Trump News for Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Cracker Barrel Says They're Going Back to Old Logo After Backlash

TMZ Staff, TMZ

The tribe has spoken ... and Cracker Barrel is listening ... because the restaurant chain says it's ditching a new logo design that caused a ton of outrage and backlash. Cracker Barrel just announced they are switching back to their original logo,…

Trump stomps feet, pulls out 't-word' again over China rare earths ban

Iain Thomson, Theregister.com

'They have to give us magnets' world war fee The Chinese lockdown on rare-earth minerals has drawn the ire of President Trump, who is threatening crushing tariffs if the Middle Kingdom doesn't cough up more rare earths.…

Cracker Barrel says it will go back to old logo amid redesign controversy

Kelly McCarthy, Melanie Schmitz, ABC News

"Our new logo is going away and our "Old Timer" will remain," Cracker Barrel said in a statement.

Maybe a New Melania Magazine Cover Will Give Trump What He’s Been Seeking

Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic

What would’ve happened if long ago, the president got the cultural accolades he’s always wanted?

Videos show impact of Trump's crackdown in one Washington DC neighbourhood

BBC News

Residents in Washington's Columbia Heights neighbourhood say there has been a surge in immigration arrests since President Trump's crime crackdown started.

The Natural Endpoint of Trump’s Falsehoods

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

Someday, the president may need the American people to believe something he says—and they won’t.

Tulsi Gabbard Says the U.K. Government Has Backed Down From Its Demand for an iCloud Backdoor

John Gruber, X.com

Brazilian high court requests increased security for Bolsonaro

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Stronger police presence is called for to monitor the former president, who is under house arrest awaiting trial.

The White House Is Going to Put Government Statistics on the Blockchain (Yeah, We Don’t Know Why Either)

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

"We're just ironing out all the details," said Howard Lutnick.

Trump Weighs in on MAGA’s Latest Online Crisis: The Cracker Barrel Logo

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

The administration is doing impressive things on social media.

Federal Prosecutors: Thrown Sandwiches Are A Felony But Openly Carrying Rifles Isn’t A Problem

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

Is throwing a sandwich at someone a felony? Well, that all depends on a few factors. The most important considerations are these: What would normally be rhetorical questions were answered in Washington, D.C. recently. A (now-former) DOJ employee allegedly (we…

Trump administration considers stake in defence firms like Lockheed Martin

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick floated the possible investment in a TV appearance, as part of a wider Trump push.

Factbox-Trump's moves to dismantle the US wind and solar energy industries

Nichola Groom, Yahoo Entertainment

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has used his second term in the White House to stymie development of wind and solar energy facilities that were a...

‘Day of Disruption’: Families, supporters of Israeli Gaza captives protest

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Israelis demand a ceasefire and captive deal as the military intensifies bombardment across Gaza, killing dozens.

‘Less Fun Than a Barrel of Crackers’

John Gruber, Johnmccoy.org

Header image: S.O. Grimes general store, Westminster, Md., c. 1900. Image via Library of Congress. Another day, another shot fired in the culture wars: this time, the internet is losing its collect…

The Lisa Cook Case Could Be the Whole Ball Game

Rogé Karma, The Atlantic

If the Supreme Court lets Trump replace Cook with a loyalist, he might soon achieve a full-blown takeover of the Federal Reserve.

Factbox-Fed Governor Cook's mortgages: What's known and what's not

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

The thrust of Trump's accusation - first made public by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte in a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam ...

Donald Trump promises death penalty for murder cases in Washington, DC

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

The Republican leader had pledged to 'restore' the death penalty upon returning to the White House for a second term.

Trump is trying to fire a Fed governor. Here's what happened when other countries' presidents did the same thing.

Juliana Kaplan, Business Insider

President Donald Trump wants to fire Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook. Here's what it means for inflation and interest rates.

