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.
February 24, 2026
Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump
(NPR) The Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor, an NPR investigation finds. It also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump. Some files have not been made public despite a law mandating their release. These include what appears to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews, and notes from conversations with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago when she was a minor.
Go to discussionChristian leaders denounce Trump actions, warn of 'crisis of faith'
(USA Today) Hundreds of Christian leaders and scholars nationwide are denouncing President Donald Trump’s administration and urging more active resistance among the faithful to “the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the nation.” “We are facing a cruel and oppressive government,” their collective statement begins. “In moments like this, silence is not neutrality — it is an active choice to permit harm.”
Go to discussionMost Americans say Trump is growing erratic with age, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
(Reuters) Six in ten Americans including a significant slice of Republicans think President Donald Trump has become erratic as he ages, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The six-day poll concluded on Monday, the day before the 79-year-old president gives his annual State of the Union address to Congress following a month of angry reprimands of lawmakers and judges. Overall, 61% of respondents in the poll said they would describe Trump as having "become erratic with age."
Go to discussionTrump's State of the Union will seek to calm voters' economic concerns ahead of midterm elections
(AP) President Donald Trump will use Tuesday’s State of the Union to champion his immigration crackdowns, his slashing of the federal government, his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down and his ability to direct quick-hit military actions around the world, including in Iran and Venezuela. The Republican hopes he can convince increasingly wary Americans that his policies have improved their lives while ensuring that the U.S. economy is stronger than many believe — and that they should vote for more of the same in November.
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Newly unearthed DEA document from Epstein files raises question: Did Epstein facilitate drug trafficking?
(CBS News) Jeffrey Epstein was the subject of a previously undisclosed U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation — a five-year-plus probe targeting him and 14 other individuals for suspicious money transfers possibly linked to illegal narcotics, a newly uncovered document in the Department of Justice's Epstein files reveals.
Go to discussion'Too far boss': Texts show Tony Gonzales pressed female staffer for 'sexy pic'
(San Antonio Express-News) In the spring of 2024, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales was in the midst of a bruising primary campaign, fighting to hang onto his congressional seat. But politics was not on his mind when he began trading text messages with a staff member at 12:15 a.m. on May 9. "Send me a sexy pic,” he texted Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, then director of his regional district office in Uvalde, according to messages obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.
Go to discussionTennessee Republicans propose bill that would allow the death penalty for women who have an abortion
(The Independent) Republicans in Tennessee have proposed a bill that would allow women who have had an abortion to be sentenced to death. House Bill 570 allows for the death penalty to be imposed on women who have abortions, as well as charging women “involved in the homicide of her own unborn child” with homicide. It was co-sponsored by state Rep. Jody Barrett and Senator Mark Pody, who sponsored the bill, though it is not yet on the calendar for consideration, according to The Tennessean.
Go to discussionSouth Carolina seeks non-CDC reinforcements to contain growing measles outbreak
(Reuters) A dozen public health experts are arriving in South Carolina to help the state contain the largest U.S. measles outbreak in more than 30 years, but they're not coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The South Carolina Department of Public Health told Reuters it has requested personnel from the nonprofit CDC Foundation instead. The foundation is an independent entity created by Congress to support the CDC through charitable contributions and grants from individuals, corporations and other organizations.
Go to discussionUS farmers are rejecting multimillion-dollar datacenter bids for their land: 'I'm not for sale'
(The Guardian) When two men knocked on Ida Huddleston’s door last May, they carried a contract worth more than $33m in exchange for the Kentucky farm that had fed her family for centuries. According to Huddleston, the men’s client, an unnamed “Fortune 100 company”, sought her 650 acres (260 hectares) in Mason county for an unspecified industrial development. Finding out any more would require signing a non-disclosure agreement.
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