Trump News for Friday, August 15, 2025

Laura Loomer and the limits of posting everything

Tina Nguyen, The Verge

For all the power she wields with the White House's affairs, Laura Loomer does not have the traditional tools that her rivals in the MAGA influencer industrial complex have - the highest follower count, the most political power, the most internet platforms, e…

Watch Trump React To Hillary Clinton's Surprising Nobel Peace Prize Endorsement

Yahoo Entertainment

I Feel Bad for the Pete Davidson BDE Commentary Now

Opheli Garcia Lawler, Cracked.com

By Opheli Garcia Lawler Published: August 15th, 2025

Judge Rules FTC Investigation Of Media Matters Violates First Amendment

Ted Johnson, Deadline

A federal judge has restricted the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation of Media Matters, the progressive watchdog group, finding that the agency was likely engaged in retaliatory conduct in violation of the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Sparkle L.…

Is It Unfair to Canada That ‘South Park’ Made Trump Canadian?

Keegan Kelly, Cracked.com

President Donald ‘Saddam Hussein’ Trump is not Canada’s buddy, guy!

WATCH: President Trump and Russian President Putin arrive in Alaska

ABC News

President Trump and Russian President Putin arrived in Alaska for their high-stakes summit about the war in Ukraine.

WATCH: President Trump and Vladimir Putin greet each other at Alaska summit

ABC News

“That was a very friendly welcome,” ABC News' Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce tells David Muir.

Trump and Putin’s Awkward ‘Yanking’ Handshake Goes Viral Amid Historic Meeting As Body Language Expert Reveals Significance

Renan Duarte, Boredpanda.com

“They were playing rock paper scissors."

Trump, Putin skip questions ahead of Alaska joint press conference

Al Jazeera English

US President Trump and Russian President Putin began talks on the Ukraine war at a US military base in Alaska.

ICE Adds Random Person to Group Chat, Exposes Details of Manhunt in Real-Time

Joseph Cox, 404media.co

The texts were sent to a group called “Mass Text” and show ICE using DMV and license plate reader data in an attempt to find their target, copies of the messages obtained by 404 Media show.

After a freeze, Trump administration reluctantly agrees to fund EV chargers

Camila Domonoske, NPR

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he doesn't agree with federal subsidies for high-speed EV chargers, but that his department "will respect Congress' will" and release the funds.

A Dumb Bill Maher Joke Is Exposing MAGA’s Nastiest Civil War

JM McNab, Cracked.com

And somehow Arby’s got dragged into this mess

Watch: The moment Trump and Putin meet on the red carpet

BBC News

This is the moment Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin exchange handshakes as they meet for a summit in Alaska.

Trump, Putin Meet to Discuss Terms for Ending Russia’s War in Ukraine

Andrew Perez, Rolling Stone

Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Friday to discuss terms for a potential end to Russia’s war against Ukraine — without Ukraine’s involvement.

Trump greets Putin in Alaska for Russia-Ukraine talks

Al Jazeera English

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted each other today in Anchorage, Alaska.

Locarno Takeaways, From Emma Thompson’s Savoir Faire to Why More Companies Are Using the Swiss Festival for Premieres to a Raved-About Retrospective

John Hopewell, Variety

LOCARNO, Switzerland — Unspooling in sweltering humidity, Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, Europe’s biggest mid-Summer movie event, sometimes dazzled, led by an ebullient Emma Thompson. More than anything else, in industry terms, it underscored how major …

SpaceX Has Likely Skirted Federal Income Taxes for Decades, Investigation Reveals

Ellyn Lapointe, Gizmodo.com

Internal documents show Elon Musk’s multi-billion dollar rocket company can indefinitely shield nearly $3 billion in profits from the IRS.

Verdict, sentencing in coup trial for Brazil’s Bolsonaro set for September

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Supreme Court will rule on ex-president's fate in case dividing nation that could result in lengthy prison term.

Networks Plan Special Reports And Dispatch Anchors To Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin Summit

Ted Johnson, Deadline

Networks will provide special coverage on Friday to President Donald Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. All the major news networks were at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to capture Trump’s a…

Texas Democrats signal likely end of gerrymander battle

Russell Payne, Salon

"We are about to suffer the blunt force of Governor Abbott's weakness,” state lawmaker says.

