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.
November 21, 2025
'Unusual and possibly unprecedented': Judge calls out Chicago feds as Midway Blitz cases fall apart
(Chicago Sun Times) These “are not ordinary times at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse” in Chicago’s Loop. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes made that point Thursday, as he closed the book on the last of five now-dismissed prosecutions tied to September protests outside a federal immigration holding facility in the western suburbs. Fuentes used a nine-page opinion not only to dismiss, with prejudice, a misdemeanor charge against Dana Briggs, but to highlight how each of those five cases, all tied to Operation Midway Blitz, “were highly unusual in this district for several reasons.”
Go to discussionU.S. pushing Ukraine to sign peace deal by Thanksgiving or lose support
(Washington Post) The White House is pressuring Ukraine to sign on to its new peace proposal by Thanksgiving or lose U.S. support to the country, according to two officials familiar with the talks, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive diplomatic discussions. U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday with a version of the 28-point plan President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff recently drafted with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Go to discussionGun Violence Victim Gabby Giffords Denounces Trump Threatening to Execute Her Husband: 'Dangerous'
(Mediaite) Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), who was shot in the head in 2011, decried President Donald Trump’s threat to execute her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), on Thursday. Giffords condemned Trump’s violent rhetoric and called it “dangerous.” “My husband @CaptMarkKelly is a 25-year Navy combat pilot veteran. He served our country with strength, courage, and integrity, dedicating his career to protecting us and upholding our constitution,” wrote Giffords on X.
Go to discussionNew US rules say countries with diversity policies are infringing human rights
The State Department is issuing the new rules to all US embassies and consulates involved in compiling its annual report on global human rights abuses. The new instructions also deem countries that subsidise abortion or facilitate mass migration as infringing on human rights. ... "Attempting to label DEI as a human rights violation sets a new low in the Trump administration's weaponization of international human rights," she said. She added that the new instructions excluded the righ ...
Go to discussionBay Area Rep. Eric Swalwell announces bid for governor on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'
LOS ANGELES — Rep. Eric Swalwell, a longtime nemesis of President Donald Trump, announced Thursday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that he will run for governor in 2026, promising to be a “protector and fighter” for California. Swalwell told me backstage before his announcement that the state’s next governor has two missions: “One, keep Trump out of our homes, streets and lives.” The second, he said, is to “write the story of a new California on lower prices, on business growth and modernizing the st ...
Go to discussionTop House Dem Says Trump Should 'Keep His Reckless Mouth Shut': He's Gonna Get 'Someone Killed'
12h House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), alongside the Democratic whip and conference chair, put out a statement Thursday blasting President Donald Trump's threat to execute six Congressional Democrats. Trump posted on social media a screed aimed at Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA). Trump's posts accused the lawmakers of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punis ...
Go to discussionLiz Cheney Takes A Swipe At Trump And MAGA During Father's Funeral
Nov 20, 2025, 04:05 PM EST In what appeared to be an indirect swipe at MAGA politicians within the Republican Party, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) stressed at her father’s funeral Thursday that while he himself was a member of the GOP, he would never prioritize the party over country. The ex-lawmaker and eldest daughter of the late Dick Cheney delivered a powerful eulogy before a packed audience at Washington National Cathedral, which included, among other influential figures, two former pre ...
Go to discussionUkraine banned from Nato, Russia readmitted to the G8 and territory ceded: what's in Trump's draft plan
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects to discuss the plan – which was reportedly drafted by Russian and US officials – with Trump Guardian staff and agencies Thu 20 Nov 2025 22.11 EST Donald Trump’s latest plan for ending the war in Ukraine would see territory ceded to Russia, Russia readmitted to the G8 and Ukraine banned from joining Nato, according to drafts of the proposal seen by Axios, AFP and the Associated Press. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expected to discuss ...
Go to discussion