Trump News for Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Authors Keep Unsuccessfully Suing Adam McKay Over His Least Funny Comedy Movie

Keegan Kelly, Cracked.com

A district court judge just dismissed a $3 billion lawsuit over one of McKay’s biggest flops

The White House launches an official TikTok account, with the aim of communicating President Trump's policies (Steve Holland/Reuters)

Techmeme.com

Steve Holland / Reuters: The White House launches an official TikTok account, with the aim of communicating President Trump's policies  —  The White House launched an official TikTok account on Tuesday, taking advantage of its more than 150 million U.S. users…

What 'security guarantees' for Ukraine would actually mean

BBC News

There are inherent contradictions in the idea of the guarantees meant to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again

Immigrants seeking lawful work and citizenship are now subject to 'anti-Americanism' screening

COREY WILLIAMS and VALERIE GONZALEZ, Yahoo Entertainment

Immigrants seeking a legal pathway to live and work in the United States will now be subject to screening for “anti-Americanism’,” authorities said Tuesday, ...

Why the DOJ is looking into DC crime stats

Cameron Peters, Vox

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: As President Donald Trump’s takeover of Washington, DC…

Trump Attacks Smithsonian For Focus On 'How Bad Slavery Was' And, Boy, The Responses

David Moye, HuffPost

Social media users wondered what the good parts of slavery were.

Security clearance revoked for dozens of current and former US officials

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Some had been critical of Trump, while others were involved in investigating Russian meddling in 2020 US elections.

MTG Has Heard About the Israeli Cyber Official Arrested for an Alleged Child Sex Crime, and She Isn’t Happy

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

The familiar MAGA figure added to the furor over the recent arrest.

Just When You Thought Andrew Cuomo’s Campaign Couldn’t Get Any Sadder…

Nikkimccannramirez, Rolling Stone

Andrew Cuomo is reportedly hoping Trump can help boost his chances to defeat Zohran Mamdani, while using memes from one of the president's supporters.

Trump Doesn’t Understand What Lasting Peace Requires

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

The president hasn’t shown much interest in dealing with the messy details of diplomacy.

Trump: Smithsonian should portray nation's 'Brightness,' not 'how bad Slavery was'

Lalee Ibssa, ABC News

President Trump confirmed the White House is doing a review Smithsonian museums, where he complained "everything discussed is how horrible our Country is."

President Trump’s Talks with the Leaders of Russia and Ukraine

Charles Maynes, NPR

President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven European leaders met at the White House to talk about ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. The meeting followed a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last…

Robinhood Tries to Rebrand Sports Betting as Investing

AJ Dellinger, Gizmodo.com

Well, at least they're not hiding that it's just a gambling app now.

Kremlin plays down Zelensky talks as Trump warns Putin may not want 'to make deal'

BBC News

The US president conceded the war in Ukraine was "tough to solve" after several days of high-level talks.

WATCH: Driver smashes through window as food influencers film restaurant review

ABC News

A pair of food influencers escaped without major injuries after a driver accidentally plowed through a restaurant in Houston over the weekend.

FDA Warns Public Not to Eat Frozen Shrimp That Could Be Radioactive

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

The shrimp was sold at Walmart with a best-by date of March 2027.

Six Republican states send 1,100 troops to US capital amid crackdown

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Federal agents and National Guard troops flood Washington after Trump calls for aggressive crime-fighting measures.

Will a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy end the war in Ukraine?

Al Jazeera English

Donald Trump says he's arranging a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Target customers may soon flee to Walmart due to alarming change

Patricia Battle, TheStreet

Target could soon make a major store change that threatens to scare away shoppers.

Federal Judge Rips ICE For Turning The Legal Migration Process Into ‘Detention Roulette’

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

Since it’s easier to jump people who aren’t criminals than to actually track down criminals, ICE — especially in certain parts of the country — is sending its masked officers to hang around courtrooms and arrest people who are just trying to follow the rules …

Boston Mayor To Trump: 'Stop Attacking Our Cities To Hide Your Administration's Failures'

Yahoo Entertainment

Wyoming Launches the First State-Issued Stablecoin

Bruce Gil, Gizmodo.com

Wyoming’s Frontier Stable Token promises faster and cheaper digital transactions

Apple is reportedly making more of its new iPhones in India instead of China

Jay Peters, The Verge

Apple is manufacturing more of its iPhone 17 phones for the US in India instead of in China, and for the first time, the full lineup of new models will ship from India at launch, according to Bloomberg. The company is also working on a successor to the iPhone…

Adam Schiff Grills FCC Over Colbert Cancellation

Matt Solomon, Cracked.com

Can Congress stop the FCC from dictating comedy?

