A pair of bronze statues depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has been removed from the National Mall in Washington, D.C, despite carrying permits for its installation.
they showed up unannounced in the middle of the night, broke it, and hauled it away.
The National Park Service (NPS) removed an art piece titled “Best Friends Forever” from the National Mall on Wednesday, despite the statue’s permits. The activist group “The Secret Handshake” has taken credit for the demonstration, per multiple sources. This is the group’s fifth sculpture protesting the current administration, but the first that has been destroyed.
Not following regulations
NPS destroyed and removed the statue that depicts Trump and Epstein frolicking hand-in-hand, with giddy grins on their faces, just after midnight on Wednesday morning. The Secret Handshake shared photos of the destroyed statues, including one that showed Donald Trump’s head had been slashed in two.
Before this, they’ve never been anything but friendly to work with.
The group claims the height dispute was a misunderstanding, and that the NPS had a valid reason for removing the statue; however, the National Park Service was under an obligation to give 24 hours’ notice before removal.
Patrick Flaisher, one of the individuals who files permits for The Secret Handshake, spoke with CNN on Wednesday, stating, “We submitted everything correctly, but there was a discrepancy about the height that ended up on the permit. Regardless, their permit clearly states that if they choose to revoke a permit, they are to provide 24 24-hour written notice. Instead, they showed up unannounced in the middle of the night, broke it, and hauled it away.”
Flaisher also made his approval of the NPS clear, claiming, “Before this, they’ve never been anything but friendly to work with.”
A history of successful statues
This is the fifth statue that The Secret Handshake has erected in Washington. In October 2024, they showcased “The Resolute Desk”. Just days later, they unveiled “The Donald J Trump Enduring Flame” at Freedom Plaza, featuring a large bronze tiki torch.
In June 2025, a statue of a golden thumbs-up crushing the head of the statue of Liberty titled “Dictator Approved” appeared in the National Mall. It stayed for a week before being replaced by a golden television sporting an eagle.
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein
Trump and Epstein had a well-documented friendship in the 1990s and early 2000s, with Epstein claiming to be Trump’s “closest friend” and Trump consistently and publicly complimenting the financier.
Trump ran on a campaign promising to release the files once his return to office was confirmed, but now, more than 10% into his second term, the files still lie unreleased. Donald Trump had a scrape with legal trouble during his first term, facing impeachment and multiple active court cases in New York, but managed to slip through unscathed. His administration may view this situation differently.
The Prime Video logo appears on a smartphone screen, and the Amazon logo appears as the background on a laptop computer screen in this photo illustration in Athens, Greece, on September 22, 2025. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Amazon will have to cough up $2.5B in fines, paid to its subscribers, after settling a case with the Federal Trade Commission where the FTC alleged that Amazon had signed up users for their Prime service without the users knowledge.
Of that $2.5 billion, $1.5 billion will be dispersed among the estimated 35 million affected users across the USA.
FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson stated that « The evidence showed that Amazon used sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime, and then made it exceedingly hard for consumers to end their subscription. »
Amazon will not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but has agreed to create a « clear and conspicuous » button allowing users to decline the option to join Prime.
Historical Restitution
This settlement is the second-largest restitution that the FTC has received from an investigation, agency officials claim.
In Canada, the Competition Bureau said earlier this year that it has a probe of its own investigating a separate matter. Amazon Prime retails for $139 USD in the United States and $99 CAD in Canada for a yearly subscription.
It’s estimated that there are almost 200 million Amazon Prime users in North America, per AmazonScout.
« A Shady World »
The FTC’s investigation found documents from Amazon executives and employees expressing knowledge of the tactics with comments like: « subscription driving is a bit of a shady world », and likening the result of their tactics to « an unspoken cancer ».
Amazon used sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime, and then made it exceedingly hard for consumers to end their subscription
The FTC began probing Amazon’s tactics during Donald Trump’s first Presidency, eventually filing the probe during the Biden administration.
Once again, Amazon will not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. A spokesperson said, “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law, and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” on Thursday.
Primarily known for his singing and acting talents, Harry Styles has recently accomplished quite a physical feat.
The 31-year-old took part in the Berlin Marathon, completing the 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) race in under 3 hours, beating his personal best. He ran at a brisk pace, with the first half completed in 1:29:08 and the second half in 1:30:06, according to the BMV Berlin Marathon app, for a total of 2:59:13. Men’s race winner Sebastian Sawe finished the race in 2:02:16, while Rosemary Wanjiru won the title on the women’s side with a time of 2:21:05.