‘The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper Finds Hope In Airport Bars

Peterdeadline, Deadline

During the last Presidential election, Jordan Klepper, one of the hosts of The Daily Show, was snowed in in at Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin after a Trump rally. His flight was delayed three and a half hours so he decamped to the airp…

Repression And War Rage Across ‘My Undesirable Friends’, ‘Checkpoint Zoo’ As Trump, Putin To Meet – Specialty Preview

Jillg366, Deadline

Two documentaries paint a brutal reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime with the Russian press under siege in My Undesirable Friends, and of hundreds of terrified animals at risk in Checkpoint Zoo, an unusual Ukraine rescue story with Leonardo DiCaprio as EP. Rus…

Trump Admin Has Dropped a Third of All Investigations Into Big Tech, Advocates Say

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

It looks like the Trump White House has been going easy on Silicon Valley.

PBS is slashing its budget in response to Trump’s attack on public media

Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge

Now that Congress has passed a bill that will defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS is taking drastic measures to stay alive. In an email sent out to PBS station managers on Wednesday, PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger announced that the organi…

‘South Park’ Fans Mourn How the Show Has Seemingly Forgotten About Kenny

Keegan Kelly, Cracked.com

Has Butters replaced him in the core four friends?

WATCH: Trump-Putin summit likely to have major implications on Ukraine

ABC News

President Trump and Russian President Putin's summit in Alaska could have major implications for Ukraine and its entire region.

PACER Hacked By Malicious Entities, Briefly Turning It Into A Useful Source For Federal Court Documents

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

The US Court system’s electronic filing front-end has always been a mess. Not only is it prohibitively expensive for most casual users, it’s prohibitively dysfunctional even for power users. Whoever isn’t discouraged by the outdated front end will be just as …

B-2 stealth bombers flown into Alaska base ahead of Trump-Putin meeting: Officials

Cindy Smith, Katherine Faulders, Anne Flaherty, ABC News

The high-stakes summit at the Anchorage Air Force base comes as the U.S. seeks a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump Just Launched a New Assault on D.C.’s Home Rule. It’s Brazenly Illegal.

Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi launched arguably the most lawless assault on the District of Columbia in its 52 years of home rule.

S.C. Governor Candidate Shouts N-Word in Cop Car on New Body Cam Arrest Video

TMZ Staff, TMZ

The South Carolina candidate for governor -- whose bizarre arrest has already apparently tanked his shot -- is finding himself in an even deeper hole now that the full body cam’s out ... showing him dropping the N-word on video. TMZ obtained the…

Trump Is Trying to Make It Easier to Evict People From Public Housing

Jessica Washington, The Intercept

The Trump administration is pushing a rule change that would speed up the eviction process by providing tenants less notice. The post Trump Is Trying to Make It Easier to Evict People From Public Housing appeared first on The Intercept.

Russia gains in east before Trump-Putin summit, Ukraine says holding off

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Zelenskyy decries Russia’s attempt to gain battlefield edge pre-US summit maintains its army is holding back 'occupier'.

Why is Trump meeting Putin in Alaska?

Al Jazeera English

Trump and Putin will meet one-on-one Friday at a historic summit in Alaska. What’s on the table?

The White House Keeps a ‘Loyalty’ Scorecard for Companies: Report

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

Remember Nixon's enemies list?

Trump’s Military Campaign Against American Cities Expands

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

Donald Trump has declared war on American cities, and he’s sending in the troops to prove it. As Rolling Stone rightly notes regarding Trump seizing direct control of DC law enforcement by deploying the National Guard: President Donald Trump has expanded his …

Trump’s immigration raids are now before the Supreme Court

Ian Millhiser, Vox

Last month, a federal judge in Los Angeles handed down a temporary order placing some restrictions on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in that city. The Trump administration now wants the Supreme Court to lift those restrictions.  The conteste…

Appeals court rules that layoffs affecting most CFPB staff can proceed

Laurel Wamsley, NPR

The Trump administration sent reduction-in-force notices to more than 1,400 staffers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in April.

Tensions grow as Trump and Washington, D.C. officials fight over police authority

Brian Mann, NPR

Tension in the nation's capital escalated over the question of who controls the city's police department after Washington, D.C.'s Attorney General sued over the White House's bid for full control.

