Trump News for Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Trump says he expects to reach deal with China on trade, soybeans, possibly nuclear arms

By Jeff Mason, Andrea Shalal and David Lawder, Yahoo Entertainment

By Jeff Mason, Andrea Shalal and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S.

Trump Is Turning the White House Into a ‘Branded Estate’

Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone

The president’s teardown of the East Wing is a jarring visual reminder of his no-holds-barred commitment to reshape the nation in his own image.

Elon Musk Discovers What Hierarchy Actually Means

Mike Brock, Techdirt

Elon Musk is having a very bad week. The man who bought Twitter for $44 billion to secure unaccountable power over public discourse is discovering what unaccountable power actually looks like when wielded by someone who understands dominance better than he do…

Trump’s East Wing demolition, briefly explained

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: President Donald Trump is demolishing the East Wing of…

Jimmy Kimmel Clash Was “Never About The First Amendment”, Sinclair Exec Insists; FCC “Overreach” & Nexstar-Tegna Mega-Deal Worry CEO Of Boutique Station Group Graham Media

Dade Hayes, Deadline

Rob Weisbord, COO and President of Local Media at Sinclair, insisted that the local TV station giant’s recent clash with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was “never about the First Amendment.” In meetings with ABC after pulling the show from its affiliates, the c…

Tim Dillon Asks Bernie Sanders to Name the Biggest Defenders of Billionaire Donors in Government

Keegan Kelly, Cracked.com

Does Dillon remember when he had one on his show last year?

Papers: Liverpool consider Upamecano as Guehi alternative

Sky Sports

The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday's newspapers...

Trump hits Russian oil companies with sanctions: 'It was time'

Alexandra Hutzler, Michelle Stoddart, ABC News

The Treasury Department said new economic penalties will target Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as their subsidiaries.

US Crypto Activity Explodes by 50% in 2025 Amid Trump’s Regulatory Pullback

Conor King Devitt, Gizmodo.com

Crypto transaction volume in the US topped $1 trillion between January and July of this year. The president's embrace of the digital asset space appears to be the cause.

The Group-Chat Presidency

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

What is it about the president's supporters and group texting that keeps resulting in fiascos?

Democrats Will Launch a ‘Master ICE Tracker’ to Monitor Misconduct

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

It's a little bit unclear what the tracker will look like, but it'll apparently become available in the next few weeks.

Diddy Reportedly Had Knife Put to Neck While in Prison

TMZ Staff, TMZ

One of Diddy's close friends is speaking out about the terrifying moment the mogul woke up in prison with a knife pressed to his throat. Charlucci Finney says the attack went down during one of the nights Diddy was sleeping at MDC Brooklyn -- an…

US lawmakers urge Trump admin to secure release of American teen in Israel

Brian Osgood, Al Jazeera English

Group of 27 Congress members call for release of Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, held in Israeli detention for eight months.

Past presidents have made big changes, Trump White House argues

Ivan Pereira, ABC News

The White House is pushing back against criticism of the ongoing demolition of the building's East Wing, pointing to other renovations under previous presidents.

Allen and Brown progress to last 16 of NI Open

Richard Petrie, BBC News

Mark Allen wins a tense encounter with Ben Woollaston to progress to the last 16 of the Northern Ireland Open, while compatriot Jordan Brown books a third-round meeting with Shaun Murphy.

Entire White House East Wing to be demolished within days

BBC News

US President Donald Trump previously said that his ballroom addition would not "interfere with the current building".

Political infighting as Iran navigates sanctions, lingering threat of war

Maziar Motamedi, Al Jazeera English

Political rivals blame each other as Iranians are further squeezed by sanctions that are unlikely to be lifted soon.

“Allowed Trump to win”: Sanders points out Harris campaign flaws on conservative podcast

Alex Galbraith, Salon

The Vermont senator criticized Harris' campaign on comedian Tim Dillon's podcast.

President says he's owed 'lot of money' over federal probes. Here's how govt could pay him...

Alanna Durkin Richer, Eric Tucker, Associated Press

President Donald Trump has suggested he’s entitled to compensation from the federal government over investigations he faced that he claims were politically motivated. Now, the Justice Department that Trump has exerted control over could approve a hefty payout…

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held By Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged And Detained For Days.

Nicole Foy, Techdirt

This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. When the Supreme Court recently allowed immigration agents in the Los Angeles area to take race into consideration during sweeps, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that…

Newly-Released George Santos Is Already Being Compared to Sideshow Bob

JM McNab, Cracked.com

By JM McNab Published: October 22nd, 2025

Trump says he's owed a 'lot of money' over federal probes. Here's how the government could pay him

ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER, Yahoo Entertainment

President Donald Trump has suggested he's entitled to compensation from the federal government over investigations he faced that he claims were politically...

