Democratic Underground: Forums for U.S. Liberals and Democrats

Trump administration says it is creating new DOJ division to tackle fraud

January 9, 2026 9:53 AM EST Updated 4 hours ago WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration said on Thursday it was creating a new division at the U.S. Department of Justice to combat what the White House called "rampant" fraud across the country. Rights advocates and critics have said the Trump administration has used fraud allegations as an excuse to target immigrants and political opponents. They have also dismissed Trump's ability to tackle fraud, citin ...

riversedge

Hennepin County prosecutor asks the public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office

Nation Jan 9, 2026 2:01 PM EST MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to her office, challenging the Trump administration's decision to leave the investigation solely to the FBI. Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, she is concerned by the Trump administration's decision to bar state and local a ...

BumRushDaShow

Exxon CEO calls Venezuela 'uninvestable' without 'significant changes'

January 9, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. EST As President Donald Trump pushed U.S. oil companies to commit to invest $100 billion in Venezuela at a White House meeting on Friday, the CEO of ExxonMobil warned the company is far from enlisting. CEO Darren Woods said that Venezuela is "uninvestable" after Trump asked him how long it would take the firm to restart operations there. He added that "significant changes have to be made to those commercial frameworks, the legal system, there has to ...

mahatmakanejeeves

Washington National Opera Is Leaving the Kennedy Center

Washington National Opera Is Leaving the Kennedy Center The opera, which has performed at the arts center since 1971, was concerned by declines in attendance and donations during President Trump's second term. 13m ago Washington National Opera officials contend that exiting the Kennedy Center would also give it more control over programming decisions.Kenny Holston for The New York Times Jan. 9, 2026, 5:40 p.m. ET The Washington National Opera decided on Friday to move its performances out ...

riversedge

OST Seeks Answers After Tribal Members Taken Into ICE Custody

Jan 9, 2026 | 7:02 AM Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out announced on social media that four tribal members were recently detained by ICE in Minneapolis, prompting a formal response from tribal leadership about Native Americans’ rights in federal immigration actions. According to the President’s Office, the men were homeless and staying near the Little Earth housing complex when they were taken into custody. A tribal member who witnessed the incident confirmed they were enrolle ...

Rhiannon12866

Stephen Colbert: The Trump Administration's Message to Americans is "Obey or Die"

Ocelot II

Statement from Renee Good's wife, Becca Good

(MPR News) "First, I want to extend my gratitude to all the people who have reached out from across the country and around the world to support our family. This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind. In fact, kindness radiated out of her."

BumRushDaShow

U.S. payrolls rose 50,000 in December, less than expected

(CNBC) The U.S. labor market ended 2025 on a soft note, with job creation in December less than expected, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 50,000 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate for 73,000.

BumRushDaShow

Democrats threaten to withhold funding after ICE killing in Minneapolis

(The Guardian) A day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen in Minneapolis, Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding restraints on the agency Donald Trump has empowered to carry out his mass deportation campaign – and some are threatening to use the next funding deadline to force those changes. Democrats sharply condemned the Trump administration over the killing of Renee Nicole Good, demanding accountability after the president; JD Vance the vice-president; and the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem repeatedly claimed that the officer acted in “self-defense”.

BumRushDaShow

Democrats call for hearings, independent probes over ICE shooting

(Roll Call) Democratic members of Congress on Thursday called for oversight hearings and independent probes into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration agent as well as the wider Trump administration approach to immigration enforcement. The lawmakers raised concerns about whether the American people would have doubts about a federal investigation into the shooting in Minneapolis, pointing to the quick defenses of the agent from President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that included descriptions of what happened that didn’t appear to match with videos of the incident.

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Protesters sue ICE to stop 'unconstitutional' Minnesota actions after Renee Good's killing

15 min ago - Friday 09 January 2026 12:39 EST Protesters suing to block “unconstitutional” federal law enforcement actions in Minnesota have described officers firing pepper spray into a moving car and threatening to break a car window on the same day a ... (The Independent)

Nicolas Maduro's lawyer weirded out as Reagan-era attorney he 'did not authorize' shows up to represent client

31 min ago - Jan 9th, 2026, 1:05 pm Just days into the Trump administration's narco-terrorism case against captured and deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, two high-profile additions have been made to his legal team. Oddly, one of those lawyers, who famous ... (Law & Crime)

Texas hands over complete list of registered voters to Trump administration

47 min ago - Posted on January 9, 2026, 8:01 AM Texas officials have turned over the state's voter roll to the U.S. Justice Department, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State's Office, complying with the Trump administration's demands for ac ... (Houston Public Media/NPR)

FBI picks career agent to replace Dan Bongino as deputy director

1 hr ago - PUBLISHED Jan 9, 2026, 6:02 PM ET FBI Director Kash Patel has named Christopher Raia, a seasoned career agent, to replace Dan Bongino as deputy director, according to people briefed on the matter. Raia is a respected agent with 22 years’ experie ... (CNN Politics)

