Archiv: the American People


21.08.2026 - 21:14 [ Common Dreams ]

‘Organized People Won’: Aisha Wahab Defeats Millions in AIPAC Spending to Win US House Race

Wahab, who ran on slashing prescription drug costs and ending forever wars, will represent California’s 14th Congressional District until at least January. In November, Wahab will face Bay Area Rapid Transit board member Melissa Hernandez again in a race for a full two-year term in the US House. Tuesday’s special election was significantly closer than earlier primary contests, signaling a highly competitive race later this year.

Our Revolution, a progressive advocacy organization that backed Wahab, called her win “a national model for how progressives can defeat big-money outside groups and build a Democratic Party rooted in working people.” The United Democracy Project, AIPAC’s super PAC, spent $2.5 million on the contest in an effort to boost Hernandez.

21.08.2026 - 20:55 [ New York Times ]

The Left Notches Another Win With This Secret Weapon: Old-Fashioned Organizing

(August 19, 2026)

The group of volunteers for her underdog Senate campaign sat inside a union office in suburban Broward County, a liberal stronghold in the increasingly Republican-leaning state. It was a small group, maybe a dozen people.

But don’t worry, Ms. Nixon’s political director, Rachel Gilmer, reassured them: “This tiny room is part of many, many tiny rooms” across the state, she said, with more volunteers also ready to knock on Democratic voters’ doors.

21.08.2026 - 20:46 [ Jacobin ]

Socialists Are Winning Using Old-Fashioned Democratic Means

(June 17, 2026)

We live in an intensely atomized society, and at no point have we been more alone than today, when the old bonds of community have largely eroded after decades of neoliberalism.

(…)

When this is connected to a project of expanding the electorate instead of only trying to persuade frequent voters, at its best, the result is a feeling of equality and common cause between the canvasser and the voter: you knocked on my door, nobody ever knocked on my door before, and you brought to my attention a vision of politics which I hadn’t before been exposed to. I and others have even on occasion recruited people to DSA in this way, after winning a voter over to our candidates.

18.08.2026 - 21:16 [ Common Dreams ]

‘Flashing Red Warning Sign’ for Lawmakers: Poll Shows Voters Reject US-Israel Military Integration

A new poll of US voters published on Tuesday offers a warning for congressional lawmakers backing a plan to deepen military ties between the United States and Israel, finding that a clear majority of voters oppose the proposal—which some critics have called “treasonous.”

The Data for Progress survey of 1,217 likely US voters—conducted August 3–7 for Demand Progress and the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project—revealed that 61% of respondents oppose legislation in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2027 that would integrate Israeli weapons companies into the Pentagon at a level exceeding that of any other country. That figure rose to 78% among Democrats and 73% among independents.

14.08.2026 - 12:05 [ Fox News / Youtube ]

JD Vance: You stop socialism by improving people’s lives, not using slogans

Vice President JD Vance discusses how the GOP can combat socialist support on ‘The Will Cain Show.

14.08.2026 - 11:56 [ Al-Monitor ]

Vance says low oil prices are top US goal in Iran conflict

Vance‘s comments also underscored the growing reality that the war now centers on control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has forced to the top of the negotiating agenda.

„I know that oil is down today and it‘s way down from the highs in the early days of the conflict,“ Vance said on Fox News. „That‘s goal number one — keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country.“

„And then obviously goal number two is ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,“ he added.

The vice president has been among the members of the administration most skeptical of the offensive launched against Iran in late February.

14.08.2026 - 11:38 [ Middle East Monitor ]

US to use military, economic, diplomatic tools to end Iran war: Vance

Asked about the setbacks in negotiations with Iran, Vance cited two factors: “Number one, the Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people. Number two, they have a fractured system.”

“There are people within their system that want the war to be over and there are also people in their system that are crazy radicals who want the war to continue,” he said.

“Our job is to navigate through that and get the best outcome for the American people and for the President of the United States as well.”

14.08.2026 - 11:33 [ Mediaite.com ]

‘How Does This End?’ Fox News Host Grills JD Vance on ‘Seesaw’ Iran War

Fox News host Will Cain pressed Vice President JD Vance on Thursday about the war in Iran, arguing that “frustration” is growing over the “seesaw nature” of the ongoing conflict.

“Let’s talk for a minute about Iran. There is frustration, Mr. Vice President, I think, out there on the seesaw nature of what’s going on in Iran,” Cain began, asking:

13.08.2026 - 03:46 [ Time Magazine ]

How the Iran-Contra Scandal Impacts American Politics Today

(May 14, 2025)

The revelation of the intertwined scandals captivated Americans. Between the fall of 1986 and the fall of 1987, more than seven out of 10 Americans watched some of the televised congressional hearings about Iran-Contra. But once it became clear that Democrats would not impeach Reagan, public interest waned. Unlike Watergate, when a smoking gun tape implicated President Richard Nixon, to many, the 1980s scandal seemed a blur of byzantine Cold War diplomacy, opaque Swiss bank accounts, and a large cast of forgettable middlemen. The country boxed up the ugly affair and stored it in the attic of its memory.