Why is Trump targeting antifa under terrorism laws?

Al Jazeera English

The US is bringing terrorism charges against protesters who allegedly provided material support to antifa.

Melania Trump Sued By Michael Wolff In Response To First Lady’s $1B Defamation Threats Over Jeffrey Epstein Statements: “Turning The Tables On The Trumps,” Says Journo

Dominic Patten, Deadline

“To be perfectly honest, I’d like nothing better than to get Donald Trump and Melania Trump under oath in front of a court reporter, and actually find out all of the details of their relationship with Epstein,” said Micheal Wolff today. Along a lawsuit filed …

Gavin Newsom deploys California’s National Guard to aid food banks

Joy Saha, Salon

"This is serious, this is urgent — and requires immediate action," the governor said in an Oct. 22 statement

The U.S. Isn’t Even Bothering With Its Usual Lies to Sell Its Regime Change War in Venezuela

Séamus Malekafzali, The Intercept

The days of justifying American military intervention anywhere in the world are on their way out. The post The U.S. Isn’t Even Bothering With Its Usual Lies to Sell Its Regime Change War in Venezuela appeared first on The Intercept.

YouTube's settlement with Trump is helping pay for the White House demolition and ballroom

Katherine Li, Business Insider

Alphabet, which owns YouTube, is contributing $22 million toward Trump's White House construction plans as part of a legal settlement.

Pentagon Announces “Next Generation” Press Corps: Trump Supporting Media Signs Up While Major Outlets Shun New Policy

Ted Johnson, Deadline

The Pentagon said that more than 60 correspondents signed on to its new restrictions, with major news outlets as well as conservative sources like Newsmax and The Washington Times shunning the new policy. Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, wrote in a…

The weather disaster database that Trump killed has a new home

Justine Calma, The Verge

The national database on billion-dollar weather and climate disasters has found a new home after the Trump administration decided to ax it earlier this year. Thanks to researchers continuing the work despite a lack of federal support, we can keep the tally go…

NFL Commissioner Backs Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Show as Conservatives Keep Melting Down

Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone

"I think it’s going to be an exciting and united moment," Roger Goodell told reporters, while also dismissing the possibility of replacing the Puerto Rican superstar

The Triumphs and Tragedies of the American Revolution

David Frum, The Atlantic

Ken Burns joins David Frum to discuss how his new documentary captures both the triumphs and tragedies of the nation’s founding. Plus: Donald Trump’s TikTok giveaway and Benjamin Nathans’s To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause.

'Sean Dummy': Why is Elon Musk attacking the acting NASA chief?

mwall@space.com (Mike Wall) , Mike Wall, Space.com

Elon Musk has hammered acting NASA chief Sean Duffy repeatedly on social media over the past few days, calling him "Sean Dummy" and claiming he's "trying to kill NASA." Here's what may be going on.

Roger Goodell Says NFL Has No Plans To Replace Bad Bunny For Super Bowl Halftime

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Roger Goodell is standing by the NFL's decision to have Bad Bunny perform the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show ... saying the star musician "understands the platform that he's on" -- and there are no plans for a replacement. The commish met with…

US conducts eighth strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Pacific

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The strike was the first to take place in the Pacific, signalling an expansion of Trump's military campaign.

Journalist Suing Melania Trump Says He Wants to Ask Her & Donald About Epstein

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Melania Trump's legal battle with journalist Michael Wolff  is getting uglier ... and Wolff says he can't wait to ask Melania and President Donald Trump about Jeffrey Epstein under oath. Here's the deal ... Wolff filed a lawsuit Tuesday…

Who’s Paying for Trump’s Ridiculous White House Ballroom?

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

The guardrails are completely gone.

DOJ Purge Continues With Firing Of Prosecutor Who Refused To Go After Trump’s Personal Enemies

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

The “appearance of impropriety” doesn’t bother this administration. It prefers open impropriety, having learned the wrong lessons from Trump’s first term, where most of his worst impulses were somewhat muted by the adults in the room. There are no adults left…

US military kills two people in strike on alleged drug-trafficking boat in Pacific

Hugo Lowell and Guardian staff, Yahoo Entertainment

Latest strike was off coast of Colombia while seven previous attacks in Caribbean killed at least 32

Trump prods American cattle ranchers to 'get their prices down' amid tariff battle

Christopher Watson, ABC News

Trump said in a social media post that his tariffs are "the only reason" American cattle ranchers "are doing so well."