Taylor Swift says you should think of your energy like it's an expensive 'luxury item'

Alice Tecotzky, Business Insider

Taylor Swift said she maintains a healthy relationship with social media by ignoring a lot of what's written about her.

Can Congress Stop Trump From Starting a War in Mexico?

Nick Turse, The Intercept

More than 30 human rights groups urge congressional leaders to block Trump’s attempt to target Mexican cartels. The post Can Congress Stop Trump From Starting a War in Mexico? appeared first on The Intercept.

Gavin Newsom Just Explained His Trump-Style Tweets And It's Deeper Than You Think

Matt Stopera, Buzzfeed

I mean, he's got a point. Right?View Entire Post ›

DC sues over Pam Bondi’s “hostile takeover” of the police

Blaise Malley, Salon

The district's attorney general called the attempt to remove the police chief “an affront to the dignity”

Afghans in US mark withdrawal anniversary amid Trump immigration crackdown

Joseph Stepansky, Al Jazeera English

Advocates say Trump policies add fear to four years of uncertainty for Afghans seeking safety in US after Taliban rise.

The AI spending boom is boosting US GDP — and potentially hiding looming problems

Brent D. Griffiths, Business Insider

Donald Trump has welcomed the news of massive AI-related investments, but the spending spree might be hiding troubling signs elsewhere.

Analysis-Tough US stance casts gloom over plastics pollution deal after Geneva flop

Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge, Yahoo Entertainment

GENEVA (Reuters) -The collapse on Friday of a sixth round of U.N. talks aimed at curbing plastic output has dimmed hopes of tackling a key source of...

Russia improved its missiles. Now, Ukraine's Patriots are struggling to consistently shoot them down, defense intel says.

Jake Epstein, Business Insider

The US-made Patriot air defense system is Kyiv's best tool for intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.

Labor Day sales are coming soon -- Here's what to expect and how to get the absolute best deals

Rick Broida, Yahoo Entertainment

Get ready to score some solid discounts on appliances, Apple products, electronics and more.

US manufacturing production stalls in July

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. factory production was unchanged in July suggesting manufacturing activity was stalling as businesses navigate higher costs from...

Trump’s changing stance on Intel's "conflicted" CEO Lip-Bu Tan sparks talk of government stake in the chipmaker

sean.endicott@futurenet.com (Sean Endicott) , Sean Endicott, Windows Central

In a pivot, President Trump praises Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan following their recent meeting, unveiling potential plans to acquire a stake in the chipmaker.

The real reason Trump’s DC takeover is scary

Zack Beauchamp, Vox

Depending on who you listen to, President Donald Trump’s decision to seize control over law enforcement in Washington, DC, is either an authoritarian menace or a farce. The authoritarian menace case is straightforward: Trump is (again) asserting the power to …

Trump Admin Considering Buying a Stake In Floundering Intel

Jeremy Gray, PetaPixel

The Trump administration is reportedly in discussion to buy a stake in the struggling American technology company Intel, further eroding the distinction between the state and industry. [Read More]

Trump’s takeover of DC police department faces new lawsuit amid crackdown

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Washington, DC attorney general says in a new lawsuit that Trump is going far beyond his power under the law.

The U.S.-Russia Summit Is Already a Win for Putin

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

The meeting could reveal how serious Trump’s disaffection with the Russian leader really is.

White House Photographer Pete Souza Slams Trump’s Decision to Hide Obama’s Portrait

Matt Growcoot, PetaPixel

Former White House photographer Pete Souza has criticized President Trump's decision to hide away President Obama's official portrait from the Grand Foyer of the White House. [Read More]

'About our lives, but without our voice': Sidelined Ukrainians look on

BBC News

Left uninvited to key talks, many Ukrainians look on with a mix of fatigue and mistrust.

Trump’s “American Hell” is everywhere

Brian Karem, Salon

His declining reality show mentality is destroying the fabric of our nation — and the press is complicit

Abortion Pills That Give You Superpowers? Women’s Healthcare Is Now the Stuff of Fantasy Films

Alison Foreman, IndieWire

IndieWire spoke with three filmmakers about personal storytelling through genre, from a folk monster hungry for breast milk ("Feed") to vaginoplasty administered by a witch ("The Dysphoria") to a vigilante service worker stuck waiting tables mid-abortion ("Th…

Can Putin sway Trump with economic offers in Alaska?

