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

Wholesale prices unexpectedly fell 0.2% in May

(CNBC) A measure of wholesale prices unexpectedly decreased in May, adding another piece of evidence that inflation is pulling back. The producer price index, a gauge of prices that producers get for their goods and services in the open market, declined 0.2% for the month, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thusday. That reversed a 0.5% increase in April and compared to the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.1% increase.

LetMyPeopleVote

Why Biden's big move on medical debt and credit reports matters

(MSNBC) The Democratic White House has practically been preoccupied with finding ways to help consumers. The Biden administration has, among other things: Created new rules to benefit air travelers; made it easier for people to file their taxes for free; advanced a policy that would cap credit card late fees; taken steps to curtail tens of billions worth of surcharges that Biden accurately describes as “junk” fees, canceled $167 billion in student debt for nearly 5 million Americans through several programs; pursued policies designed to keep gas prices low. Removing medical debt from consumer credit reports is very much a part of the larger policy mosaic.

LetMyPeopleVote

Data on Biden-era crime rates shreds Republican talking points

(MNSBC) A couple of months ago Rep. Nancy Mace released a video online presenting a rather scary vision of modern life in the United States. The South Carolina Republican’s video was accompanied by straightforward text: “Since Joe Biden took office, crime has skyrocketed across our country.” That was not, and is not, true. In fact, CNN reported this week on new statistics from the FBI showing a 15% drop in violent crime in the early months of 2024.

Nevilledog

Let's Talk About Trump's Gibberish

(The Atlantic) Perhaps the greatest trick Donald Trump ever pulled was convincing millions of people—and the American media—to treat his lapses into fantasies and gibberish as a normal, meaningful form of oratory. But Trump is not a normal person, and his speeches are not normal political events. For too long, Trump has gotten away with pretending that his emotional issues are just part of some offbeat New York charm or an expression of his enthusiasm for public performance. But Trump is obviously unfit—and something is profoundly wrong with a political environment in which he can now say almost anything, no matter how weird

KS Toronado

Thursday TOONs

BlueWaveNeverEnd

171,000 traveled for abortions last year, dimming the feeling of victory for right to lifers

(NY Times) More than 14,000 Texas patients crossed the border into New Mexico for an abortion last year. An additional 16,000 left Southern states bound for Illinois. And nearly 12,000 more traveled north from South Carolina and Georgia to North Carolina. These were among the more than 171,000 patients who traveled for an abortion in 2023, new estimates show, demonstrating both the upheaval in access since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the limits of state bans to stop the procedure.

LetMyPeopleVote

Biden campaign statement on Trump's allies in the Southern Baptist Convention voting to oppose IVF

LetMyPeopleVote

GOP's reaction to Hunter Biden verdict revives 'cult' accusations

(MSNBC) Whether one is inclined to agree with the jury’s verdict in the Hunter Biden case or not, the outcome uproots one of the Republican Party’s most important conspiracy theories. GOP officials desperately want Americans to believe that the Justice Department has been “weaponized” to target conservatives, creating a “two-tiered” system designed to protect Democrats and their allies. At least, that is, for reality-based observers. For Republicans fully committed to their conspiracy theory, the verdict simply offered a fresh opportunity to incorporate new information into their existing twisted framework.

babylonsister

Patti Davis on what everyone is missing about Hunter Biden's case

(Daily Kos) The conservative hagiography around Ronald Reagan is that he was the greatest president of all time — at least until the convicted felon came along. The press is having a bit of a tizzy over the idea that the son of a President could be convicted of a felony, but what Davis confesses in her guest commentary suggests that there but for the grace of God…

BumRushDaShow

Republicans Who Defied Subpoenas Vote To Hold Garland In Contempt For Defying Subpoena

(Huff Post) House Republicans voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena — including three who defied their own congressional subpoenas over their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. GOP Reps. Scott Perry (Pa.), Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.) all blew off subpoenas in May 2022 from the bipartisan House select committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Expand Featured Stories

Issue Forums

Region Forums

Latest Breaking News

Supreme Court Upholds Full Access to Mifepristone Abortion Pill

14 min ago - June 13, 2024, 10:03 AM EDT Supreme Court Upholds Full Access to Mifepristone Abortion Pill Greg Stohr Bloomberg News The US Supreme Court preserved full access to a widely used abortion pill in a case that carried major stakes for reproductive ... (Bloomberg Law)

Biden campaign calls on GOP to drop lawsuits over mail ballots, citing Trump's new fondness for it

17 min ago - Updated 9:13 AM EDT, June 13, 2024 DENVER (AP) — President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign on Thursday called on top Republicans to drop litigation seeking to curtail aspects of mail balloting now that Donald Trump has begun to embrace the ... (AP)

Climate protesters tackled on field, arrested at Congressional Baseball Game

45 min ago - 06/12/24 11:27 PM ET Greg Nash Climate protesters are escorted out by U.S. Capitol Police after running on to the field the annual Congressional Baseball game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Eight climate protester ... (The Hill)

Wholesale prices unexpectedly fell 0.2% in May

1 hr ago - Published Thu, Jun 13 2024 8:31 AM EDT Updated 2 Min Ago A measure of wholesale prices unexpectedly decreased in May, adding another piece of evidence that inflation is pulling back. The producer price index, a gauge of prices that producers get for ... (CNBC)