AI super PACs, the hottest investment in tech

Tina Nguyen, The Verge

Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter about the collision between Big Tech and Washington (last week of summer edition). If you enjoy this, consider subscribing to get this newsletter weekly and everything The Verge has to offer. Ever since the US Supr…

How Former Biden Officials Defend Their Gaza Policy

Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker

The former President’s support for Israel abetted a humanitarian catastrophe. But Jacob Lew, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the country, still thinks that the Trump White House could learn from its predecessor.

DOGE accused of duplicating critical Social Security database on unsecured cloud

Brandon Vigliarolo, Theregister.com

Remember that cost-cutting group once led by Elon Musk? Federal employees are still dealing with it A Social Security Administration employee has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that Donald Trump's DOGE cost-cutting unit has put the records of every …

Former special counsel Jack Smith responds to federal investigation against him about his prosecution of Donald Trump

Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN, CNN

A federal watchdog investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith’s two prosecutions against President Donald Trump is based on “imaginary and...

'Creepy' flirty comment to Bondi...

Jack Hobbs, Irishstar.com

'Creepy' flirty comment to Bondi... (First column, 7th story, link) Related stories:Trump 'fires' Fed board member Lisa Cook... SHE SUES THE DON... DEVELOPING... 'Uncharted Waters': President's Attempt to Take Charge of Fed... The Don…

Melania Trump Is the Perfect Person to Lead Kids to the AI-Slop Trough

AJ Dellinger, Gizmodo.com

She's very good at reguritating other peoples' image and ideas, just like AI.

Trump saying 600,000 Chinese students could come to the US draws MAGA backlash

ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and DIDI TANG, Yahoo Entertainment

President Donald Trump seemingly caught his loyal conservative base off-guard and sparked backlash by saying he would allow 600,000 Chinese students into...

With Intel, Trump Continues His Race To Violate Every Clause In The Constitution By Now Arriving At The Takings Clause

Cathy Gellis, Techdirt

Trump’s quest to stress-test every line in the Constitution continues apace, with his declaration that the government now owns 10% of Intel looking like nothing but a great, big, gigantic taking. Of course, it is also terrible policy. While there are sometime…

The winners and losers of Taylor Swift’s engagement announcement

Mia Sato, The Verge

The world’s most famous celebrity couple got engaged, and the first place the news broke was on Instagram. By now, it’s not much of a surprise that pop star Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce opted to announce their engagement on the platform on Tu…

Trump rebrands 'Big Beautiful Bill' amid poor polling

Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, USA Today

Trump said he’s no longer referring to the new law as the One Big Beautiful Bill. The law’s title isn’t helping with the sales pitch, Trump said.

Trump Baselessly Claims It Must Be ‘Something Artificially’ Causing Autism

Yahoo Entertainment

DR Congo, M23 rebels resume talks in Qatar after renewed violence in east

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Qatar's foreign ministry said delegations were meeting in Doha to review the implementation of a truce signed in July.

Ukraine admits Russia has entered key region of Dnipropetrovsk

BBC News

Military says Russian advance "is the first attack of such a large scale" in industrial province.

Whistleblower says Trump officials copied millions of Social Security numbers

Geoff Brumfiel, NPR

A whistleblower complaint says that the personal data of over 300 million Americans was copied to a private cloud account to allow access by members of the Department of Government Efficiency team.

Lula denounces US decision to revoke visa from Brazilian justice minister

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The president has denounced Donald Trump's attacks against Brazilian officials as 'unacceptable' amid Bolsonaro trial.

Iran, European powers hold nuclear talks in Geneva amid sanctions threat

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Iran says committed to diplomacy as it looks to avoid crippling sanctions.

John Bolton And Bitter Irony Of False Equivalence

Mike Brock, Techdirt

Last week, FBI agents raided the home of John Bolton—former National Security Advisor, lifelong Republican, and one of the most establishment figures in American foreign policy. His crime? Writing a book critical of Donald Trump and opposing the president’s s…

White House Suggests It’s Coming for Defense Companies Next

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

The White House has its sights on aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Howard Lutnick implied in a new interview.

WATCH: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement

ABC News

The pop icon and NFL star shared the news in an Instagram post Tuesday, writing in the caption, "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married."

