag she paid for, she says the company sent her something much smaller and far cheaper. TikTok creator Crystal (@shinycquin) filmed the moment her Neiman Marcus package arrived. The video has pulled in over 68,300 views as she records herself opening the box in real time. "Guys, my package from Neiman Marcus finally came in," she says while lifting the box. "I'm really worried because I think they sent me the wrong thing." She immediately notices something feels off. "It's too light," she adds before cutting it open. "Y'all" this is scaring me." Inside, she finds a small paper bag instead of the handbag she ordered. "What the [expletive]?" she says as she pulls the item out. "They…...

1+ hour, 3+ min ago (365+ words) President Donald Trump's efforts to compel Indiana lawmakers to enact a mid-decade congressional map that could have wiped out all of the Hoosier State's Democratic seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has failed. "Republicans hold a 40-10 advantage in the state Senate but still rejected Trump's pressure," The Washington Post reported. HuffPost called it a "a furious pressure campaign by Trump." "Indiana's proposed congressional map goes down in flames in the state Senate, 31-19," Votebeat managing editor Nathaniel Rakich observed. 26 votes were needed for the new maps to have been adopted. Politico reported that the "failed vote is the culmination of a brass-knuckled four-month pressure campaign from the White House on recalcitrant Indiana Republicans that included private meetings and public shaming from Trump, multiple visits from Vice President JD Vance, whip calls from Speaker Mike Johnson and veiled threats of withheld federal…...