Progressive search for action

9+ min ago (316+ words) A federal grand jury in Virginia refused to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud for the second time in a week, according to a report by ABC News. James drew President Donald Trump's ire when her office prosecuted him, the Trump Org, and several of his family members, and she was charged with mortgage fraud by the president's former attorney and his handpicked appointee as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan. Halligan also charged former FBI Director James Comey'with making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. These prosecutions were widely panned as lacking in legal merit, even by numerous conservatives, with many viewing the cases as a politically motivated "revenge tour" on behalf of an aggrieved president. In November, U.S. District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie for the District…...

11+ min ago (224+ words) The Senate failed to pass either of the competing plans to fix the looming health care crisis, setting up the expiration of the Affordable Care Act's extended subsidies at the end of the year with no clear plan to help people whose premiums will spike. According to ABC News, the Democrats' plan, which was a clean three-year extension of ACA subsidies, was broadly rejected by the GOP. Four Republican senators " Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Josh Hawley (R-MO), crossed over to back the Democratic plan, giving it 51 votes, but falling short of the 60 votes needed. At the same time, the GOP's competing plan, which replaced ACA subsidies with direct payments to people with high-deductible plans that they would hold in private health savings accounts, also failed with only 51 votes. All Republicans except Sen. Rand…...

12+ min ago (1378+ words) Alejandro Velasco, a historian of modern Latin America, discusses the latest Venezuela developments. Independent journalism at Truthout faces unprecedented authoritarian censorship. If you value progressive media, please make a year-end donation today. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually. And other things are happening, so you'll be seeing that later, and you'll be talking about that later with some of the people. " REPORTER 1: We're interested in the seizure of this tanker. What happens to the oil on this ship? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, we keep it, I guess. I don't know. REPORTER 2: Where does it go? What port does it go to? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, you'll have to follow the tanker. You know, you're a good newsman. Just follow the…...

13+ min ago (197+ words) Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was confronted by a protester at the beginning of her hearing Thursday morning in Washington, D.C.Noem was beginning to speak to a panel of lawmakers about potential security threats when a protester, who appeared to be wearing a liturgical outfit, stood up with a sign and wooden cross and started yelling "stop the raids, the power of Christ compels you. End deportations!"He was escorted out of the room by Capitol police.Kristi Noem's opening statement to the House is immediately interrupted by an anti-deportation protester pic.twitter.com/wc5Kg0LTM1" Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 11, 2025 'The power of Christ compels you!' Screaming protester interrupts Kristi Noem amid hearing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was confronted by a protester at the beginning of her hearing Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. Noem was beginning to speak to a panel of…...

24+ min ago (418+ words) Flying with toddlers is usually a recipe for disaster, but Rumer Willis's new video made it look like a heartfelt holiday memory. She just shared the cutest video of traveling with her 2-year-old daughter Louetta, who she shares with ex Derek Richard Thomas, and it'll remind you to enjoy the whimsy of the season. "Fly home with us," Willis wrote in text over the video on Instagram. In her caption, she added, "Finally heading home for the holidays " In the video, Louetta walks behind her mom at the airport, dressed in an adorable denim overall dress over a white collared shirt and pink heart-print tights, with brown cowboy boots. She looks so cute smiling up at her mom and skipping across the tile like she's having the time of her life. Related story Beyonc's Teen Daughter Blue Ivy Looks All…...

30+ min ago (605+ words) President Donald Trump, the would-be monarch Bribery, inflation, plagues, crumbling trade links, stalled innovation " all these negatives helped bring down the once-mighty Roman Empire. But Rome needed centuries of bad leadership to collapse. Donald Trump seems to be undoing American greatness at warp speed. Sure, the United States possesses strengths that will maintain an aura of power for some time to come. But Trump has turbocharged the kind of destructive governance that could undo us. Such a blatant grift recalls the Emperor Commodus (180-192 A.D.), who turned his palace into a marketplace for selling political payoffs or protection. Consulships and governorships were hawked openly. Roman historian Cassius Dio described Commodus' court as a "shop for offices." Trump is supercharging inflation, thanks in part to his price-raising trade wars and his spending " the highest peacetime spending outside pandemic disruptions. Add in his tax…...

32+ min ago (278+ words) President Donald Trump's Justice Department suffered yet another humiliating setback on Thursday, as a grand jury in Virginia refused to return a fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James " the second time this has happened since the original case against her was thrown out. According to ABC News, "Federal prosecutors on Thursday failed to convince a majority of grand jurors to approve charges that James misled a bank to obtain favorable loan terms on a home mortgage, according to sources. The charges were presented to a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia's Alexandria branch after a grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, last week rejected the charges." A federal grand jury rejecting a prosecutor's proposed indictment, also called a "no true bill," is extremely rare, as prosecutors generally get to present their case unchallenged at this stage…...

35+ min ago (375+ words) Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Thursday was forced to face a combat veteran whose Irish wife has remained in prison for four months and is facing deportation over two bad checks she wrote 10 years ago " and the internet didn't hold back. "I believe that people that are in this United States, that are citizens, have legal status here," Noem said in response. But Magaziner turned the tables on Noem. He offered up a Purple Heart veteran who is now living in South Korea due to ICE, and who appeared at the hearing via Zoom, before directing her attention to veteran Jim Brown, who was in the audience and whose wife, a native of Ireland, has been jailed by DHS for four months as she awaits deportation. People had strong reactions to the moment online: "Great work here by…...

39+ min ago (344+ words) The Independent's White House reporter Andrew Feinberg pressed the Trump administration Thursday on how the president's vast wealth compares to Americans who are struggling with affordability as the holiday season gears up. During a stop in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Trump repeated his claim that parents don't need to buy their kids "37 dolls." "About his doll comments the other night," Feinberg began. "The president is a billionaire, probably the wealthiest person who ever served as president. Is it a good look for him to be telling parents, "You should only buy two or three dolls for your kids,' when he's one of the wealthiest people in the country?" Leavitt snapped back, "Do you think the people in that room in Pennsylvania don't know the president's a billionaire? I think it's a well established fact. They re-elected him because he's a businessman,…...

48+ min ago (221+ words) The Trump administration has considered revoking visas of two prominent critics of billionaire Elon Musk " a once close ally of President Donald Trump " and his X social platform, according to a new Zeteo report on Thursday. New documentation viewed by Zeteo indicated that high-level talks were underway among top government officials to decide whether to make the decision. "Per a draft for an action memo outlining options for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration is weighing a move to revoke the visas of former European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton and Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate," according to the outlet. It could be the first attempt for the Trump administration to revoke visas of people it deems are censoring Americans. "Just last week, the State Department reportedly directed officials to screen out applicants…...