It did so even as the scandal persisted and investigators indicted dozens of administration officials. In 1988, Reagan’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, won the presidency, and throughout his entire administration, those responsible for Iran-Contra dodged the political and legal consequences of their actions.

23.07.2026 - 18:58 [ Fox News ]

4 House Republicans rebel against Trump, vote with Dems to block Iran war powers

Thursday‘s vote is largely symbolic, and the resolution will not go to Trump’s desk for signature if the Senate chamber were also to pass it.

But Democrats‘ war powers effort underscores that the war in Iran is continuing to divide Republicans, several of whom have complained the White House has not given enough visibility to Congress about the military’s actions.

Just 34% of voters approve of Trump‘s handling of Iran, according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.

23.07.2026 - 18:52 [ Associated Press ]

House again passes resolution seeking to halt military action in Iran as some Republicans defect

The 214-208 vote requiring congressional approval for the war comes as the Senate is expected to consider a similar resolution later Thursday morning. Though the votes forced by Democrats are largely symbolic, they are meant as a strong signal to the Republican president that his support on Capitol Hill is chipping away as the war drags on and lawmakers in both parties have questioned his administration’s endgame.

The war has had “no clear mission, no strategy, no end goal,” said Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat who led the resolution on the House floor.

22.07.2026 - 12:08 [ CNN ]

On Iran, a $37 billion price tag and no answers on how it ends

Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, came armed with an $87.6 billion Trump administration supplemental request that includes more than $67 billion for the war and other Pentagon spending.

And as Hegseth announced that the conflict had racked up $37.5 billion in costs, it is expanding. More US troops died over the weekend, bringing the death toll to 18; CNN reported that 100 American personnel had been injured since early July;

22.07.2026 - 12:04 [ Common Dreams ]

‚Imagine All the Better Things That Could Have Been Done‘: Trump Has Blown $37.5 Billion on Iran War

That figure came from a line of questioning by US Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), as Hegseth appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee to support Trump‘s June supplemental funding request, which includes tens of billions for the Pentagon.

Hegseth told Durbin that the $37.5 billion estimate includes what‘s been spent so far, plus some projected spending through the end of the fiscal year in September—an exchange quickly met with fury by various critics, many of whom pointed out the range of ways that money could have been better spent by an administration allegedly dedicated to combating „waste, fraud, and abuse.“

10.07.2026 - 00:00 [ NBC News ]

The Pentagon is running out of money

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department was funded with a budget of nearly a trillion dollars, but it is running out of cash, according to three U.S. officials, a former defense official, outside experts and two congressional staff members.

18.06.2026 - 18:59 [ Trita Parsi / Common Dreams ]

Ending the Costly, Unnecessary Iran War Is the Right Thing. Period.

The task now is not to reward Trump politically, nor to excuse the recklessness that produced this war. It is to prevent the war from returning. Democrats can condemn the decision to start it without sabotaging the agreement that ends it. They can hold Trump accountable without helping Netanyahu drag the United States back into conflict. The choice before them is not between opposing Trump and supporting peace. It is between learning from America’s endless wars and repeating them.

01.06.2026 - 21:25 [ Donald J. Trump / Truth Social ]

Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

(…)

27.05.2026 - 17:45 [ TelesurEnglish.net ]

Cuba Denounces U.S. Energy Blockade at UN, Warns of Humanitarian Catastrophe

In a special appeal, FM Rodríguez addressed U.S. citizens, particularly their youth, invoking their human values and pacifist sentiments. He urged them to seek the truth and resist manipulation by what he described as an “elitist, corrupted and powerful clique in Miami.” According to the Cuban diplomat, this faction does not represent the U.S. people nor the majority of Cubans residing in the United States, many of whom reportedly oppose the “barbarity of war and the blockade.”

27.05.2026 - 12:28 [ CBS News ]

Court blocks Alabama congressional map, saying state intentionally discriminated by race

The panel of three judges instead ordered Alabama to continue using a court-selected map that includes two majority-Black districts. Those congressional district lines were used in the 2024 elections.

In their decision, the judges found that the redistricting plan adopted by Alabama‘s GOP-led legislature in 2023, which state officials sought to reimplement for this year‘s House contests, intentionally discriminated on the basis of race, in violation of the Constitution‘s 14th Amendment.

27.05.2026 - 12:22 [ NPR.org ]

Trump-backed redistricting plan is rejected in the South Carolina Legislature

Trump had been pushing state Republicans to redraw voting lines so they could flip a seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn. It would have made all the state‘s seven congressional districts lean Republican and it would have extended the GOP lead in the national redistricting race, already netting them around nine more seats in the U.S. House.