Privacy‑Preserving Age Verification Falls Apart On Contact With Reality

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

Here we go again. Whenever policy makers insist that there’s some “nerd harder” solution to tricky societal problems, actual experts have to spend a ridiculous amount of time explaining basic realities to them. Sometimes those are realities about the technolo…

Howard Lutnick Calls CHIPS Act a ‘Giveaway to Rich Companies’ Like Intel

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

The U.S. government is in talks to get a 10% equity stake in Intel.

Why Ukraine won’t just give up its territory

Joshua Keating, Vox

Ukrainian forces still control 2,550 square miles of the eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas, an area roughly the size of Delaware. For many, including President Donald Trump, who met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday at the White H…

Chris Pratt’s Online Haters Feel Vindicated By His Dumb Endorsement of RFK Jr.

Opheli Garcia Lawler, Cracked.com

By Opheli Garcia Lawler Published: August 19th, 2025

Jack White Slams Donald Trump’s ‘Disgusting’ Oval Office Redesign: ‘What an Embarrassment’

Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone

The musician shared an image from the president's meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, comparing the harsh gold color in the White House to a "professional wrestler's dressing room"

Apple's Tim Cook is keeping his August winning streak going

Jordan Hart, Business Insider

Apple CEO Tim Cook kept his August winning streak alive as the US backed Apple against the UK in an encrypted user data dispute.

World leader softens up Trump with a gift he’s sure to love

Rachel Cohen, nj.com

Could this butter up the president?

Mark Hamill Says He Wanted to Leave U.S. Due to Trump, but Won’t be Forced Out by ‘That Son of a Bitch’

Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone

Mark Hamill said he considered leaving the U.S. following Trump's reelection, but decided he won't be forced out by 'that son of a bitch.'

Kristi Noem, DHS Again Getting Shitty Because Tech Tools Are Being Used To Warn People About ICE

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

Suck it up, shitbirds. You’re the beneficiaries of full-throated support from a megalomaniac who has just untied the purse strings and dumped pretty much everything in it into ICE’s back pocket. ICE is on its way to becoming the largest law enforcement recipi…

A shipbuilding behemoth is rising in China. By scale, nothing else comes close.

Chris Panella, Business Insider

The merger helps China consolidate its shipbuilding and centralize government control, putting it in a position to continue dominating the market.

How the MAGA goon squad became tech lobbyists

Tina Nguyen, The Verge

Hello there, world! Welcome to the second issue of Regulator, a newsletter about the collision between Big Tech and Washington. If you enjoy this, consider subscribing to get this newsletter weekly and everything The Verge has to offer. Lobbying might be a du…

Palestine was the problem with TikTok

Sarah Jeong, The Verge

In the last month, the war in Gaza has become an inescapable facet of the public consciousness as a new surge of images of Palestinian children - their faces impossibly sunken, their limbs reduced to skin and bone - flooded the internet. As the pictures becam…

US soybean farmers urge Trump to make purchase deal with China

Leah Douglas, Yahoo Entertainment

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. soybean farmers urged President Donald Trump in a Tuesday letter to reach a trade deal with China that secures significant soybean...

The Sword and the Book

Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic

Pete Hegseth is wrong to think that civilians have little role to play in military education.

Bessent says the US wouldn't use a rumored stake in Intel 'to drum up business'

Brent D. Griffiths, Business Insider

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the White House wouldn't try to flex its power with a stake in Intel.

Apple Is Making All Four iPhone 17 Models in India in a Big Pivot From China, Report Says

Alex Valdes, CNET

It's one way to minimize Trump tariffs as the September launch date for the iPhone 17 draws near.

