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

'They're Betting Our Herd': Texas Ranchers Question USDA as Screwworm Returns

June 8, 2026, at 6:02 a.m. Cotulla, Texas, June 8 (Reuters) - Like many ranchers in South Texas, Susan Storey said nightmarish screwworm outbreaks were among her first childhood memories. ⁠Now 62, ⁠she still recalls seeing wriggling maggots as they burrowed into living livestock and ⁠smelling the burning carcasses of calves that were too far gone for her family to treat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week confirmed two infestations of New World screwworm in Texas ...

BumRushDaShow

Pentagon reworks 'offensive' policy affecting LDS after Mormon lawmakers loudly protest

06/08/26 12:10 PM ET The Pentagon has reworked a list of religious designations service members can register as after Mormon lawmakers in Congress blew up over a previous list that did not label The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) under “Christian.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year declared the Pentagon would cut down the faith codes – the recognized faith groups meant to provide more accurate demographic data on religious beliefs held among service members – ...

riversedge

Albania's Rama vows to push on with Kushner-linked luxury resort despite protests

Story by Edward McAllister • 3h • TIRANA, June 8 (Reuters) - Albania will plough on with a luxury resort planned by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on a remote stretch of Balkan coast despite persistent protests over its environmental impact, Prime Minister Edi Rama told Reuters on Monday. Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the capital Tirana and on the southern coast where the resort has been proposed, calling for the project to be scrapped because of the impact o ...

SouthBayDem

Jailed crypto founder Sam Bankman-Fried seeks Trump pardon

Sam Bankman-Fried, the one-time giant in cryptocurrencies currently in prison for fraud, has applied for a pardon from President Donald Trump. Bankman-Fried was given a 25-year sentence after he was convicted of multiple federal charges related to FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange that he founded and led, and its related company Alameda Research. Just two years into that sentence, the 34-year-old former billionaire has now filed an application for pardon after completion of sentence to the Depa ...

riversedge

Trump family, UFC selling $12,000 'Freedom 250'-themed coins ahead of White House fight night

Story by Ben Blanchet • 2h • As President Donald Trump is set to soak in a bloody UFC brawl outside the White House on his birthday Sunday, his family is getting behind $12,000 gold coins promoting the fight card. The Trump Organization — run by the president’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr. — and the multibillion-dollar mixed martial arts company have partnered to sell a collection of “Freedom 250”-themed silver and gold coins branded with the president’s face and in a case that features a label ...

BumRushDaShow

Global trade faces 'two-front crisis' as Trump's war sparks second strait blockade

(Raw Story) The Yemeni Houthis announced early Monday they would impose a “complete ban” on Israeli sea vessels from passing through the Red Sea, a partial blockade that risks hitting global trade with a “two-front crisis” as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, several outlets reported. “We declare a complete ban on enemy navigation in the Red Sea and we consider any Zionist movements to be military targets for our forces,” said Houthi spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Al Saree in a televised statement released on Monday, according to the United Arab Emirates news outlet The National.

highplainsdem

'I call the shots:' Trump says Netanyahu will have 'no choice' but to accept whatever deal US makes with Iran

(i24 News) US President Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have "no choice" but to accept any nuclear agreement negotiated between Washington and Tehran. "He won't have any choice," Trump told the Financial Times in a telephone interview. "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn't call the shots." In the same interview, Trump suggested that military options remain on the table if diplomatic efforts with Tehran collapse.

Mr. Sparkle

LA mayor race flips as socialist beats reality TV star Pratt

(Bloomberg) Democratic incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and Democratic City Councilmember Nithya Raman will advance to the runoff in November for Los Angeles mayor, Decision Desk HQ projects. Bass continued to lead the race with 34.68% of the vote, followed by Raman with 27.12% and reality star Spencer Pratt, a Republican, with 26.69%, according to Los Angeles County data.

Dulcinea

Top takeaways from Trump's contentious, rainy 'Meet the Press' interview

(USA Today) WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump abruptly ended a contentious ‒ and rainy ‒ interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" after he was challenged for saying without evidence that California's elections are rigged. Trump also defended a controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund despite his administration publicly abandoning the plan, and warned the United States will remove Iran's highly enriched uranium "militarily very harshly" if its leaders don't agree to dispose of the material in the ongoing war.

BumRushDaShow

Trump denies that he campaigned on ending wars: 'I didn't promise anything'

(The Independent) President Donald Trump denied that he has broken his campaign promises by entering a war with Iran and vowed that the conflict would not be “endless” during a contentious interview this weekend. The president claimed that he made a distinction during his campaign for president in 2024 between “wars” and “endless” conflicts, adding that it wasn’t worth building up America’s military to never use it. “First of all, I didn't guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” he asked.

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An Indian Billionaire Was Targeted by Trump. Then He Poured Money Into a Startup Secretly Backed by Donald Trump Jr.

