Here are today's featured stories, posted by DU members and curated by the Administrators. More news items can be found in our Latest Breaking News forum, and for all the most up-to-the-minute stories that are being talked about by DU members, visit the Latest Discussions page.
September 24, 2025
Georgia senators demand answers on more than a dozen deaths in immigration detention
(NPR) Georgia's Democratic senators are asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to provide more information on recent deaths in immigration detention centers, including the conditions of detainees. Since President Trump took office, 15 people have died in immigration detention, 10 of those deaths occurred between January and June, Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock wrote in a letter shared exclusively with NPR. The senators say that is the highest rate in the first six months of any year publicly available.
Go to discussionDemocrat Adelita Grijalva wins special election for southern Arizona congressional seat
(AP) Southern Arizona voters on Tuesday chose Adelita Grijalva to succeed her father, the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a progressive Democrat who represented the state for more than two decades in Congress. She defeated Republican candidate Daniel Butierez in the 7th Congressional District, which hugs almost the entire length of Arizona’s border with Mexico. The decisive win — early returns showed Grijalva with more than double the number of votes as her Republican opponent — will make Grijalva the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress.
Go to discussionDr. Oz Splits from Trump on Tylenol After Autism Tirade
(The Daily Beast) Dr. Mehmet Oz is backpedaling on Donald Trump’s explosive declaration that pregnant women should never use Tylenol. The president brazenly claimed Monday that acetaminophen—the active ingredient in Tylenol—was responsible for an increase in autism among young children, and instructed pregnant women to “tough it out” and avoid the painkilling drug altogether. But Oz, who stood behind the president while he made such stunning claims, offered a more cautious stance when asked directly.
Tylenol maker prepares for glut of lawsuits after Trump's baseless warnings
(The Independent) Tylenol maker Kenvue is reportedly preparing for a glut of lawsuits after President Donald Trump made a baseless warning that the active ingredient in the drug, acetaminophen, could cause autism. At a press conference Monday, Trump repeatedly urged pregnant women, “Don’t take Tylenol.” Along with Trump’s warning, the Food and Drug Administration issued a notice to doctors of the potential link between Tylenol and autism, and is recommending pregnant women use the lowest dose for the shortest duration possible if deemed medically necessary.
Go to discussionUS Marshals' Efforts Around Trump's January 6 Pardons Were "Highly Unusual"
(Mother Jones) As the US Marshals Service prepared for Donald Trump’s expected pardon of January 6 defendants, officials went to unusual lengths to facilitate the defendants’ travel home from the DC jail, newly obtained records show. The records, obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by the ethics watchdog CREW, are yet another window into the unprecedented nature of Trump’s decision to pardon some 1,500 people who participated in the 2021 Capitol siege.
Go to discussionHegseth dissolves women's military committee over 'divisive feminist agenda'
(The Guardian) Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, ended an advisory committee on women in the armed services Tuesday, saying it was putting forth a “divisive feminist agenda”. “The Committee is focused on advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness, while Secretary Hegseth has focused on advancing uniform, sex-neutral standards across the Department,” said Kingsley Wilson, press secretary for the Pentagon. The defense advisory committee on women in the services started in 1951 and gathered information to provide recommendations to the defense secretary on issues related to women in the military.
Go to discussionTrump administration rehires hundreds of federal employees laid off by DOGE
(ABC News) Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk's cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work. The General Services Administration has given the employees — who managed government workspaces — until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. “Ultimately, the outcome was the agency was left broken and understaffed,” said Chad Becker, a former GSA real estate official. “They didn’t have the people they needed to carry out basic functions.”
Go to discussionUS justice official leading prosecutions of minor crimes pleaded guilty to DUI
(The Guardian) A top official at the Department of Justice (DoJ) who is directing aggressive prosecutions of minor crimes in Washington DC pleaded guilty to driving under the influence four years ago, the Guardian has found. His subsequent elevation to a high-ranking post is unusual in light of that arrest, experts said. Aakash Singh, 33, became an associate deputy attorney general this year and has been instructing attorneys to prioritize charges against protesters and people committing misdemeanors, even allegedly advising them to call new grand juries if they fail to get felony indictments.
Go to discussionUN says Trump's team to blame for nonworking escalator and teleprompter
(Scripps) President Donald Trump broke from his prepared remarks at the United Nations on Tuesday to bemoan an inoperable escalator and a defective teleprompter, using the incidents to portray the global body as dysfunctional. “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he mused, chopping the air with his hand. But it turns out the cause was closer to Trump, according to U.N. officials.
Go to discussion