Trump Is Blocking Gaza’s Children from Medical Care Because Laura Loomer Threw a Tantrum

Danielle Han, Jezebel

Loomer had an atomic meltdown on Twitter after a humanitarian nonprofit posted a video of kids from Gaza arriving in San Francisco.

Russians welcome idea of Putin and Zelensky meeting

AFP, Yahoo Entertainment

Russians welcomed Tuesday the idea of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, though not...

Ukraine hit by multiple Russian strikes amid US-led push for end to war

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Russia launches its largest strike this month on Ukraine after Trump hosts Zelenskyy, EU, UK leaders for talks.

U.S. Cuts Antarctica’s Only Research Icebreaker Ship under Trump Budget Squeeze

Douglas Fox, Scientific American

The National Science Foundation will stop operating the Nathaniel B. Palmer icebreaker and slash polar science funding by 70 percent, devastating Antarctic research

“The View”'s Ana Navarro slams Melania Trump's 'performative hypocrisy' after First Lady's plea to Vladimir Putin over Ukraine

Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly

"What about all the children in America?" Navarro asked, calling out Melania Trump for asking Putin to end the Ukraine war in the name of kids.

We still don't know if Donald Trump is getting free ads from Paramount

Peter Kafka, Business Insider

Donald Trump claims Skydance's owners promised him millions in free ads so they could buy Paramount. A new report contradicts that claim.

Trump's Body Language During Zelenskyy Visit Spoke Volumes, Experts Say

Caroline Bologna, HuffPost

The Ukrainian president met with Donald Trump at the White House, and experts think there's a lot to take away from their interactions.

Trump proposes Zelenskyy-Putin summit after White House meeting

Al Jazeera English

Trump announced plans for a Putin–Zelenskyy summit in a last-ditch effort to end the war.

What US, Europe security guarantees for Ukraine could look like

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Trump, who has ruled out NATO security for Ukraine, sees US role in Kyiv's security along with Europe

Trump is “totally failing” at peace deal for Ukraine

Al Jazeera English

"The stakes of nuclear war are not one we want to gamble on, on behalf of Ukraine.”

Chris Pratt 'Loves' Kennedy In-Law RFK Jr., Defends Controversial Politician

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Chris Pratt is a big fan of Robert Kennedy Jr. ... and he's more than willing to go to the mat for his wife's cousin, which he recently discussed with Bill Maher. The Marvel star dropped by Maher's podcast "Club Random" for the most recent episode…

Tesla Making Yet Another Desperate Move in Europe

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

How can Tesla fix its European slump?

Five ‘South Park’ Kids Who Lingered in the Background for Years Before They Suddenly Became Important

Brian VanHooker, Cracked.com

By Brian VanHooker Published: August 19th, 2025

Trump Claims He Was Asked For His License Plate At The Voting Booth

staff@jalopnik.com (Collin Woodard), Jalopnik

In a recent interview, Trump claimed that when he tried to vote, he was asked to provide his license plate number. Sure, thing. Whatever you say, Donald.

Indiana Woman Arrested in D.C. for Threatening to Kill President Trump

TMZ Staff, TMZ

An Indiana woman has been arrested in Washington, D.C. for making death threats against President Donald Trump on social media -- including a claim she would disembowel him. Nathalie Rose Jones, 50, was taken into custody on Saturday after…

The New CBS Already Promising Major, ‘Painful’ Layoffs

Karl Bode, Techdirt

U.S. media mergers always follow the same trajectory. Pre-merger, executives promise all manner of amazing synergies and deal benefits. Post-merger, not only to those benefits generally never arrive, the debt from the acquisition spree usually results in sign…

Of Course the Worst Chris in Hollywood Is an RFK Jr. Defender

Audra Heinrichs, Jezebel

“I really got along with him well and think he’s great," Chris Pratt told Bill Maher. "He’s funny, he’s wonderful. I love him.” Maybe brainworms run in the (extended) family.

How Trump falsely claims US is the ‘only country’ that uses mail-in voting

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Trump opposes postal voting, claiming inaccuracies, but many countries use the system.

Coming soon to a data center near you? Nuclear reactors

Julia Hornstein, Business Insider

Aalo Atomics raises $100 million to mass-produce nuclear reactors to power data centers amid the growing energy demand from AI.

