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

Chevron executive says 'people should try to drive less' amid Iran war

04/15/26 10:29 AM ET Chevron executive Andy Walz said that “people should try to drive less” to offset higher energy prices during the U.S. military operation in Iran. “People should drive less. They should try to conserve energy,” Walz told CBS News this week. “We should be doing that all the time,” he continued. “Energy’s essential for people’s lives, but we should conserve it.” Global energy rates have spiked during the Middle East conflict, after Tehran launched retaliatory strikes on U ...

Mr. Sparkle

Saudi-Backed LIV Golf Tour Reportedly Holding 'Emergency Meeting' Amid Social Media Chatter That It's About to Shut Down

Executives from LIV Golf were reportedly summoned for an “emergency media” amid speculation that the Saudi-backed golf tour will soon shut down. News of the meeting was confirmed in a Wednesday report by The Telegraph. The tour was scheduled to hold its next tournament in Mexico City this weekend, but the pre-tournament press conference was suddenly canceled due to supposed technical issues. As noted by The Telegraph, it was the first time in LIV’s history that such a conference was canceled. ...

mahatmakanejeeves

Senate rejects resolution to block Trump from striking Iran

Senate rejects resolution to block Trump from striking Iran The war powers resolution was the fourth to fail in the chamber since the war's start -- but some Republicans expressed fresh concern about the conflict as it approaches the two-month mark. Updated April 15, 2026 at 3:03 p.m. EDT 6 minutes ago 7 min President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House about the Iran war on April 6. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post) By Theodoric Meyer and Noah Robertson The Senate reject ...

muriel_volestrangler

Amid quarrel with pope, Trump strips Miami charity of funding to house migrant kids

The Trump administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida. The development comes amid rising tensions between the administration and American Catholics over President Donald Trump's heated criticism of the Vatican's first American pope, Leo XIV. The pont ...

blue-wave

Nearly 2,000 Ukrainian civilians trapped in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast town facing 'humanitarian catastrophe'

For nearly three months, Ukrainians in the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast have faced dire humanitarian conditions, with almost no safe route for evacuation or food deliveries, as Russian troops mined access roads and made it dangerous to enter or leave the city, according to residents, volunteers working in Kherson Oblast, and Ukrainian officials. "It's a humanitarian catastrophe, people are driven to despair," Tetiana Hasanenko, the exiled head of Olesh ...

BumRushDaShow

Republican Senator Says War Is More Important Than Your Pocketbook

(New Republic) Republican Senator Roger Marshall wants Americans to stop complaining about gas prices because they’re necessary for “national security.”. Speaking on Newsmax’s Wake Up America Tuesday morning, Marshall was asked about the Iran war, and the Kansas politician was dismissive of its negative economic effects on the American people. “I’m sorry the gas prices are going up, but help is on its way, and your national security, yes, is even more important than your pocketbook,” Marshall said.

BumRushDaShow

Iran war triggered most severe oil shock ever, the International Energy Agency says

(ABC News) The Iran war set off the "most severe oil supply shock in history," the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new report on Tuesday, warning that high prices would slash demand for crude, the primary lifeblood of the global economy. In March, oil prices notched their largest one-month gain ever, the IEA said. The IEA -- a Paris-based group made up of 32 member nations, including the U.S. -- warned of a widespread bout of “demand destruction" in the report. Under such a scenario, high prices would make oil unaffordable for many buyers, forcing them to find alternatives or forgo energy use altogether.

BlueWavePsych

Europe Drafts Postwar Plan to Free Up Hormuz Without U.S.

(Wall Street Journal) European countries are putting together a plan for a broad coalition of countries to help free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including sending mine-clearing and other military vessels. But the plan would only come after the war and may exclude one country in particular: the U.S. French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday the plan is for an international defensive mission that doesn’t include the “belligerent” parties, meaning the U.S., Israel and Iran. European diplomats familiar with the plan say European ships wouldn’t be under American command.

applegrove

Fulton County: Swing state officials accused of secretly meeting to help Trump seize election files

(Raw Story) A watchdog group accused the Georgia State Elections Board on Tuesday of secretly working to help President Donald Trump seize voting rolls from Fulton County. "It appears that a majority of State Election Board members coordinated official business in secret and then presented it publicly in a way that suggests it reflects the views of the board itself," Hempowicz said. "That kind of conduct cuts directly against Georgia’s open meetings law and the public’s right to know how State Election Board decisions are made."