15 min ago - An obscure Texas firm secretly connected to the president’s son said it received at least $100 million from Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. At the same time, the Ambani family secured major policy wins from the Trump administration. In ... (ProPublica)

Trump-backed super PAC to host a $1M-per-person fundraiser the day before the White House UFC fight

17 min ago - June 8, 2026, 6:34 PM EDT The top super PAC backed by President Donald Trump is set to hold a $1 million-per-person fundraiser Saturday, the day before he hosts Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on the White House grounds. The seven-figure fundr ... (NBC News)

RFK Jr. 'checked out' of managing Department of Health and focusing on pet projects

38 min ago - 12h Questions about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are coming to light after sources revealed he has been mostly "checked out" from his role at the Department of Health and Human Services, a new report reveals. In an expos published by The Ne ... (msn/Irish Star)

Hersheypark union workers reject tentative agreement with company, vote in favor of strike

45 min ago - Updated: Jun. 08, 2026, 10:13 p.m. By Katherine Rodriguez Hersheypark almost didn’t open on time this summer due to a labor dispute where more than 200 union maintenance employees at the Hersheypark resort complex rejected what Hershey Entertai ... (NJ.com)

Insulin legislation gains steam

59 min ago - 06/08/26 6:07 PM ET Bipartisan legislation to cap insulin at $35 a month for people with private insurance is gaining momentum. The bill, introduced in March, picked up four more co-sponsors Monday: Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Hickenlooper (D-Col ... (The Hill)

'Stinks to high heaven!' Speaker Johnson claims 'rigged' election accusations are 'impossible to prove'

1 hr ago - 12h CNN’s chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, spoke to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Monday and asked him about President Donald Trump’s ongoing claims that the Los Angeles mayoral race is “rigged” against Republi ... (msn/MEDIAite)

MAGA Senator threatens to sue outlet for publishing tax returns he accidentally sent them

1 hr ago - June 8, 2026 5:21PM ET Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has threatened to sue a publication after it revealed details of his tax returns, which he had sent to them by mistake. According to Lagniappe Daily, which broke the original story, "In a cease-and- ... (Raw Story)

Democratic revolt over Trump's DNI pick Pulte puts FISA re-authorization in jeopardy

1 hr ago - June 8, 2026, 4:59 PM Forty-five days after Congress punted a fight to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are staring down the new deadline Friday nig ... (ABC News)

Trump says 'pilots are fine' after report Apache helicopter went down near Strait of Hormuz

2 hrs ago - Updated Jun 9, 2026, 2:45 AM ET PUBLISHED Jun 9, 2026, 2:22 AM ET US President Donald Trump said “the pilots are fine” after being asked about a report that a US Army helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz. The New York Times report ... (CNN World)

Justice Department won't pursue death penalty against Vance Boelter in attacks on lawmakers

2 hrs ago - Justice Department won’t pursue death penalty against Vance Boelter in attacks on lawmakers The decision comes nearly one year after the fatal shootings of Rep. Melissa and Mark Hortman and the attacks on Sen. John Hoffman, his wife, Yvette, and ... (Minnesota Star Tribune)

US health department says 19 more medical schools pledge nutrition training requirements

2 hrs ago - June 8, 2026 4:13 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago June 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that ‌19 additional medical schools pledged to require at least 40 hours of nutrition education, ̴ ... (Reuters)

Top Senate Republican Dismisses Trump's Demand He Fire Parliamentarian: 'That's a Hard Job'

3 hrs ago - Jun 8th, 2026, 3:51 pm Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) quickly dismissed President Donald Trump’s demand that he fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth McDonough on Monday. In his latest attack on McDonough Monday afternoon, the preside ... (MEDIAite)

ICE facility in Louisiana reports its second detainee death in less than 2 months

3 hrs ago - Monday 08 June 2026 15:47 EDT A second detainee has died in less than two months at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana where a recent inspection report found insanitary conditions, problems with medical care and the use ... (The Independent)

Nashville Zoo warns proposed data center next door could put its 3,000 animals at risk

3 hrs ago - Posted 3:21 PM, Jun 08, 2026 The Nashville Zoo is pushing back against a proposal to build a nearly 70,000-square-foot data center on the edge of its property in South Nashville, warning the project could harm thousands of animals — including so ... (Scripps News/AP)

This Company Will Add Phone, AirPod, and Smartwatch Trackers to License Plate Readers

8 hrs ago - A surveillance company plans to add sensors to automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) that would mean the devices, as well as capture the license plate of passing vehicles, would also sweep up unique identifiers of mobile phones, wearables, and othe ... (404 Media)

Donald Trump met with loud boos during national anthem at NBA Finals Game 3

9 hrs ago - NEW YORK — United States President Donald Trump is at Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, just as he promised. Trump officially became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game when he arrived at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 b ... (USA Today/Yahoo)

UnityPoint Health nurses march as wait for union vote result drags on

10 hrs ago - Veronica Meiss June 8, 2026, 5:08 p.m. CT Nurses from UnityPoint Health’s Iowa Methodist Medical Center marched in Des Moines to demand recognition of their union by the National Labor Relations Board, which for six months has been considering a ... (Des Moines Register)

FCC Chair Carr says Scott Pelley 'completely out of touch' for not anticipating '60 Minutes' firing

10 hrs ago - 06/08/26 12:18 PM ET Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, slammed former CBS News correspondent Scott Pelley on Sunday for saying he did not expect his longtime employer to fire him. “One of the reasons why trust in ... (The Hill)

Progressive Nithya Raman advances to November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

10 hrs ago - LOS ANGELES (AP) — Progressive city council member Nithya Raman has advanced to a November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, setting up an unexpected matchup between two Democrats and former political allies to run the struggling city ... (Associated Press)

DOJ quietly scraps 'command center' that would help monitor 2026 election integrity, report says

11 hrs ago - Monday 08 June 2026 12:06 EDT Despite President Donald Trump’s regular warnings about electoral fraud and the vulnerabilities of mail voting, his Department of Justice has not set up its usual “command center” to address Election Day e ... (The Independent)