Satellite images show Russia's new launch sites for exploding attack drones

Jake Epstein, Business Insider

The images show what seem to be launch rails, runways, hardened shelters, and Shahed-style drones at three bases in Russia.

WATCH: Air Force plane flies through eye of Hurricane Erin

ABC News

The U.S. Air Force released footage showing one of its planes entering the eye of Hurricane Erin.

Putin and Zelenskyy could meet. And, Trump wants to stop voting by mail

Brittney Melton, NPR

Trump says there are plans underway for Putin and Zelenskyy to meet to discuss an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. And, Trump wants to stop states from voting by mail.

UK Reportedly Backs Off Plan To Force Apple To Unlock Encrypted iCloud Data

staff@bgr.com (José Adorno), BGR

After the UK ordered Apple to offer a backdoor, security experts raised concerns that such a feature could lead to hackers exploiting it.

Europe’s Free-Speech Problem

Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic

Republicans are right to criticize Europe for attacking free expression, even if that makes them hypocritical.

The End of Niche College Sports

Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic

Letting schools pay revenue-generating athletes is long overdue. If that means letting squash and water polo die, so be it.

Apple is finally hitting a long-held goal to reduce its dependence on China

Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

A new report says that Apple will finally hit a long-held goal to reduce its dependence on China with the launch of the iPhone 17. Indian iPhone production has always lagged behind that of China, but all this is now changing – with import tariffs acting as…

Why Ukraine's first lady wrote Melania Trump a letter

BBC News

Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska has thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for imploring Vladimir Putin to protect children.

Trump Mobile’s latest ads ditch Android reality for a golden iPhone fantasy

Adamya Sharma, Android Authority

Trump Mobile wants to sell you a gold Android phone that was supposed to be made in America, but its ads have switched teams to Apple.

Americans fear AI permanently displacing workers, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Jason Lange and Alexandra Alper, Yahoo Entertainment

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Americans are deeply concerned over the prospect that advances in artificial intelligence could put swaths of the country out of work...

New Treatments Can Free Kids from the Deadly Threat of Peanut Allergy

Maryn McKenna, Scientific American

Remarkable new treatments can free millions of kids and adults from the deadly threat of peanut allergy, tackling one of our fastest-growing medical problems

How Trump 2.0 is galvanizing European AI and defense tech

rkanetkar@insider.com (Riddhi Kanetkar), Business Insider

Europe is embracing AI sovereignty and doubling down on defense spending in response to the Trump administration.

What Should Democrats Actually Stand For in 2025? I Have Some Suggestions.

Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate Magazine

Some perhaps embarrassingly earnest thoughts about what the party should stand for.

America’s Most Misunderstood Pet Is Tiny and Cheap and Might Die on You Quickly. If Only You Knew Its Real Story.

Melissa Scott Sinclair, Slate Magazine

We owe the hermit crab so much more.

Watch: Two presidents, two very different Oval Office encounters

BBC News

Onlookers gasped as Trump and Zelensky's meeting in Washington in February descended into chaos, but times have changed.

Businesses face 'chaos' as EPA aims to repeal its authority over climate pollution

Michael Copley, NPR

A lot of companies want the EPA in charge of setting national climate regulations because it helps shield them from lawsuits and creates a predictable environment in which to make investments.

Starmer hails breakthrough on Ukraine security guarantees

BBC News

Donald Trump's commitment to Ukraine's security is key to a lasting peace, the UK prime minister says.

D.C.'s crime numbers are all the buzz. But how do we interpret them accurately?

Juliana Kim, NPR

A range of crime data has been going around to make the argument that Washington, D.C., is — or isn't — safe. We talk to crime experts to make sense of it all.

A musical about bigotry arrives at a Kennedy Center transformed by Trump

Tom Dreisbach, NPR

Parade, the Tony award-winning musical about the 1915 lynching of a Jewish man, begins its run in Washington, D.C. amid an antisemitic backlash against the show's subject.

