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.
March 26, 2025
Democrat wins special state Senate election in Pennsylvania in major upset
(The Hill) Democrat James Malone has won an open Pennsylvania state Senate seat in a major upset in a district that comfortably voted for President Trump in November, Decision Desk HQ projects. Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg, is projected to defeat Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons to represent Senate District 36 for the remainder of former state Sen. Ryan Aument’s (R) term. Parsons was considered likely to win in the conservative-leaning district, which President Trump carried in November with 57 percent of the vote and McCormick won with 56 percent.
Go to discussionDemocrat wins Pennsylvania special election, handing party control of state House
(The Hill) Democrat Dan Goughnour has won the open Pennsylvania state House seat left vacated by the death of the most recent officeholder, restoring Democrats’ narrow majority in the body, Decision Desk HQ projects. Goughnour, who is a member of the McKeesport school board and a police officer, will win over Republican Chuck Davis, the president of the White Oak Borough Council. The result is not a surprise in the Democratic-leaning House District 35, which voted for former Vice President Harris in November with about 58 percent of the vote.
Go to discussionThe Atlantic has now published the Signal texts in response to administration denials
(The Atlantic) On Monday, shortly after we published a story about a massive Trump-administration security breach, a reporter asked the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, why he had shared plans about a forthcoming attack on Yemen on the Signal messaging app. He answered, “Nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that.”
Go to discussionPolitics NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat
(CBS News) The National Security Agency sent out an operational security special bulletin to its employees in February 2025 warning them of vulnerabilities in using the encrypted messaging application Signal, according to internal NSA documents obtained by CBS News. News of the NSA bulletin comes amid the continued fallout from an explosive article published Monday in The Atlantic.
Go to discussionTeen member of Musk's Doge staff provided tech support to cybercrime ring, records show
(The Guardian) The best-known member of Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) service team of technologists once provided support to a cybercrime gang that bragged about trafficking in stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent, according to digital records reviewed by Reuters. Past reporting had focused on the staffer’s youth – he is 19 – and his chosen nickname of “bigballs,” which became a pop culture punchline. Musk has championed the teen on his social media site X, telling his followers last month: “Big Balls is awesome.”
Go to discussionHill Republicans aim to rein in judges but divided on strategy
March 25, 2025 4:23 PM ET Republicans on Capitol Hill are planning ways to push back at the federal judiciary over allegations that activist judges are unfairly targeting the Trump administration. But GOP members are divided about what to do, and their efforts to block action by the courts face significant political and legal hurdles. President Trump's efforts to remake the shape and size of the federal government using Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and his use of a war-era ...
Go to discussionTrump Says He Would 'Love' to Defund Broadcasters NPR, PBS
Tue, March 25, 2025 at 3:40 PM EDT (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he is in favor of defunding National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, casting the outlets as unfavorable to him and a drain on taxpayer money. “I would love to do that,” Trump said Tuesday at the White House, suggesting that there was no longer a need for the public broadcasters. “There’s plenty of coverage. It was from a different age, and they spend more money than any other network of its type ...
Go to discussionMelania Trump Could Face Deportation, Maxine Waters Suggests
Published Mar 26, 2025 at 5:27 AM EDT Congresswoman Maxine Waters suggested that Donald Trump should consider deporting his wife, Melania Trump, while criticizing his administration's immigration policies. Why It Matters The president has vowed to remove millions of migrants without legal status from the United States as part of his mass deportation program. What to Know The California Democrat made the remarks about Melania Trump while expressing her opposition to cuts to federal programs ...
Go to discussionChina Swoops In to Replace Asian USAID Projects Axed by Trump
The US canceled two aid projects in Cambodia in late February -- one to encourage child literacy and another to improve nutrition and development for kids under five. A week later, China's aid agency announced funding for programs to achieve almost identical goals. --snip-- The contracts were terminated on Feb. 26 after President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk launched a sweeping overhaul of US foreign assistance, which included dismantling the US Agency for International Development. --s ...
Go to discussion