Catégorie oBox : OBOXMA

U.S. President Donald Trump bought at least $82 million in corporate and municipal bonds from late August to early October, financial disclosures made public on Saturday showed.

Investments include bonds from sectors benefiting from his policies.

According to a release by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Donald Trump made 175 individual purchases of corporate stock between August and October 2025.

The release did not outline the value of each individual purchase, but the maximum total value of the bond purchases exceeded $337 million, according to the filings.

What did he buy?

Trump purchased stock in several industries, including sectors that are currently, or have benefited from his legislation in the past.

Donald Trump purchased offerings from several microchip manufacturers, including Qualcomm and Broadcom; retailers such as CVS Pharmacies and Home Depot, the tech company Meta, and multiple Wall Street banks, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Trump also purchased millions of dollars ‘ worth of investment bank JPMorgan’s debt.

The most glaring example of corruption was Trump’s purchase of Intel stock, a company that the US government acquired a stake in under Trump’s directive.

No comment from the White House

The White House has not yet commented on the apparent corruption, and continues to claim that Trump has continued to file disclosures about his investments, but that neither he nor his family has a role in running the portfolio.

A disclosure filed in August shows that Trump’s portfolio has purchased more than $100 million in bonds since his return to the Oval Office.

In his annual disclosure for the year 2024, Trump reported more than $600 million in income from cryptocurrencies, golf properties, licensing and other business ventures.

It is estimated that cryptocurrency is now the most significant source of Donald Trump’s fortune. Reuters estimates Trump’s net worth to be at least $1.6 billion.

At least 120 people, including 100 police officers, were injured on Saturday in Mexico City.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets to protest violent crime and President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government.

Sheinbaum’s administration claims the protests were organized by ‘Gen Z’ groups incited by recent high-profile killings, including the assassination just weeks ago of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who had called for tough action against cartels.

Storming the Capitol

Protesters broke down barriers protecting the National Palace, where Sheinbaum lives. Police protecting the compound used tear gas on the crowds.

Mexican authorities arrested 20 people for crimes including robbery and assault against police officers.

Protesters were seen wearing shirts and holding signs saying “We are all Carlos Manzo,” a Former Member of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies who was assassinated on November 1.

Manzo was an outspoken critic of organized crime syndicates in Mexico and worked to lessen the control cartels have on the Mexican economy.

“He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents,” said one protester. “He had the guts to confront them.”

The protests outside Sheinbaum’s residence began peacefully, but eventually escalated, with demonstrators throwing rocks and police responding with batons and shields.

Pablo Vázquez, the security chief for Mexico City, made a statement to the media.

“For many hours, this mobilisation proceeded and developed peacefully, until a group of hooded individuals began to commit acts of violence,”

Vázquez also confirmed that 100 police officers were injured, 40 of whom required treatment at a hospital. Twenty protesters were also injured in the demonstration. Nobody was severely injured.

Violent police

Footage of riot police kicking and punching protesters has spread on social media.

A journalist with La Jornada accused police of assaulting him as he attempted to cover the rally:

“[Camacho] was kicked while on the ground, with many of those kicks aimed at his face,” La Jornada reported.

Camacho also made a statement in the paper, claiming that “One officer … threatened to kill me,”

There were also reports of protests in Guadalajara, where 47 people were detained and 13 people injured, including three police officers, according to authorities.

Sheinbaum’s popularity

Claudia Sheinbaum became Mexico’s first female president in a landslide victory in June 2024.

Winning more than 58% of the vote, she won with more than a 30-point swing over her rival, Xóchitl Gálvez.

The protests come as a bit of a shock, as Sheinbaum still owns a 70% approval rating after a full year in office.

Sheinbaum claims the demonstrations were perpetrated and funded by right-wing politicians who oppose her government.

Sheinbaum has been acting against cartels, but has refrained from enacting a ‘war on drugs,’ which is what her constituents want.

President Sheinbaum has also been criticized for failing to halt the violence gripping the country and is now facing increased hostility from nearby countries. Earlier this month, Peru’s Congress voted to declare Sheinbaum a ‘persona non grata,’ making her unwelcome in the country after Mexico granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister facing charges for a 2022 coup attempt.

