Progressive search for action

9+ min ago (411+ words) Late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel tore into President Donald Trump's branded "Gold Card" on Thursday, lampooning the expedited visa pathway for foreigners willing to pay at least $1 million and jibing that "the best people are the rich people." During his opening monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the host branded the scheme the "Get Into America Express Card," mocking its explicit transactional logic and its break from decades of immigration rhetoric. "This is a card that will allow wealthy foreigners to live here," Kimmel said. "For a million bucks, you get legal visitor status. You get a pathway to citizenship and a presidential pardon for one major crime of your choosing." The policy, now live at TrumpCard.gov, has drawn scrutiny for both its symbolism and its substance. Kimmel suggested it marked a stark rewrite of America's self-image as a refuge for…...

12+ min ago (727+ words) Playbook: "The White House is waking up this morning to some brutal headlines and questions about whether President Donald Trump's power over the GOP is waning after Indiana state lawmakers summarily rejected his redistricting push in the Hoosier State." "The president's political team long set up what turned into the failed, blowout of a 19-31 vote against his proposed map that would have gerrymandered two more safe red seats as a loyalty test. The answer they got is not the one they wanted. The results imperil the party's chances of holding control of Congress next November." If you love coffee as much as I do, use this link to get 50% off and taste the difference for yourself. The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live for members. Donald Trump injects himself into a mega media deal as Republicans lose control of…...

29+ min ago (653+ words) The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live for members. Donald Trump injects himself into a mega media deal as Republicans lose control of the House. If you love coffee as much as I do, use this link to get 50% off and taste the difference for yourself. Playbook: "The White House is waking up this morning to some brutal headlines and questions about whether President Donald Trump's power over the GOP is waning after Indiana state lawmakers" New York Times: "In Congress and across the conservative media sphere, cracks within the president's MAGA movement have appeared on issue after issue, including the Epstein files, military action in" Punchbowl News: "At this point, Trump's redistricting war is a wash at best. Right now, Republicans may net two or three seats, but even that outcome is uncertain." "A couple" "President Donald Trump…...

30+ min ago (1413+ words) Both parties have turned their backs on traditional economic advice. Is the country paying the price? The US's two major parties can agree on one thing: They don't have much use for economists anymore. President Joe Biden ignored economists' warnings about the risks of inflation. President Donald Trump dismissed economists' arguments against his tariffs. And now, rising Democrats are backing price controls, even though mainstream economists aligned with both parties say they typically backfire. Economists' way of thinking has fallen out of favor among the political class more broadly. The right has embraced Trump's zero-sum worldview and lost faith in expertise generally. Many progressives have rejected economists' fundamental focus on trade-offs and the unintended consequences of policy interventions. Both sides are down on the free market. All this marks a major change from many previous decades of US policymaking, in…...

30+ min ago (1878+ words) The Trump administration is killing civilians in the Caribbean and Pacific and trying to suppress videos of boat strikes and press coverage. In September, The Intercept broke the story of the U.S. military ordering an additional strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. "We're bringing a petition alleging that the U.S. violated the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, in particular, the right to life, the right to due process, the right to trial, and we're seeking compensation from the United States for the family of Alejandro Carranza, as well as injunctive relief, asking that the U.S. stop these bombings," Kovalik told The Intercept. "What's to stop a lawless president from killing people in America that he deems to be domestic terrorists?" With a president who regularly targets journalists and critics, Turse adds, "What's to stop a lawless…...

32+ min ago (718+ words) New York Times: "In Congress and across the conservative media sphere, cracks within the president's MAGA movement have appeared on issue after issue, including the Epstein files, military action in Venezuela, health care, tariffs " and redistricting." "In Indiana, Mr. Trump unloaded his full arsenal of persuasion tactics on Republicans. When his charm offensive failed, he turned to his familiar methods, unleashing bombastic attacks on lawmakers and threatening to support primary challengers." "Several Republican legislators also faced anonymous bomb threats and swatting of their homes. Through it all, they held firm." If you love coffee as much as I do, use this link to get 50% off and taste the difference for yourself. Playbook: "The White House is waking up this morning to some brutal headlines and questions about whether President Donald Trump's power over the GOP is waning after Indiana state…...

35+ min ago (940+ words) So, who's ready to stock up on body care? We know we are! This year, Bath & Body Works' highly anticipated Body Care Day sale starts on December 12, 2025 at 6:00 a.m. ET and runs through December 15, 2025 at 5:59 a.m. ET. The sale is available to shop both in store and online. It is important to note, however, that big sale events like this may cause some delays. So, just be patient and place your order as early as possible. Now that we've got all of that taken care of, let's jump to the good stuff. Pretty much everything in Bath & Body Works' body care section is on sale for just under $5. That includes fine fragrance mists and body sprays (perfumes and colognes are not included), body creams and body butters, as well as body wash and body scrubs. If you need some inspiration on what's…...

1+ hour ago (1155+ words) Co-published with Honolulu Civil Beat A top GOP lawmaker is calling on the Department of Defense to pause no-bid contracts through a small-business program for socially and economically disadvantaged companies, noting a scandal in which Native Hawaiian defense contractor Christopher Dawson was accused of cheating it for personal gain. This week Sen. Joni Ernst, chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling contracts awarded through the Small Business Administration's 8(a) program a "fraud magnet." "I am troubled by a company under active federal investigation continuing to receive high-dollar, no-bid contracts from the Pentagon, despite federal actions indicating major concerns regarding the firm's "good character,' which is a required eligibility criterion for 8(a) participants," wrote Ernst, who represents Iowa. Prosecutors said in court documents that, between 2015 and 2021, the total amount of money diverted into one…...

1+ hour, 30+ min ago (1032+ words) The president is deeply unpopular, his policies are failing, and Republicans are losing'everywhere. Miami Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins speaks to supporters as she celebrates her victory at her election-night party held at the Miami Women's Club on December 9, 2025. The last time a Democrat was elected as mayor of Miami, Bill Clinton was president. Over the ensuing decades, Miami became such a consistently Republican town that outgoing Mayor Francis Suarez'who was reelected in 2021 with almost 80 percent of the vote'briefly sought the party's 2024 presidential nomination. But on Tuesday, Miami voters replaced Suarez with Democrat Eileen Higgins,a Peace Corps alumnus, former foreign service officer in Latin America, and Miami-Dade County commissioner with a track record of championing affordable housing, mass transit expansion, and environmental initiatives. It wasn't even close. Higgins won 59.5 percent of the vote, to just 40.5 percent for Republican Emilio Gonz'lez, a…...

1+ hour, 30+ min ago (1405+ words) The 911 operator couldn't send an ambulance because it was already responding to another call from ICE's Stewart Detention Center. "Male detainee needs to go out due to head trauma," an employee at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention center in Georgia tells a 911 operator. The operator tells the employee at Stewart Detention Center that there are no ambulances available. "It's already out " on the last patient y'all called us with," the operator says. "Is there any way you can get one from another county?" the caller asks. "I can try," the operator says. "I can't make any promises, but I can try." The call was one of dozens from the ICE detention facility seeking help with medical emergencies during the first 10 months of the second Trump administration, a sustained period of high call volume from the jail not seen since…...