How you’re paying for big tech’s AI speculation

Cameron Peters, Umair Irfan, Vox

If you’ve noticed your electricity bill is higher than normal recently, you’re not alone. Power is getting more expensive everywhere, outpacing inflation. One major culprit? The flurry of new data centers being built to meet demand from the AI sector. To find…

NFL won't reconsider Bad Bunny SB halftime show

ESPN

The NFL is not considering dropping Bad Bunny as its Super Bowl halftime headline performer, commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday.

US carries out another strike against an alleged drug vessel

Luis Martinez, ABC News

The U.S. military has carried out another airstrike on an alleged drug cartel vessel in the Pacific Ocean, according to two U.S. officials.

'Entirety' of East Wing to be 'modernized' to build Trump ballroom: WH official

Karen Travers, Rachel Scott, Hannah Demissie, Michelle Stoddart, ABC News

Construction continues at the White House to make way for Trump's ballroom project, but the renovation is far more extensive than the president originally let on.

Trump Demands $230 Million In Taxpayer Money For Being Prosecuted—And His Own Lawyers Get To Approve It

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

There are levels of corruption, and then there’s whatever the hell this is. Donald Trump is demanding that American taxpayers pay him $230 million for being prosecuted. Which is like getting a speeding ticket and then billing the state for the cost of your tr…

USTR Greer, Treasury's Bessent heading to Malaysia for talks with Chinese counterparts

By Andrea Shalal and Susan Heavey, Yahoo Entertainment

By Andrea Shalal and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S.

Israel’s parliament advances bill to annex occupied West Bank

Tim Hume, Al Jazeera English

The bill passed 25-24, despite opposition from PM Netanyahu, in the first of four votes it will face to become law.

Prince Harry and Steve Bannon Join Forces Against Superintelligence Development

Ece Yildirim, Gizmodo.com

An anti-superintelligence letter was signed by more than a thousand public figures from all industries and political leanings.

Pregnant ICE Detainees Have Been Shackled, Forced Into Solitary Confinement

Danielle Han, Jezebel

The ACLU and other organizations sent a letter to ICE, demanding the release of pregnant detainees.

States aren't sending November SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. See where Americans depend on food stamps.

Allie Kelly, Business Insider

States like Texas and Pennsylvania said they won't be able to fulfill SNAP benefits in November if the government shutdown continues.

10 Celebrity Cameos That Ruined Perfectly Good Movies

staff@slashfilm.com (Mike Bedard), /FILM

Cameos can be fun, but they can also take you out of a movie and leave a bad taste in your mouth. Here are some celebrity cameos that ruined good movies.

“Egregious”: Even Trump fans aghast at his demand for $230 million in “taxpayer dollars”

Garrett Owen, Salon

Staunch Trump defenders Scott Jennings and David Urban warned the president to pull back his demand.

Why GM will give you Gemini — but not CarPlay

Nilay Patel, The Verge

We’ve got a special episode of Decoder today. I’m talking to General Motors CEO Mary Barra and new GM Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson about a lot of big news the company just announced. That includes a Google Gemini-powered AI assistant that’s coming …

More Than 1,100 Public Figures Call for Ban on AI Superintelligence

msmash, Slashdot.org

More than 1,100 public figures have signed a statement calling for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence. The signatories included Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen, Apple co-founder Steve Woznia…

Ballroom Backlash: National Trust Calls For Halting Of East Wing Demolition, Warns Trump’s New Structure Will “Overwhelm” The White House

Ted Johnson, Deadline

The Trump administration’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House has raised alarms among architecture and preservation groups, not just for the lack of public review, but the proposed 90,000 square foot ballroom that is proposed to replace it. On Tue…

Heavy snow to bury New Yorkers this winter with '100 inches' expected...

Hannah Broughton, Themirror.com

Forecasters are predicting plenty of snow for New York this winter, with some parts expected to receive over 100 inches.

LIVE: Trump to host NATO chief as Putin meeting collapses

Brian Osgood, Al Jazeera English

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visits the US as Trump proposes freezing the battle lines in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Eyewitness accounts of FHP, Border Patrol immigration arrests during Treasure Coast raid

Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers, TCPalm

“They took his brother," a witness said. "The trauma is going to be very tough for them.”

