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

President Trump Lost This War

(NY Times) His biggest achievement in the cease-fire framework is the expected reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping traffic, which will eventually reduce the prices of energy and other goods. That, of course, is merely a reversion to the prewar status quo. Iran closed the strait in retaliation, to damage the global economy and increase political pressure on the United States. The move worked, and Iran’s leaders now understand that they hold a powerful economic weapon. On balance, Iran emerges the strategic winner of the four-month war. The United States, for its part, looks weaker in the eyes of the world.

UpInArms

Iran deal is tacit admission of strategic defeat by Trump administration

(Sky News) The Iran "deal" is a tacit admission of strategic defeat by the Trump administration and of a failure to achieve nearly all of his war aims. The US and Iran have agreed to stop fighting and to open the Strait of Hormuz. Everything else is being kicked down the road over 60 days of ceasefire and beyond. Given that the Strait was open before the conflict was started by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, reopening it is no great achievement. It simply restores the status quo ante bellum.

marmar

Trump hails Iran deal that fixes nothing except a problem his war caused

(The Guardian) If we get to a Friday signing ceremony without this uncertain new US-Iran deal being derailed by any of its inherent ambiguities, then nuclear talks can finally restart in the same place – and at almost exactly the same point they were before this conflict started. The world will have irrevocably been changed in other ways. There is no going back for the 120 Iranian children in Minab killed in their primary school in the war’s first hours, nor for their bereaved parents, or any of the thousands in Iran, Lebanon and around the region whose lives were erased or blighted by a feckless war of choice.

BumRushDaShow

CIA director doubts Iran's intentions on deal, sources say

(Axios) CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Trump and other senior officials that intelligence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies raised serious doubts about Iran's willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal, according to three sources familiar with those discussions. Ratcliffe isn't the only skeptic in Trump's top team. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have both expressed concerns and raised questions about the deal in internal discussions, while Vice President Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner advocated for it, according to two of the sources.

KS Toronado

Tuesday's Condensed News Cartoons

BumRushDaShow

Fed set to make interest rate decision as inflation hits 3-year high

(ABC News) The Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest decision on interest rates on Wednesday as the central bank weathers the highest inflation in three years. The announcement will mark the first possible adjustment of the benchmark interest rate since Trump nominee Kevin Warsh began his four-year term as Fed chair last month. The policy move is also set to arrive at a moment of flux for the nation’s economy, just days after an agreement between the United States and Iran offered hope for some price relief.

BumRushDaShow

Blanche, other Trump officials could face subpoenas on 'day one' of Democrat majority, Garcia says

(The Hill) Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Trump administration officials are likely to face subpoenas on “day one” of a Democratic majority if the party takes control of the lower chamber after the midterm elections. Garcia said a more in-depth probe into those associated with deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will commence if Democrats regain the House.

Dulcinea

Voting officials fear DHS may actually be a threat to elections this year

(NPR) Gary Berntsen is convinced Venezuela stole the 2020 U.S. election. That myth has been debunked numerous times, including as part of Fox News' 2023 $787 million settlement with voting machine company Dominion, but Berntsen, a former CIA operative, has been pushing it for years. Ahead of the 2024 election, Berntsen says he couldn't get anyone to listen to him. Not the FBI. Not the media. Finally, he went to Congress, where he says he was similarly rebuffed by almost everyone, including Republicans. Except one.

BumRushDaShow

Air Force B-52 bomber crashes shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California

(ABC News) An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, the base said. "Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing," the base said in a statement. The crash was reported at about 11:20 a.m. local time. The base has closed the airfield and said all inbound planes are being diverted.

riversedge

'Snowflake': Donald Trump's Kennedy Center tarp cover-up sparks criticism

(EuroNews) It's been a busy weekend for Donald Trump, with the announcement of a framework deal to end the war with Iran, the World Cup in full swing in the US, the New York Knicks securing their first NBA victory in 53 years, and his 80th birthday celebrations yesterday with the controversial UFC cage fight on the White House lawn. However, there's one embarrassing element that is literally being covered up: the removal of Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – the national cultural center in Washington DC.

Expand Featured Stories

Issue Forums

Alliance Forums

Latest Breaking News

Israeli ambassador to U.S. says Israel is 'not going to withdraw from South Lebanon'

28 min ago - Updated June 16, 2026 10:00 AM ET Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, told Morning Edition that Israel does not plan to withdraw from southern Lebanon, reinforcing a position Israeli officials have already staked out ... (NPR)

Leak Exposes Members of Peter Thiel's Secretive 'Dialog' Society

34 min ago - The group, called Dialog, is a private, invitation-only organization cofounded in 2006 by the billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel. It convenes US officials, foreign government figures, and Silicon Valley executives at off-the-record annual retreats ... (Wired)

Kash Patel 'jumped the gun' with announcement of UFC plot arrests, sources say

52 min ago - Secret Service officials are angered that FBI Director Kash Patel prematurely announced on Tuesday the details of a largely sealed and ongoing criminal investigation into an alleged plot to attack Sunday’s White House UFC event with drones, acco ... (MS Now)

Donald Trump appears ready to wave the white flag in showdown with niece Mary Trump after discovery reversal