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Putin will hope to appeal to Trump’s business instincts by discussing economic ties alongside the future of Ukraine.

Trump Destroys Whatever Was Left Of U.S. Corporate Oversight, Calls It “America First Antitrust”

Karl Bode, Techdirt

While there was a lot to criticize the Biden administration about, it did at least try to shift the balance back toward antitrust reform (see: Lina Khan), boosting competition, and occasionally trying to help labor (see: the noncompete ban). This desperately …

Oklahoma to begin controversial test to weed out 'woke' teachers...

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN

Teachers from “liberal” states who have relocated to Oklahoma and are seeking to work there must take a controversial new assessment developed by conservative media company PragerU.

US Government May Buy a Stake in Intel

Hartley Charlton, MacRumors

The Trump administration is in preliminary discussions to acquire an equity stake in former Apple chip supplier Intel, a move aimed at accelerating the company's delayed manufacturing expansion in Ohio (via Bloomberg). The proposal reportedly emerged fol…

New Bitcoin Purchases by the U.S. Government Still on the Table, Bessent Says

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

Bitcoin fans were disappointed when the 'strategic reserve' didn't inject new money into the liquidity pool.

When the CIA got away with building a heart attack gun

The Wise Wolf, Substack.com

How 16 Senators Accidentally Saved Democracy (Then Watched It Die)

What to expect when Trump and Putin meet in Alaska

Al Jazeera English

Donald Trump is meeting Vladimir Putin on Friday, but the White House is signalling that major agreements are unlikely.

WATCH: Washington, DC officials clear out homeless encampments

ABC News

President Trump vowed this week to rid Washington, D.C. of homeless encampments, issuing a warning that the "homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY."

A White House nod boosts the stature of once-shunned MMA

Dan Wetzel, ESPN

Dana White recounts sport's long journey from 'human cockfighting' obscurity to a presidential embrace

What to know ahead of Trump-Putin summit. And, Texas Democrats could end boycott

Brittney Melton, NPR

Trump and Putin meet in Alaska today. Here's what you need to know before the summit. And, Texas Democrats could end their boycott if California also begins redistricting.

Why Candace Owens won’t stop her “transvestigations”

Amanda Marcotte, Salon

The Brigitte Macron conspiracy theory helps MAGA cope with their own contradictory gender ideology

China’s Revolutionary DeepSeek Turns to American Hardware for Upgrade

Sean Craig, Thedailyupside.com

Seven months after DeepSeek's debut, it appears the company needs some American rocket power to get its AI Sputnik off the ground.

Texas could lose political clout under Trump’s call for a new census

Owen Dahlkamp, Salon

Trump's plan to exclude undocumented immigrants could backfire in red states on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Beyond Dobbs: How Abortion Bans Enforce State-Sanctioned Violence

The Intercept Briefing, The Intercept

Journalist Kylie Cheung on why post-Dobbs restrictions “aren’t unintended consequences.” The post Beyond Dobbs: How Abortion Bans Enforce State-Sanctioned Violence appeared first on The Intercept.

Russia is facing 2 major — and seemingly contradictory — labor problems at the same time

Huileng Tan, Business Insider

Russia's jobless rate is at a record low, but "hidden unemployment" is rising.

Trump Lashes Out at His Nemesis Bringing Epstein Victims to the Capitol

Janna Brancolini, Daily Beast

President Donald Trump fired a loud-and-clear warning shot at a Republican lawmaker who is bringing a number of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex abuse victims to the...

Trump and Putin's changing relationship to take center stage in Alaska

Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News

Trump and Putin's meeting in Alaska will be a test of their relationship -- one Trump previously said was so strong he could end the conflict on his first day in office.

Trump faces “serious risks” with Putin’s “maximalist demands”

Al Jazeera English

David Salvo, of the Alliance for Securing Democracy, warns of Putin's push to sway Trump on Ukraine.

Blackwater founder Erik Prince to send forces to Haiti to fight gangs

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Vectus Global, a security company led by Erik Prince, has a contract to battle Haiti's gangs and restore tax collection.

Photos: Putin’s 25-year legacy with US presidents

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

A visual journey through Putin's interactions with five US presidents spanning a quarter-century of diplomacy.