Spread of Dubai-style urbanism "quite terrifying" says Quinn Slobodian

Ben Dreith, Dezeen

Cities and architecture across the world are increasingly being influenced by the fundamentally anti-democratic principles of places like Dubai, argues academic Quinn Slobodian in this interview. Slobodian is a Canadian historian based at Boston University. H…

The 11 Best Late-Night Jokes About President Trump Tearing Down the East Wing of the White House

Matt Solomon, Cracked.com

‘Who’s his general contractor, Bin Laden & Sons?’

Newly elected Dem takes on Trump Speaker with most dramatic move yet

Yahoo Entertainment

Why is Trump tearing down parts of the White House?

Soraya Lennie, Al Jazeera English

The White House has begun tearing down parts of the East Wing to make way for President Trump’s new ballroom.

Tesla's earnings report means another chance to transition it from EV to AI

Dan DeFrancesco, Business Insider

Tesla has been subtly pivoting its strategy for years to be considered an AI company, but it's now reaching a tipping point.

Is JD Vance right in blaming left for political violence in the US?

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Vance claims left-wing violence is on the rise, but long-term data show right-wing attacks have been far higher.

Musk Exploits AWS Outage To Unfairly Slam Signal, Promote His Shittier Chat Software

Karl Bode, Techdirt

If Elon Musk probably has a superpower, it isn’t his engineering or business savvy. It’s probably his rank opportunism. The latest case in point: this week saw a massive outage for Amazon Web Services (AWS) that managed to take many of your favorite websites …

Why planned Trump-Putin talks collapsed, and what it means for Ukraine

Yashraj Sharma, Al Jazeera English

Trump proposed freezing Russian war on Ukraine at current front lines, and planned a meet with Putin. Then it collapsed.

VP Vance tries to progress Gaza ceasefire. And, White House demolition draws critics

Brittney Melton, NPR

Vice President JD Vance is in Israel to address challenges in the Gaza ceasefire. And, the demolition of the East Wing of the White House has drawn criticism and raised questions about ethics.

Why US soya bean farmers are upset with Trump’s $20bn Argentina bailout

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Trump's bailout draws criticism as Argentinian soya bean farmers take market share from US producers.

Japan's 1st Female Prime Minister Is a Pick-Me Girlboss

Danielle Han, Jezebel

Sanae Takaichi likes Margaret Thatcher, but not same-sex marriage.

How the Proud Boys invented antifa

Amanda Marcotte, Salon

The far-right gang has been fully absorbed by Trump's White House

Ex-US Sen. John E. Sununu enters GOP primary race in New Hampshire for the seat he lost in 2008

HOLLY RAMER and JOEY CAPPELLETTI, Yahoo Entertainment

New Hampshire Republican John E. Sununu announced a campaign for U.S. Senate on Wednesday, hoping to reclaim a seat he lost nearly two decades ago and...

ICE keeps detaining pregnant immigrants against federal policy

Shefali Luthra, Mel Leonor Barclay, Salon

Lapsed requirement that ICE report how many pregnant people they are holding makes an official count impossible

Anthropic Wants to Get the White House Off Its Back

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

Anthropic wants you to know it's not pushing for “woke AI." CEO Dario Amodei wrote a blog post attempting to please the Trump Administration.

NASA’s Boss Just Shook Up the Agency’s Plans to Land on the Moon

Eric Berger, Ars Technica, Wired

Sean Duffy called out SpaceX for being “behind schedule” on a lunar lander and said he’d explore other options.

WATCH: Parkinson's disease patient plays clarinet during brain surgery

ABC News

A patient undergoing brain surgery plays the clarinet, allowing surgeons to instantly hear the impacts of the treatment.

The federal government is still shut down. Here's what that means across the country

The NPR Network, NPR

The federal government remains shut down. The NPR Network is following the ways the shutdown is affecting services across the country.

Trump uses 'common sense' to make a political point. It has populist appeal

Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR

The phrase appeals more to several demographics that strongly align with Trump, says Republican strategist Frank Luntz, including older voters, for whom he suggests it signals "a more simple past."

Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys: ‘I Will Go to the Mat’ for ‘True American’ Bad Bunny

Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone

Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys is partnering with Home of the Brave to call on artists to "step up" and call out Donald Trump's authoritarianism.

American 'Bibisitters' try to keep the Israel-Hamas truce on track

Greg Myre, NPR

Several top U.S. officials are in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire and attempt to bring about a permanent end to the war. They acknowledge the next phase poses serious challenges.

Gold prices bounce back after biggest drop in three years

Pedro Goncalves, Yahoo Entertainment

Investors have been gripped by gold fever this year, with prices for the precious metal steadily climbing for months.