Apple's iPhone 17 Manufacturing Expands Across Five Indian Plants

Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Apple is ramping up iPhone production in India across five factories as it continues reducing dependence on China for U.S.-bound devices. For the first time, all four iPhone 17 models will be manufactured in India in preparation for launch next month, reports…

Immigrant families fear Trump's deportations as children return to school

Arthur Jones II, ABC News

Attendance has fallen in some school systems since the crackdown began.

How to make clean energy progress under Trump in the states—blue and red alike

Joshua A. Basseches, MIT Technology Review

The second Trump administration is proving to be more disastrous for the climate and the clean energy economy than many had feared.  Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act repealed most of the clean energy incentives in former president Joe Biden’s Inflati…

The president looked around the table for President Alexander Stubb of Finland, who was seated directly across from him.

The Daily Beast, Daily Beast

Donald Trump struggled to find his new best friend from Finland at Monday’s Ukraine peace talks, even though President Alexander Stubb was seated right...

Russia launches largest attack of August on Ukraine after Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

David Brennan, ABC News

Ukraine's air force reported a major Russian attack on Monday night and into Tuesday morning -- the largest barrage for weeks.

Chris Pratt Defends Extended Family Member RFK Jr.: ‘I Think He’s Great’

Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone

The actor discussed the Health and Human Services Secretary on the latest episode of Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast

What to know about Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

US president proposes Putin-Zelenskyy summit in latest push to end the war in Ukraine.

Sam Altman says there was a big reason OpenAI released its open-weight models

Kwan Wei Kevin Tan, Business Insider

"It was clear that if we didn't do it, the world was gonna be mostly built on Chinese open source models," Altman said.

Democrats get police escorts to prevent a new redistricting walkout as California moves to retaliate

BILL BARROW, TRAN NGUYEN, FERNANDA FIGUEROA and JOHN HANNA, Yahoo Entertainment

Texas Democrats who ended a walkout found themselves shadowed by law enforcement officers to keep them from repeating the protest that stalled Republican...

Apple won’t have to build an iCloud backdoor for UK access to American data

Marcus Mendes, 9to5Mac

The UK has retreated from a controversial order that would have forced Apple to provide a backdoor to American users’ data, according to a statement from US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Here are the details. more…

UBS Raises Price Target for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B), Keeps Buy Rating

Ali Ahmed, Yahoo Entertainment

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-B) is one of the 9 Best NYSE Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. On August 4, UBS increased its price target on...

Zelensky leaves White House unscathed as he buys more time

BBC News

Unlike February's row, Trump and Zelensky struck a more diplomatic tone despite their remaining differences.

Trump proposes Putin-Zelenskyy summit in push to end Ukraine war

John Power, Al Jazeera English

US president says security guarantees for Ukraine could be provided by European countries with 'coordination' by the US.

WATCH: 7 killed, including child, after drones strike residential building in Ukraine

ABC News

As President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House, Russia unleashed a deadly drone assault on civilians in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

WATCH: Skunk rescued after getting stuck in bowl at skatepark in Pennsylvania

ABC News

A man used a skateboard attached to a dog leash to lift a skunk to safety after the critter got stuck inside a bowl at a Pennsylvania skatepark.

Trump Buys More Time for Putin

Tom Nichols, The Atlantic

The meeting at the White House today yielded little progress toward peace—but it could have been far worse.

Missouri attorney general appointed co-deputy director of FBI

Luke Barr, ABC News

This marks the first time in history that the FBI has had two deputy directors.

Trump administration eyes 10% stake in Intel using CHIPS Act funds, stock slides

Marcus Mendes, 9to5Mac

A few days ago, news broke that following a meeting with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, the Trump administration was looking to take an unspecified stake in Intel. Now, Bloomberg says the number being discussed is around $10.5 billion. Here are the details. more…

Zelensky Wasn’t Going to Repeat His Oval Office Disaster

Vivian Salama, Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic

The Ukrainian president had a new strategy—and backup from allies—during his meeting with Trump.

Intel shares jump as Softbank to buy $2bn stake in chip giant

BBC News

The announcement comes hours after reports that the White House is in talks over taking a 10% stake in Intel.

SoftBank is investing $2 billion in Intel as part of its AI bet

Kelsey Vlamis, Business Insider

Intel is getting a $2 billion investment in common stock from SoftBank, which is betting big on the AI revolution.