Gen Z revolts

This protest is another example of ‘Generation Z’ (people born between 1997 and 2012) taking political matters into their own hands. Just this year, Gen Z groups have organized protests in the US, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines, and a half-dozen other countries.

The group behind the protests, “Generation Z Mexico, » has described itself in a viral manifesto as a non-partisan group representing young people fed up with violence, corruption, and concentration of power.

One of Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters, Marjorie Taylor Greene, is facing threats to her safety after being shunned by the president because of her opinions on the Epstein files.

As a woman, I take threats from men seriously. I now have a small understanding of the fear and pressure the women, who are victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his cabal, must feel.

-Marjorie Taylor Greene

Trump took to Truth Social to slam Greene after her comments on CBS on Friday morning. Greene called the president’s move to keep the files classified ‘misguided,’ and in return, Trump called her a ‘raving lunatic’ who had gone ‘far-left.’

Trump went on to say he would no longer be taking Greene’s calls.

Warnings for safety

On Saturday, Marjorie Taylor Greene told the media that she had been contacted by multiple private security firms with “warnings for my safety,” after death threats began circulating online.

Greene said in a statement on Twitter that, “a hotbed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world, the man I supported and helped get elected”.

She continued to say, “aggressive rhetoric attacking me has historically led to death threats and multiple convictions of men who were radicalized by the same type of rhetoric being directed at me right now. This time, by the President of the United States.”

Though Greene did not specify which threats had been received by security companies, she said, “As a woman, I take threats from men seriously. I now have a small understanding of the fear and pressure the women, who are victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his cabal, must feel.”

Unfair treatment

Greene outlined her thoughts on the matter:

“As a Republican, who overwhelmingly votes for President Trump‘s bills and agenda, his aggression against me which also fuels the venomous nature of his radical internet trolls (many of whom are paid), this is completely shocking to everyone.”

Very few Republicans have come out in support of Greene’s view on the Epstein files, and after seeing what she’s gone through, it’s doubtful Greene finds support amongst her own.

Trump has said all he’s heard from Greene lately is, “COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!” and that, “I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day.”

According to YouGov, MTG is still one of the most popular Republican Representatives.

Not the first to defect

For years, MAGA influencers and pundits shouted from the rooftops about the Epstein files. Trump himself ran on a platform promising to declassify them. It seemed that MAGA was on the same page about sex trafficking and pedophilia.

When Trump gained office in 2025, though, he immediately called the files a hoax. Since then, he has flip-flopped. Saying a variety of things about the Epstein files: They’re a hoax, they don’t exist, they’re boring old news anyway, or even that there’s nothing in the files at all!

One of the first MAGA celebrities to defect on the Epstein issue is Tucker Carlson, who has emerged as a far-right Trump critic.

Carlson had rejected every claim that the US government has stated, from Epstein’s cause of death to the declassification of the files.

Donald Trump has pulled a complete U-turn on the Epstein files and is now urging House Republicans to vote to release the infamous documents.

Yes, that’s right, after months of downplaying the files, and even going so far as calling them an ‘Obama hoax,’ Donald Trump is telling his caucus to vote to release the very same files that ‘don’t exist,’ because they have ‘nothing to hide.’

House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.

You can’t make this stuff up.

‘Nothing to hide’

In a lengthy message posted to Truth Social just after 9 PM on Sunday, Donald Trump told House Republicans they should vote to release the Epstein files.

 “As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.”

It’s a strange and sudden turn from his messaging over the last three months, in which Trump has repeatedly downplayed, or even outright refused to release, the files; sometimes getting visibly upset when reporters questioned him.

 Trump’s post on Truth continued to say that the issue was distracting from the ‘Great Success’ of his administration.

Trump also said that Republicans had already released documents, claiming, The Department of Justice has already turned over tens of thousands of pages to the Public on “Epstein,” are looking at various Democrat operatives (Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their relationship to Epstein.”

Trump apparently wants the GOP to get “BACK ON POINT,” and then prattled off a list of ‘accomplishments’.

A strange flip after commitment

The strange part here isn’t Donald Trump flipping on the Epstein issue: it’s not the first time it’s happened. Trump was elected on the wings of a promise to release the files.