Trump administration names DEA head to be D.C.'s emergency police commissioner

Meg Anderson, NPR

Attorney General Pam Bondi has named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration to be Washington D.C.'s emergency police commissioner. The National Guard, FBI and other entities are now working to follow President Trump's directive to clean up the nation…

Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai’s trial delayed over health concerns

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The 77-year-old founder of the Apple Daily newspaper is charged with foreign collusion over 2019 protests.

Australian lawyer apologizes for AI-generated errors in murder case

ROD McGUIRK, Yahoo Entertainment

A senior lawyer in Australia has apologized to a judge for filing submissions in a murder case that included fake quotes and non-existent case judgments...

Trump-Putin Alaska summit: What’s on the agenda and what’s at stake?

Shola Lawal, Al Jazeera English

The highly anticipated summit could see the beginnings of a peace deal but will likely not end the war, experts say.

Price retreat buoys demand in India; activity muted elsewhere

Rajendra Jadhav and Brijesh Patel, Yahoo Entertainment

(Reuters) -Physical gold demand in India improved slightly this week as a price pullback lifted buying interest among consumers, while activity in other top ...

What do Alaskans make of the geopolitical circus arriving in their city?

BBC News

The city of Anchorage is set to host a meeting that could re-shape Europe and global security.

Judge strikes down Trump administration guidance against DEI programs at schools

The Associated Press, NPR

A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation's schools and universities.

‘No more food’: In northern Nigeria, US funding cuts bite for aid groups

Sani Adamu, Shola Lawal, Al Jazeera English

Organisations like the World Food Programme are scaling back aid or completely halting operations.

Blackwater founder to deploy nearly 200 personnel to Haiti as gang violence soars

The Associated Press, NPR

The deployment is meant to help the government of Haiti recover vast swaths of territory seized in the past year and now controlled by heavily armed gangs.

Trump's 'safe and beautiful' move against DC homeless camps looks like ugliness to those targeted

JACQUELYN MARTIN, NATHAN ELLGREN, MEG KINNARD and CALVIN WOODWARD, Yahoo Entertainment

Ms. Jay didn't wait for the authorities to come before packing her tent and carrying what belongings she could across Pennsylvania Avenue on her way to...

South Park and the Greatest TV Contract Clause

Trungphan2, Readtrung.com

Matt Stone and Trey Parker became billionaires by making 27 seasons of the funniest shows ever (and signing a first TV deal with an improbable clause).

WATCH: New rupture creates spectacular lava show for visitors to Sicily’s Mt. Etna

ABC News

A new rupture has created a spectacular lava show for visitors to Sicily’s Mt. Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe.

WATCH: Federal agents spotted near Gov. Newsom event in Los Angeles

ABC News

Federal agents were spotted arriving in the Little Tokyo area of LA at the same time California Gov. Newsom was in the neighborhood to talk about the redrawing of California's congressional maps.

Trump promises to ‘save’ jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Closing arguments are due to begin in the national security trial of Jimmy Lai, 77, a critic of China's Communist Party.

As Trump splits from India, is the US abandoning its pivot to Asia?

Yashraj Sharma, Al Jazeera English

US partners in Asia, such as India, might consider their own shifts in response to Trump's moves. But it won't be easy.

China navy power on show in Pacific, signals ability to ‘contest’ US access

Amy Chew, Al Jazeera English

Expert says ‘gaps’ in naval capabilities are closing between China and the United States.

Why did Russia sell Alaska to the United States?

Alex Kozul-Wright, Al Jazeera English

For Trump-Putin summit about possible land swaps, Alaska is an appropriate venue, 158 years after it exchanged hands.

Tencent doesn’t care if it can buy American GPUs again – it already has all the chips it needs

Simon Sharwood, Theregister.com

Sees AI costs rising but not certain revenue will match them Chinese web giant Tencent doesn’t mind if Washington doesn’t let it buy more American GPUs, because it already has all the chips it needs.…

Tom Cruise turned down Trump’s Kennedy Center honor

Alex Galbraith, Salon

The "Mission Impossible" star cited scheduling conflicts.

The Wall Street Journal Marches Toward Pravda With American Characteristics

John Gruber, The Wall Street Journal

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,268

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Here are the key events on day 1,268 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.