1 hr ago - Jun 16th, 2026, 2:56 pm Attorneys for Donald Trump and his niece, Mary Trump, jointly told a judge on Tuesday, the day that depositions were supposed to be completed, that the adversaries have "reached a settlement." "The parties are pleased to repo ... (Law & Crime)

'I Caution Lindsey': JD Vance Goes After Sen. Graham By Name On Live TV

1 hr ago - Vice President JD Vance took a shot at one of President Donald Trump's closest allies on live television Monday. By David Edwards — June 16, 2026 .............. Vance called out Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Trump's regula ... (crooksandliars.com)

Google and Apple pulled into Raskin's ICE investigation

1 hr ago - 06/16/2026 12:00 PM EDT Apple and Google are facing a Democratic probe accusing them of acquiescing to the Trump administration’s demands that they remove apps used to track and document Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. House Jud ... (Politico)

Nebraska man was alleged 'key ringleader' in plot to attack White House UFC fight

2 hrs ago - Court records say the man identified an abandoned church as a ‘fall back location’ By: Molly Ashford, Nebraska Public Media News - June 16, 2026 12:57 pm Federal prosecutors allege that a Nebraska man helped plan an attempted shooting and e ... (Nebraska Examiner)

OMB nominee 'can't commit' to forgoing 'pocket rescissions' funding gambit this year

2 hrs ago - 06.16.26 | 2:26 pm Hal Duncan, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the deputy director for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), was in front of the Senate Budget Committee Tuesday morning for the first leg of his confirmation hearing. ... (TPM)

Fifteen people charged over alleged interference in Minnesota immigration crackdown

3 hrs ago - Tue 16 Jun 2026 13.11 EDT First published on Tue 16 Jun 2026 12.52 EDT Fifteen people in Minnesota were charged with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers over their response to a controversial and deadly immigration enforcement crackdown i ... (The Guardian)

Trump moves oversight of special education and civil rights out of the Education Department

3 hrs ago - Updated 1:54 PM EDT, June 16, 2026 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is further dismantling the Education Department, moving oversight of special education and civil rights to other agencies. The Department of Just ... (AP)

Trump invokes Defense Production Act for munitions, supply chains

4 hrs ago - WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to ‌address constraints in weapons supply and development ‌for munitions production and supply chains, according to a memo made public ... (Reuters)

Laughter as workers put peroxide in algae-filled Reflecting Pool': '0 scientists in admin'

4 hrs ago - June 16, 2026 9:35AM ET Workers were spotted dumping hydrogen peroxide by the gallon into the Reflecting Pool days after President Donald Trump's $14.2 million renovation turned it green. CBS News journalist Bob Kovach was on the ground at the Lincol ... (Raw Story)

Trump Says Israel Wouldn't Exist Without Him

6 hrs ago - Published Jun 16, 2026 at 07:09 AM EDT updated Jun 16, 2026 at 10:34 AM EDT President Donald Trump signaled a deepening rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by claiming "there would be no Israel" without him in a stinging rebuke at the ... (Newsweek)

Exclusive: The US is using an Iranian smuggling tactic to sneak oil out of the Gulf

7 hrs ago - June 16, 2026 4:37 AM EDT Updated 5 hours ago DUBAI, June 16 (Reuters) - The United States military has overseen scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters ... (Reuters)

The Untold Story of Jeffrey Epstein's Death and His Final Days in Jail

7 hrs ago - The Untold Story of Jeffrey Epstein’s Death and His Final Days in Jail By Charles Homans, Steve Eder, Jan Ransom and Michael Rothfeld Visual analysis and graphics by Helmuth Rosales, Aric Toler and Katherine Chui Photographs by Andrew Moore and ... (New York Times)

Lawmakers caution Burgum, NPS they have 'no power to build' Trump's arch

8 hrs ago - 06/15/26 10:19 PM ET A group of six lawmakers sent a letter on Monday to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Acting Director of the National Park Service (NPS) Jessica Bowron and one other official alerting them that they have “no power to build ... (The Hill)

Fed set to make interest rate decision as inflation hits 3-year high

8 hrs ago - June 16, 2026, 5:05 AM The Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest decision on interest rates on Wednesday as the central bank weathers the highest inflation in three years. The announcement will mark the first possible adjustment of the bench ... (ABC News)

Washington, DC, voters cast ballots in crucial primaries as Trump reshapes the capital

9 hrs ago - Updated 12:08 AM EDT, June 16, 2026 WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in the nation’s capital head to the polls on Tuesday to select party candidates for mayor and the district’s delegate to Congress, an election taking place as Washington unde ... (AP)

Kash Patel Claims FBI Thwarted Attack Involving Explosive Drone at Trump's UFC White House Event

10 hrs ago - Jun 16th, 2026, 7:32 am FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday that his agency thwarted an attack plan at President Donald Trump’s UFC event in Washington, DC. The event, UFC Freedom 250, took place on the White House lawn Sunday night. In a ... (MEDIAite)

Local election officials go with Missouri's gerrymandered congressional map despite uncertainty

10 hrs ago - If Hoskins determines the petition is sufficient, it means it never took effect, Missouri Supreme Court Judge Ginger Gooch wrote in the May 12 opinion. If the petition lacks the required signatures, or is illegal for another reason, she wrote, the ma ... (Missouri Independent)