Sted Sarandos
More than 80,000 runners took part in this German race, and Styles didn’t miss a chance to stand out from the crowd, notably with his blue top, black Tracksmith shorts, District Vision Junya Racer sunglasses and pink Nike Alphafly 3 shoes. What’s more, the Briton wasn’t registered at BMV Berlin Marathon under his own name, but rather under the pseudonym Sted Sarandos, which is an obvious nod to Netflix bigwig Ted Sarandos.
An inspiring photo for those in search of motivation!
A flurry of comparisons
Clearly in extraordinary physical shape, Harry Styles continues to amaze with his stamina. The artist, already renowned for his stage performances, is now establishing himself as a seasoned runner on the international marathon scene. Last March, he already made his mark when he took part in the Tokyo Marathon, finishing in an impressive time of 3 hours, 24 minutes and 7 seconds. This result gave him his first solid reference in the marathon world.
Through his repeated participations, Harry Styles proves that he is not only an icon of contemporary pop music, but also an amateur athlete capable of competing with experienced runners.
To put Harry Styles’ remarkable achievement into perspective, it’s interesting to compare him with other celebrities who have also taken on the demanding test of the marathon. Actor Colin Farrell, for example, challenged himself to the Brisbane Marathon in 2021, finishing with a respectable time of 3 hours, 53 minutes and 14 seconds. A few years later, in 2024, he repeated the feat on his native soil by taking part in the Dublin marathon, which he completed in 4:06:45, demonstrating impressive consistency despite the gap between the two races.
For her part, renowned actress Jennifer Connelly distinguished herself at last year’s New York Marathon. In her very first participation in a race of this magnitude, she crossed the finish line in 3 hours, 45 minutes and 47 seconds, a feat hailed as a top performance for a first-timer.
Ashton Kutcher also tried his hand at the New York event in 2022. The actor completed the famous NYC Marathon course in 3 hours, 54 minutes and 1 second.
Harry Styles secretly runs Berlin Marathon, besting Tokyo Marathon finish time https://t.co/EvMNXgXQJG
Harry Styles is a force to be reckoned with far beyond music: his marathon, crowned by a personal record, illustrates discipline, determination and passion. By joining the circle of celebrity marathon runners, he proves that perseverance is the key to pushing back your limits and inspiring your fans to aim ever higher, on stage as well as on the running track.
In a series of posts on Truth Social, the U.S. president announced that starting October 1 he will impose a new round of tariffs on a variety of products, going up to «100%», citing a national security threat.
Since returning to office, President Trump has waged a global trade war without parallel in modern history. On Thursday he announced a slew of steep tariffs on pharmaceuticals, semi trucks, kitchen cabinets and furniture.Here's where things stand for the world.
In his first announcement on Truth Social, President Trump declared that beginning October 1, 2025, the United States will impose a 25% tariff on all «Heavy (Big!) Trucks» manufactured abroad.
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Trump said the measure is designed to shield American truck makers from what he described as «unfair outside competition.» He specifically cited leading U.S. manufacturers such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, and Mack Trucks as beneficiaries of the new policy.
Emphasizing the importance of the trucking industry, Trump argued that protecting domestic truckers is vital not only for economic reasons but also for national security. «We need our Truckers to be financially healthy and strong, for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes!» he wrote.
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«We must protect, for National Security and other reasons, our Manufacturing process.»
Trump Targets Furniture Imports With Tariffs Up to 50%
In his second announcement on Truth Social, President Trump revealed that beginning October 1, 2025, the United States will impose steep tariffs on a range of imported home products. Kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, and related goods will face a 50% tariff, while upholstered furniture will be subject to a 30% tariff.
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Trump justified the move by denouncing what he described as a large-scale «FLOODING» of such products into the U.S. market from abroad. Calling the practice «very unfair,» he argued that the tariffs are necessary to safeguard American manufacturers and linked the issue to national security.
«We must protect, for National Security and other reasons, our Manufacturing process,» Trump wrote.
Trump Announces 100% Tariff on Imported Pharmaceuticals Without U.S. Production
In his third announcement on Truth Social, President Trump declared that beginning October 1, 2025, the United States will impose a 100% tariff on all branded or patented pharmaceutical products imported into the country, unless the company is actively building a manufacturing plant in America.
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The statement specified that the term «IS BUILDING» will be defined as «breaking ground» or «under construction.» Companies that have already started construction will therefore be exempt from the tariff.
Trump presented the measure as a necessary step to strengthen domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign sources for critical medicines.
Reactions to Trump’s Tariff Announcements
Trump’s new tariffs sparked swift backlash across industries: trucking groups warned the 25% duty on heavy trucks will raise costs (Truck News), and furniture retailers said the 50% and 30% tariffs will hit consumers (Furniture Today).
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The 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals drew the sharpest criticism, with hospitals warning of shortages (Washington Post) and European officials citing trade deals (Reuters), even as Roche and Novartis pointed to U.S. investments (AP News).