‘South Park’ Fans Are Warming Up to the Longer Wait Between Episodes

Keegan Kelly, Cracked.com

Paramount’s plan to stretch out streaming subscriptions is surprisingly popular with subscribers

U.S. Fighter Jets Keep Having To Intercept Russian Spy Planes Near Alaskan Airspace, But It's Fine, It's Totally Fine

staff@jalopnik.com (Collin Woodard), Jalopnik

At least officially our government isn't worried, with NORAD saying the "Russian activity in the Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat."

Maguire beats world champion Zhao at Wuhan Open

BBC Sport, BBC News

Stephen Maguire books his place in the last 16 of the Wuhan Open with a tense 5-4 victory over home favourite Zhao Xintong.

Apple product launch, Meta Super PAC, Trump & Cracker Barrel

Yahoo Finance Video, Yahoo Entertainment

Yahoo Finance's John Hyland tracks Tuesday's top moving stocks and biggest market stories in this Market Minute: Apple's (AAPL) upcoming fall product launch ...

WATCH: Legal battle continues over Kilmar Abrego Garcia's potential deportation

ABC News

ABC News’ Jack Date says the legal battle surrounding Abrego Garcia’s potential deportation will likely continue for a while.

Despite snubbing U.S. tourism and boycotting American goods, Canadians are pouring more into U.S. stocks than they have in over 35 years

Sasha Rogelberg, Yahoo Entertainment

“Buy Canadian programs seemingly don’t apply to investment portfolios,” said Warren Lovely, managing director of National Bank of Canada Financial Markets.

Trump Wants To Criminalize Free Speech In The Form Of Flag Burning

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

You may recall that Donald Trump and his supporters have insisted that he’s the “free speech” President. His first day in office this term, he issued an executive order “restoring free speech” saying that “no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent eng…

‘South Park’s Bi-Weekly Schedule is Coming From Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Not Paramount

JM McNab, Cracked.com

A new report claims that the show’s political takes require extra time

Trump just did the one thing the Supreme Court said he can’t do

Ian Millhiser, Vox

The six Republican justices have largely behaved as lickspittles to the leader of their political party. These are, after all, the same GOP political appointees who said that President Donald Trump is allowed to commit crimes. Last May, however, the Court did…

OpenAI Makes a Play for Healthcare

Ece Yildirim, Gizmodo.com

The results are mixed on whether healthcare AI will be revolutionary or problematic

US judge rejects Trump’s lawsuit against Maryland federal court system

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Trump administration sued the court system, including 15 federal judges, over rulings against his immigration agenda.

Lisa Cook plans to sue over Trump's attempt to fire her from the Fed, her lawyer says

Jacob Shamsian,Brent D. Griffiths, Business Insider

President Donald Trump said he was firing Lisa Cook from her position on the Federal Reserve board, but it's unclear if he has the authority to do so.

Trump Accuses Other Countries of Making Silicon Valley the ‘Piggy Bank’ of the World

Bruce Gil, Gizmodo.com

The President was losing sleep over the poor tech barons, last night.

$25 for that? Consumers are going elsewhere for lunch.

Hallam Bullock, Business Insider

"Slop bowl" places like Chipotle or Cava were all the rage in the 2010s. Now, diners are opting for spots that offer more value.

Trump admin threatens to cut US state funds over trucker English rules

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

States face penalties amid growing scrutiny of language proficiency enforcement for truckers.

Trump-appointed judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit against Maryland courts over deportations

Katherine Faulders, ABC News

A Trump-appointed judge dismissed the case against the Maryland judiciary over an order barring the government from deporting immigrants for at least one day.

‘The whole scheme stinks’: Ugandans question deal to take US deportees

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The East African country is being pushed as a deportation location for high-profile US detainee Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Consumer confidence worsened slightly in August

Max Zahn, ABC News

The fresh reading followed a weak jobs report and sweeping new tariffs.

US warships head to Venezuela: Fight against cartels or imperial ambition?