Exclusive: New Biden campaign video targets Trump over IVF

2 hrs ago - 2 hours ago President Biden's campaign is hitting former President Trump and his GOP colleagues over their positioning on in vitro fertilization in a new digital video released Thursday. Why it matters: Protecting IVF has become a top campaign issue ... (Axios)

Republicans Who Defied Subpoenas Vote To Hold Garland In Contempt For Defying Subpoena

2 hrs ago - Jun 12, 2024, 09:51 PM EDT | Updated 8 hours ago WASHINGTON — House Republicans voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena — including three who defied their own congressional sub ... (Huff Post)

Trump prosecutors push to shutdown removal of DA Fani Willis in now-halted Georgia RICO case

3 hrs ago - Jun 12th, 2024, 9:22 pm The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office is asking a court to dismiss an appeal filed by former President Donald Trump in the now-halted Georgia racketeering (RICO) and election subversion case over conflict of inter ... (Law & Crime)

Woman taken into custody after armed standoff at FBI building in Seattle, authorities say

3 hrs ago - Jun 12, 2024 7:52 PM EDT SEATTLE (AP) — A woman armed with a handgun was taken into custody after an hourlong standoff at the FBI building in Seattle on Wednesday, authorities said. The woman walked into a publicly accessible area where people ... (PBS News Hour/AP)

Child Marriage Havens Emerging Across America

3 hrs ago - Updated Jun 13, 2024 at 4:04 AM EDT As more states make child marriage illegal, the places where it is still lawful are emerging as havens for ceremonies which can devastate the lives of young people. A Newsweek investigation reveals the disturbing r ... (newsweek)

White House doesn't rule out potential commutation for Hunter Biden

4 hrs ago - June 12, 2024, 7:24 PM The White House on Wednesday declined to rule out a presidential commutation for Hunter Biden following his conviction earlier this week on federal gun charges. When asked specifically by a reporter on Air Force One as Presiden ... (ABC News)

Bipartisan prior authorization legislation introduced

4 hrs ago - Posted June 12, 2024 at 5:42pm Two key lawmakers reintroduced a bill on Wednesday that would essentially codify parts of a Biden administration rule that aims to streamline the use of prior authorization in Medicare Advantage. The bill, introduced by ... (Roll Call)

US expands Russia sanctions, targets chips sent via China

5 hrs ago - June 12, 2024 4:57 PM EDT Updated 12 hours ago WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday dramatically broadened sanctions on Russia, including by targeting China-based companies selling semiconductors to Moscow, as part of its ef ... (Reuters)

Arizona man planned a mass shooting targeting African Americans at an Atlanta concert to incite a race war, feds say

6 hrs ago - June 12, 2024, 4:47 PM EDT An Arizona man planned a mass shooting targeting African Americans and other minorities at a rap concert in Atlanta in May, looking to incite a race war ahead of the presidential election, federal authorities said. Mark Ada ... (NBC News)

Ex-employees sue Elon Musk and SpaceX, claiming illegal firings after they called out alleged gender bias and harassment

10 hrs ago - SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk were sued on Wednesday by former employees who claim they were illegally fired for raising concerns about gender discrimination and sexual harassment at the rocket company. The lawsuit, brought by eight employees who were fir ... (CNN)

U.S. Travelers Can Renew Their Passports Online Starting Today

10 hrs ago - Travelers who want to renew their passports online can do so starting Wednesday. Eligible travelers can process their applications without sending everything in the mail and can expect to receive their passport back in six to eight weeks. The State D ... (Wall Street Journal (gift link))

Donald Trump never paid $380,000 a British court said he owed over the 'golden showers' dossier, former spy says

13 hrs ago - Jun 12, 2024, 1:01 PM EDT Donald Trump has failed to comply with a British High Court order to pay $380,000 in legal fees and has also ignored an offer to settle with a former British spy who compiled a document that claimed Russia had interfered in ... (Business Insider)

Federal judge blocks rule closing 'gun-show loophole' in 4 states

14 hrs ago - 06/12/24 6:27 PM ET A federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration’s attempt to close the so-called gun show loophole on Wednesday, expanding a prior temporary ruling to impact Texas, Louisiana, Utah and Mississippi. Judge Matthew Kac ... (The Hill)

House GOP votes to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt

15 hrs ago - The House GOP voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio recordings of President Joe Biden's interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur as part of the probe over his handlin ... (CNN)

Democrats to force vote for protections for IVF as election-year messaging heats up

15 hrs ago - June 12, 2024, 6:55 PM EDT WASHINGTON — After a failed vote last week that would have ensured nationwide access to contraception, Democrats on Thursday are expected to force a vote to enshrine protections for in vitro fertilization — a fert ... (NBC News)

Appeals court rejects DeSantis push for executive privilege

15 hrs ago - The state court refused to engage with the governor’s arguments, which could have amounted to a significant expansion of his power. By Gary Fineout 06/12/2024 05:14 PM EDT TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A Florida appeals court on Wednesday refused ... (politico)