A Cuban man deported by the US to Africa is on a hunger strike in prison, his lawyer says

GERALD IMRAY, Yahoo Entertainment

A Cuban man deported by the United States to the African nation of Eswatini is on a hunger strike at a maximum-security prison having been held there for...

Russia launches deadly wave of drone, missile attacks across Ukraine

Virginia Pietromarchi, Al Jazeera English

At least two people killed after Russia launched drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's capital, other areas overnight.

NASA Opens SpaceX's Moon Lander Contract To Rivals Over Starship Delays

BeauHD, Slashdot.org

NASA has reopened SpaceX's $4.4 billion moon lander contract to new bidders like Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin after delays in Starship's development threatened the 2027 Artemis 3 mission. Reuters reports: The move paves the way for rivals such as Jeff Bezo…

Video: Trump says he doesn’t want ‘wasted meeting’ with Putin

Al Jazeera English

US President Donald Trump has explained a decision to postpone plans for a meeting in Hungary with Russia’s President.

Ukraine says UK-made Storm Shadow missiles joined its long mission to destroy Russia's war machine from the rear

Matthew Loh,Aditi Bharade, Business Insider

Ukraine's defense ministry said it continues to hit Russia's industries, "weakening the offensive potential of the aggressor state."

WATCH: Parents of Israeli hostage killed by Hamas waiting for his body to be returned

ABC News

Omer Neutra from New York state is one of two deceased American Israeli hostages whose bodies have still not been returned by Hamas.

China accuses Australia of covering up South China Sea airspace incursion

Lyndal Rowlands, Al Jazeera English

China and Australia have traded accusations over an incident Australia said involved a Chinese jet releasing flares.

Republicans are ridiculing ‘No Kings.’ A striking new poll shows Americans aren’t laughing

Analysis by Aaron Blake, CNN, CNN

New polling reinforces how much the thrust of the “No Kings” message has resonated with much of the American public.

‘We were getting crushed’: Brands cut back on free online returns to offset tariff costs

Allison Smith, Digiday

Some brands are even eliminating the perk altogether as they try to mitigate the steep costs of the Trump tariffs.

AP: Paul Ingrassia nomination

The Associated Press, NPR

President Donald Trump 's pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening, after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted.

India nears deal to slash US tariffs on Indian imports to 15%-16%, Mint reports

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

() -India and the United States are nearing a long-stalled trade agreement that would reduce U. tariffs on Indian imports to 15% to 16% from 50%, India's...

Melania Trump Sued by Journalist Michael Wolff for Defamation Over Book Deal

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Melania Trump is being dragged into a legal battle with journalist Michael Wolff -- who has filed a lawsuit accusing the First Lady of trying to block publication of his upcoming tell-all about her life. According to new court documents, obtained…

New M5-powered Apple Vision Pro made in Vietnam as supply chain shift continues

Marcus Mendes, 9to5Mac

When the updated Apple Vision Pro lands in stores tomorrow with the M5 chip and the new Dual Knit Band, its box label will also feature a key change from the original version: the words “Product of Vietnam”. Here are the details. more…

North Korea fires ‘unidentified’ ballistic missiles towards East Sea: Seoul

Kevin Doyle, Al Jazeera English

Experts warned N Korea could launch provocative missile tests before or during the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea.

National Guard could stay in Washington, DC through summer 2026: Lawsuit

Chris Boccia, Beatrice Peterson, ABC News

The National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. could be extended into the summer of 2026, according to a new court filing and emails of National Guard leaders

What Young Republicans say when they think no one’s listening

Avishay Artsy, Noel King, Vox

The political fallout is continuing from the leak of the Young Republicans group chat. A Politico investigation found revealed that young GOP leaders from Arizona, Kansas, New York, and Vermont sent each other thousands of Telegram messages that included raci…

Anti-science bills hit statehouses, strip away 100y of public health protections

globalnewsdigital, Global News

More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy t…

Ukraine hits Russian chemical plant with UK-made Storm Shadow missiles

BBC News

The Bryansk facility produced gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel components, Ukraine's military says.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,336

Lyndal Rowlands, Al Jazeera English

Here are the key events from day 1,336 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Tariffs may sound simple on paper, but they unleash a tangle of costs for small businesses

Huileng Tan, Business Insider

Ripple effects from President Donald Trump's tariffs include failed shipments, customs holds, surprise inspections, and contract disputes.

Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz Commiserate on Hosting Trump on Their Podcasts

Opheli Garcia Lawler, Cracked.com

By Opheli Garcia Lawler Published: October 21st, 2025