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Venezuela is sending troops to its border with Colombia to fight drug trafficking, amid mounting US pressure.

Trump news live: US president moves to fire Federal Reserve governor

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Lisa Cook refuses to resign after Trump announces her dismissal from the Federal Reserve.

Trump faces MAGA backlash for saying he’ll let 600,000 Chinese students into US

Brett Samuels, The Hill

President Trump is facing outcry from some of his supporters after saying he plans to allow 600,000 students from China into the U.S. “It’s a very important ...

The Coast Guard seized a record 76,000 pounds of drugs this summer off Central and South America

Associated Press, Yahoo Entertainment

The U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 75,000 pounds (34,000 kilograms) of illegal drugs this summer from boats far out to sea in the Pacific and Caribbean...

Trump-Appointed Judge Decimates Health Care Access for Thousands in Maine

Lauren Tousignant, Jezebel

The federal judge ruled that Congress's Big, Beautiful Bill can defund Maine Family Planning for offering abortion services because this is what the people voted for.

Factbox-Putin's nuclear offer to Trump: arms control, and perhaps China too?

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

MOSCOW (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had discussed nuclear arms control with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit in Alaska -...

Will Trump’s latest attack on the Fed erode central bank’s independence?

Alex Kozul-Wright, Al Jazeera English

President Trump has said will fire Lisa Cook over alleged financial fraud, which could hand him more control of the Fed.

Trump ripped over rare move not seen in over 100 years: ‘Wannabe dictator’

Rachel Cohen, nj.com

The attempt has not been seen in more than a century.

The Armed Takeover of US Cities by the President Is Not a “Distraction”

Jason Kottke, kottke.org

Jamelle Bouie on Democratic politicians who maddeningly cannot recognize and acknowledge what is going on in the country. From

Scientists give harsh grades to Trump administration work aimed at undoing a key climate finding

SETH BORENSTEIN and MICHAEL PHILLIS, Yahoo Entertainment

Two key documents from the Trump administration aimed at revoking the long-standing finding that climate change is dangerous were filled with errors, bias...

Tech’s Heavy Hitters Are Spending Big to Ensure a Pro-AI Congress

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

$100 million and campaign season is nowhere in sight.

Trump Whines, Again Threatens NBC, ABC Broadcast Licenses For Doing Journalism

Karl Bode, Techdirt

With Fox being Fox, and CBS having just paid Trump a $16 billion bribe and now owned by Trump’s friends the Ellison family, there’s little worry that either network will be doing serious journalism anytime soon. So Trump, over the weekend, redirected his ire …

Transcript: Ellen Zenter, Chief Economic Strategist at Morgan Stanley

Barry Ritholtz, Ritholtz.com

The transcript from this week’s, MiB: Ellen Zenter, Chief Economic Strategist at Morgan Stanley, is below. You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Bloomberg. All of our earlier …

In the Matter of Lisa Cook

Paul Krugman, Substack.com

Trump’s attempt to fire a Fed governor is illegal. Now we find out whether that matters.

What’s Really at Stake if Fewer People Study the Humanities

Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic

Why the University of Chicago’s decision to pause admissions to some doctoral programs hurts so much

Trump Loses a Lawyer—and Much More

Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic

If Alina Habba’s appointment is illegal, so is much more of Trump’s DOJ takeover.

Nick Fuentes Is Having a Moment

Ali Breland, The Atlantic

No matter how far the 27-year-old influencer pushes his bigotry, his influence continues to rise.

WATCH: Coldplay ‘kiss cam’ redeemed after couple’s proposal caught on camera

ABC News

Coldplay's infamous "kiss cam" is getting its redemption after a man at U.K. concert used his time on the jumbotron to propose.

ICE detains Kilmar Abrego Garcia again. And, Trump seeks to fire Fed governor

Brittney Melton, NPR

Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been taken into custody and faces deportation again, this time to Uganda. And, Trump seeks to fire a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.

Southwest Airlines' upcoming policy for plus-sized passengers questioned

CBSNews, CBS News

Southwest Airlines will soon require travelers who don't fit within the armrests of their seat to pay for an extra one in advance, part of a string of recent...