27.05.2026 - 12:05 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Vor Zwischenwahlen in den USA: Doppel-Niederlage für Trump im Streit um Wahlkreiszuschnitte

US-Präsident Trump hat im Streit um Wahlkreiszuschnitte, die seine Republikaner begünstigen, Niederlagen erlitten. In South Carolina blockierten demokratische und republikanische Senatoren eine neue Wahlkreisaufteilung. In Alabama stoppte ein Gericht eine Neuordnung.

19.05.2026 - 00:29 [ New York Times ]

Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects

Just 26 percent of voters said they were satisfied with the Democratic Party.

The discontent includes a significant number of Democrats who expressed reservations about their own party. Forty-four percent of Democrats described themselves as unsatisfied, while just 23 percent of Republicans said the same about their party.

“They’re just not fighting back hard enough in my eyes,” said Matthew Berryhill, 35, a recruiter from Marietta, Ga., a pivotal battleground area in the state’s key Senate race this year, who described himself as a progressive Democrat. “They come out with strong statements and strong words, and no action to back it up.”

16.05.2026 - 06:40 [ Bloomberg ]

Why the Price of Gas Is the Most Important Number in US Politics

Gasoline accounts for a shrinking share of household budgets, but its political power can still make or break a presidency.

02.05.2026 - 23:57 [ Newsweek ]

Protester Blasts Trump In Washington DC Bridge Stunt: ‘Illegal’

Guido Reichstadter spoke from atop the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge after disrupting peak-hour traffic, telling NewsNation he was calling for “an immediate end to the Trump regime’s illegal war on Iran” through mass nonviolent action.

29.04.2026 - 20:21 [ American Civil Liberties Union ]

Live Coverage: Louisiana v. Callais SCOTUS Decision

The Supreme Court just struck down a Louisiana map that fairly represents Black voters, gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

29.04.2026 - 20:13 [ SCOTUSblog.com ]

In major Voting Rights Act case, Supreme Court strikes down redistricting map challenged as racially discriminatory

The decision was the latest, and presumably final, chapter in a long-running dispute arising from Louisiana’s efforts to adopt a new congressional map in the wake of the 2020 census. The first map that the state adopted, in 2022, had one majority-Black district out of the six allotted to the state. A group of Black voters – who comprise roughly one-third of the state’s population – went to federal court, where they alleged that the map violated Section 2 of the VRA, which prohibits discrimination in voting.

A federal judge agreed that the 2022 map likely violated Section 2, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld that ruling. It instructed Louisiana to draw a new map by January 2024 or risk having the court adopt one for it.

The map that Louisiana drew in 2024 created a second majority-Black district, leading to the election in November of that year of Cleo Fields, a former member of Congress who had represented another majority-Black district during the 1990s.

The map also prompted the lawsuit leading to Wednesday’s opinion. It was filed by a group of “non-African American” voters who contended that the 2024 map violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause by sorting voters based on race.

27.04.2026 - 18:19 [ ScotusBlog.com ]

Digital location data heads back to the Supreme Court

(April 24, 2026)

Background

The Supreme Court last weighed in on the digital Fourth Amendment in 2017. In Carpenter v. United States, the court addressed whether the police had to get a warrant before accessing a certain kind of digital location data, cell-site location information. Cell phones generate CSLI anytime they are on by scanning for the nearest cell tower with strong service. When a cell phone connects to a tower, that tower then records that connection in CSLI logs. A phone’s location can be tracked across time and space by reviewing those logs.

Writing for a 5-4 majority, Chief Justice John Roberts’ Carpenter opinion held that the police must get a warrant before reviewing seven or more days of CSLI for a person’s phone. (…)

Enter: geofence data

Among these unsettled questions is whether police need a warrant to access geofence data, another kind of digital location data. Geofence data generally refers to location information collected by cellphone apps. If you have encountered a prompt on your phone that asks you whether you’d like to allow an app to use your location, you’re likely generating the kind of data at issue in Chatrie. Chatrie specifically involved data generated by a Google service called Location History. In Google’s case, this location information was created by combining information from cell towers but also on GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth signals.

25.04.2026 - 17:57 [ New York Times ]

The Race for Congress: Latest 2026 Polls

Recent polling on the congressional generic ballot shows Democrats with a modest advantage. The party out of power typically gains ground in midterm elections, and these early surveys suggest this may be taking shape ahead of 2026. Democrats lead in the vast majority of recent polls, though by single-digit margins. However, with redistricting efforts underway in several states, the national vote share that Democrats need to retake the House will depend on the extent of these changes.

24.04.2026 - 21:03 [ USA Today ]

Pentagon wants record $1.5 trillion, cost of Iran war not included

„This budget was formulated, honestly, before we went into conflict with Iran,“ Jules Hurst III, the Pentagon‘s acting chief financial officer, told reporters at a briefing April 21.

In addition, the Trump administration separately plans to ask Congress for more than $200 billion in supplemental funding for the Iran war, according to reports.