Expand Featured Stories

Issue Forums

Latest Breaking News

Trump Chill Hits World Cup Demand as Panicked Hotels Slash Rates

35 min ago - TRUMP SLUMP FIFA has canceled thousands of reserved rooms in host cities across the country. Isabel van Brugen Apr. 15 2026 12:16PM EDT Panicked U.S. hotels are slashing room rates for the World Cup amid a demand shortfall, exacerbated by what ... (daily beast)

Drop in immigrant tax filings may cost government billions as IRS shares data with ICE

1 hr ago - By the time Tax Day rolls around every April 15, accountant María José Solís usually has more to do. More clients. More paperwork. More phones ringing, more emails and WhatsApp messages pinging. But this year, she said, more than ... (Washington Post)

Republicans attach transgender issues to voter ID push

1 hr ago - Posted April 15, 2026 at 11:13am President Donald Trump turbocharged a Republican push for a voter ID and election overhaul bill known as the SAVE America Act, sparking a high-profile debate over the future of elections, proof of citizenship and an e ... (Roll Call)

Suspect accused of planting pipe bombs on eve of January 6 faces new charges

1 hr ago - Wed 15 Apr 2026 14.45 EDT Last modified on Wed 15 Apr 2026 14.58 EDT The individual accused of placing pipe bombs near the headquarters of both the Republican and Democratic national committees on the night before the January 6 Capitol attack is now ... (The Guardian)

House Democrats will try anti-corruption message to gain traction against Trump

1 hr ago - Updated 12:17 PM EDT, April 15, 2026 WASHINGTON (AP) — Days after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was ousted by an opposition campaign with an anti-corruption message, Democrats want to try the same playbook against President Donald ... (AP)

El Salvador to apply life sentences to minors for serious crimes

2 hrs ago - Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has enacted legal reforms allowing life imprisonment for minors as young ‌as 12 convicted of homicide, terrorism, or rape, according to the country's official gazette. The measures, published on Tu ... (Reuters)

Trump promised to deport 1 million migrants a year. But his administration didn't come close to that

2 hrs ago - Wednesday 15 April 2026 12:06 EDT Donald Trump’s administration set a target of 1 million deportations a year, with at least 3,000 immigration arrests a day. But according to figures released by the Department of Homeland Security to members of ... (The Independent)

John Eastman disbarred in California over efforts to overturn 2020 election

2 hrs ago - John Eastman, a lawyer who spearheaded efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in President Trump’s favor, has been formally disbarred in California The California Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review his appea ... (The Hill)

Lawyer Says Guards Beat and Pepper-Sprayed Detainees at Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz'

2 hrs ago - April 15, 2026, at 11:35 a.m. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Guards severely beat and pepper-sprayed detainees at a state-run immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades this month, according to a lawyer ... (US News & World Report/AP)

US faces demand to restore $350M in federal funding to help power Puerto Rico

3 hrs ago - April 15, 2026, 12:00 PM SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Nearly 200 organizations are urging the Trump administration and Puerto Rico ’s governor to restore $350 million in federal funding that was meant to finance the inst ... (ABC News/AP)

Iowa secretary of state has 'serious concerns' with Trump's voting order

3 hrs ago - April 15, 2026, 4:13 p.m. ET Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says he has "serious concerns" about President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to place new limits on mail-in voting. Trump signed the executive order March 31. Among other changes ... (USA Today)

Amid quarrel with pope, Trump strips Miami charity of funding to house migrant kids

3 hrs ago - The Trump administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government dating back to ... (Miami Herald)

Exclusive: Iran offers proposal allowing ships to exit Oman side of Hormuz free of attack, source says

4 hrs ago - April 15, 2026 2:03 PM EDT Updated 2 hours ago DUBAI, April 15 (Reuters) - Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of proposals it has ‌offered in neg ... (Reuters)

Berklee College of Music Students Furious That It's Offering an AI "Songwriting" Class

4 hrs ago - Hundreds of students at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston have signed an online petition protesting a new course on generative AI music and songwriting, marking another salvo in the continuing battle between artists and a technology ... (Futurism)

Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought

4 hrs ago - The critical Atlantic current system appears significantly more likely to collapse than previously thought after new research found that climate models predicting the biggest slowdown are the most realistic. Scientists called the new finding "very co ... (The Guardian)

Protect Our Care publishes scathing report of Kennedy's tenure ahead of congressional hearing marathon

4 hrs ago - 04/15/26 9:28 AM ET The progressive health care advocacy group Protect Our Care is releasing a highly critical review of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first 14 months in office ahead of a marathon series of hearings ... (The Hill)

Saudi-Backed LIV Golf Tour Reportedly Holding 'Emergency Meeting' Amid Social Media Chatter That It's About to Shut Down

4 hrs ago - Executives from LIV Golf were reportedly summoned for an “emergency media” amid speculation that the Saudi-backed golf tour will soon shut down. News of the meeting was confirmed in a Wednesday report by The Telegraph. The tour was schedule ... (Mediaite.com)

US Renewable Power Generation Beats Natural Gas for the First Time, Defying Trump

4 hrs ago - Since taking office, President Trump has been waging war on renewables, leveraging policy rollbacks, permitting delays, and expanded oil and gas leasing to shift the nation’s energy economy back toward fossil fuels. But new data suggests his eff ... (Gizmodo)

Democrats seek to bar presidents from collecting settlement money from the government

5 hrs ago - April 15, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT / Updated April 15, 2026, 1:46 PM EDT Democratic lawmakers will introduce a bill Wednesday to ban the president, vice president and their families from collecting lawsuit settlement payments from the government. The bill, ... (NBC News)

Nearly 2,000 Ukrainian civilians trapped in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast town facing 'humanitarian catastrophe'

5 hrs ago - For nearly three months, Ukrainians in the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast have faced dire humanitarian conditions, with almost no safe route for evacuation or food deliveries, as Russian troops mined access roads and ma ... (Kyiv Independent)