US EV Sales Are Booming—for Now

Aarian Marshall, Wired

Changes in US government support for electric vehicles have led to a buying bonanza—and a darker long-term future for the US auto industry.

How Long Will Trump Be Able to Deny Reality with His Energy Policy?

Bill McKibben, The New Yorker

Bill McKibben writes that the Trump Administration’s irrational dislike of solar and wind energy imperils both the environment and the economy.

'The most illegal search': Judges push back against D.C. criminal charges

Carrie Johnson, NPR

Inside the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Monday, tensions over the potential for federal overreach broke into open court.

Trump 'very angry' with Putin as Ukraine strikes continue despite peace push

David Brennan, ABC News

President Donald Trump again on Monday expressed frustration with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as Russian strikes on Ukraine continued.

Botswana declares public health emergency over medicine shortage

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The crisis is linked to the high price of medicines, a shrinking national budget and cuts in US aid.

US President Trump tightens grip on security in Washington

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Trump increases security in Washington, DC, with National Guard, more police and inquiries into crime data manipulation.

Australia, Japan join countries suspending some parcel shipments to the US

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Australia and Japan latest countries to stop some postal services to US for goods valued at less than $800.

'Powerful optics': China's Xi to welcome Putin, Modi in grand show of solidarity

Laurie Chen, Yahoo Entertainment

BEIJING (Reuters) -President Xi Jinping will gather more than 20 world leaders at a regional security forum in China next week in a powerful show of Global...

Trump threatens extra tariffs, tech export bans, for any nation that dares to regulate Big Tech

Simon Sharwood, Theregister.com

Poor defenseless tech companies need help despite massive profits, low tax bills, and monopoly positions +COMMENT US president Donald Trump has threatened to impose extra tariffs on imports from any nation that dares to regulate American technology companies.…

WATCH: Illinois governor responds to potential use of military forces in Chicago

ABC News

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivered a strong rebuke of President Trump’s potential deployment of the military to Chicago during a news conference on Monday.

WATCH: Kilmar Abrego Garcia detained at ICE office in Maryland

ABC News

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported in March, is now facing deportation yet again.

Too MAGA For MAGA: Ryan Walters Preps For Criminal Defense, Gets Shunned By Linda McMahon

Timothy Geigner, Techdirt

The volume of stories about Ryan Walters, State Superintendent of Oklahoma, seems to be increasing. Walters is a Christian Nationalist by name, though the first of those words goes against all of what I learned about Christianity as a Catholic minor and curio…

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,279

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Here are the key events on day 1,279 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

South Korea's president says staff feared a ‘Zelenskyy moment’ at White House meeting

Phelim Kine, Politico

But President Lee Jae Myung told an audience at a Washington think tank that his first meeting with Trump was 'beyond my expectations.'

Venezuela sends troops to Colombia border as US ships join cartel operation

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Two more US ships said to join amphibious squadron due to arrive off coast of Venezuela in anti-drug cartel operation.

Trump seeks to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook

Scott Horsley, NPR

President Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, after a Trump ally accused Cook of making false statements on a mortgage applications. The president's authority to remove a Fed governor may be challenged in court.

Trump says he's removing Fed governor Lisa Cook 'effective immediately'

Kelsey Vlamis, Business Insider

President Donald Trump posted a letter to Truth Social that said he removed a key official at the Federal Reserve, Governor Lisa Cook.

Trump orders removal of Fed governor Cook over mortgage fraud claims

John Power, Al Jazeera English

US president says Lisa Cook removed from position 'effective immediately'.

Trump to South Korea’s Lee: ‘Look forward’ to meeting N Korea’s Kim Jong Un

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

In White House meeting with Lee, Trump also says US should have ownership of land housing US military base in S Korea.

Korean Air to buy more than 100 Boeing jets after Trump meeting

BBC News

The agreement was announced just hours after the presidents of the US and South Korea met to discuss tariffs.