Judge Blocks Trump Officials From Freezing Billions in Social Services Funds

1 hr ago - Jan. 9, 2026, 6:28 p.m. ET A federal judge in New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration from freezing roughly $10 billion in federal funding for child care and social services destined for five Democratic-led states, keeping funds flowing ... (New York Times)

[Canadian] Unemployment rate jumps to 6.8% as more workers look for jobs

1 hr ago - The Canadian Press Unemployment rate jumps to 6.8% as more workers look for jobs Craig Lord Fri, January 9, 2026 at 2:55 p.m. EST 4 min read OTTAWA -- Statistics Canada said a surge in workers rejoining the labour force pushed the unemployment rate h ... (The Canadian Press, via Yahoo!Finance)

Jack Smith to testify publicly before House Judiciary Committee as soon as this month

2 hrs ago - January 9, 2026 / 1:57 PM EST Washington — Former special counsel Jack Smith is expected to testify publicly in front of the House Judiciary Committee as soon as this month. GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, the committee's chairman, told Politico on Friday ... (CBS News)

Exxon CEO calls Venezuela 'uninvestable' without 'significant changes'

2 hrs ago - January 9, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. EST As President Donald Trump pushed U.S. oil companies to commit to invest $100 billion in Venezuela at a White House meeting on Friday, the CEO of ExxonMobil warned the company is far from enlisting. CEO Darren Woods sa ... (Washington Post)

Washington National Opera Is Leaving the Kennedy Center

2 hrs ago - Washington National Opera Is Leaving the Kennedy Center The opera, which has performed at the arts center since 1971, was concerned by declines in attendance and donations during President Trump's second term. 13m ago Washington National Opera offici ... (New York Times)

Doge cuts cost US taxpayers $10bn to cover workers' paid leave, analysis finds

2 hrs ago - Fri 9 Jan 2026 08.00 EST Last modified on Fri 9 Jan 2026 12.53 EST The Trump administration “wasted” $10bn on paid leave, or paying workers to stay home, as part of the “department of government efficiency’s” assault on the f ... (The Guardian)

Senators urged Apple and Google to remove Musk's X and Grok from app stores over sexual deepfakes

3 hrs ago - Jan. 9, 2026, 11:00 AM EST Three Democratic senators urged Apple and Google to remove Elon Musk’s apps X and Grok from their app stores Thursday evening after xAI’s Grok artificial intelligence tool had been used to flood X with sexualized ... (NBC News)

J&J strikes deal with US government to cut drug prices, gain tariff exemptions

3 hrs ago - January 9, 2026 4:53 AM EST Updated 11 hours ago Jan 8 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) said on Thursday that it has reached an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to cut drug prices for Americans in exchange for exem ... (Reuters)

OST Seeks Answers After Tribal Members Taken Into ICE Custody

4 hrs ago - Jan 9, 2026 | 7:02 AM Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out announced on social media that four tribal members were recently detained by ICE in Minneapolis, prompting a formal response from tribal leadership about Native Americans’ r ... (kotaradio.com)

White House told Secret Service MTG might have tipped off protesters at Trump's restaurant visit: report

4 hrs ago - Friday 09 January 2026 14:10 EST The White House reportedly told the Secret Service that former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was responsible for a security leak that led protesters to interrupt President Donald Trump’s dinner at a Washin ... (The Independent)

DC pipe bomb suspect pleads not guilty to federal charges

4 hrs ago - PUBLISHED Jan 9, 2026, 3:20 PM ET The Virginia man accused of planting two bombs in Washington, DC, five years ago pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of transporting and attempting to use explosives. The DC federal court arraignment for the ... (CNN Politics)

Elon Musk's X threatened with UK ban over wave of indecent AI images

5 hrs ago - Elon Musk’s X has been ordered by the UK government to tackle a wave of indecent AI images or face a de facto ban, as an expert said the platform was no longer a “safe space” for women. The media watchdog, Ofcom, confirmed it would acc ... (Guardian)

Minneapolis Students Told They Can Stay Home Into Feb: Report

5 hrs ago - Published Jan 09, 2026 at 02:46 AM EST updated Jan 09, 2026 at 06:58 AM EST Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) will give students the option of learning from home through February 12 following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent, ac ... (Newsweek)

US intercepts fifth sanctioned tanker as it exerts control over Venezuelan oil distribution

6 hrs ago - WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the U.S. military said, as the Trump administration targets sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela as part of a broader effort to take control o ... (AP)

Hennepin County prosecutor asks the public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office

6 hrs ago - Nation Jan 9, 2026 2:01 PM EST MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to her office, challenging the Tr ... (PBS)

Trump administration says it is creating new DOJ division to tackle fraud

6 hrs ago - January 9, 2026 9:53 AM EST Updated 4 hours ago WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration said on Thursday it was creating a new division at the U.S. Department of Justice to combat what the White House called "rampant" fr ... (Reuters)