What makes this hard to grasp is the timing. This statement came less than 48 hours after Donald Trump viciously shunned Marjorie Taylor Greene, after she doubled down on her stance on CBS.

All Greene said was that Trump’s decision to keep the files classified was a ‘miscalculation,’ and in response, Trump called her ‘a raving lunatic’ and claimed he would turn down all her calls.

MTG has been one of Trump’s most effective promoters over the last 10 years and is one of the most well-known Republicans in America. It raises the question, why cut ties with Greene just a day before switching your stance? Why break down the bridge instead of crossing it?

Maybe it was the emotional video released by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday, urging Republicans to vote, or maybe there are political motivations.

Potential motivations

It’s always dangerous to try to break down Donald Trump’s decision-making. And it’s entirely possible we shouldn’t be trying to analyze the decisions of a man being forced to take cognitive assessments and MRIs by his doctor.

With all that in mind, though, it’s still hard to believe his decisions over the last three days all happened in vacuums. Has his unpopularity finally caused concern?

Over the last three months, dozens of articles have been published speculating on the future of the GOP and the MAGA movement. Currently, the Republican Party is acting as a personal extension of Donald Trump: the least popular president since Bush, and nobody knows what it will be after he’s gone.

Constitutionally, Donald Trump cannot run for president after the end of his term in 2028, meaning MAGA will need a new figurehead to fill the Trump-shaped hole in the GOP.

A party torn in half

The Epstein files and the budget that caused the government shutdown on October 1 have split Republican voters in half. On the one side, Donald Trump has created a voter base incapable of critical thought that will support him no matter what.

On the other side, you have Republican voters, the vast majority of whom are against sex trafficking, pedophilia, and government corruption. There are also more than 10 million Republican voters who rely on SNAP and Medicare, both of which Trump managed to slash in his latest funding bill.

It leaves the GOP with a question: go with the heir apparent, JD Vance, or shake up the party completely and try to find its way back to Republican values. Of course, donors may have more say than voters, and it might not matter what America thinks, anyway.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said Wednesday he would bring the Epstein issue to the floor this week. To become law, the bill would also need to pass the GOP-controlled Senate and gain Trump’s signature.

Both Democrats and some Republicans have been backing legislation to release all the documents. Republican Representative Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the Epstein files Transparency Act, told the media on Sunday that as many as 100 Republicans could vote in favour of the bill.

On a day dominated by revelations about Jeffrey Epstein, one story is slipping through the cracks: Donald Trump is set to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

President Trump looks forward to welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to the White House, where the two leaders will participate in an official working visit,

-White House official statement

Not only is Trump welcoming Salman, who came under global scrutiny after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but he’s pulling out all the stops and rolling out the red carpet.

“We’re more than meeting,” Trump said late Friday as he flew to Florida for the weekend. “We’re honoring Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince.”

Cozying up to the Middle East

This is the second example in the last week of Trump repairing a bridge with someone who’s been accused of violent political crimes. Just days ago, Trump welcomed Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to the White House, a man America had labelled a ‘specially designated global terrorist’ until just a week ago.

Reportedly, Trump is inviting Salman to the White House to discuss the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements outlining diplomacy between Israel and a swath of countries in northern Africa and the Middle East.

“The Abraham Accords will be a part we’re going to be discussing. I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly.”

There are currently five signatories to the Abraham Accords:  Bahrain, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan.

The last time Crown Prince Salman was in the United States was 2018, just months before Jamal Khashoggi entered a Saudi consulate in Turkey, and was never seen again.

A CIA investigation found there was proof tying Crown Prince Salman to the murder, and that the most likely scenario was that he had ordered the killing. Salman has denied any connection to the murder.

Bridging barriers

With the meeting on Tuesday, it seems as though any tensions between the US and Saudi Arabia have dissolved. Donald Trump’s welcome ceremony will reportedly include military bands, a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and a black-tie dinner in the evening.

The event will be coordinated by First Lady Melania Trump, who is a rare sight at the White House. The First Lady splits her time between New York, Florida, and Washington, and is rarely pictured with the president. The last time they were photographed together was while handing out Halloween candy in the UK.

In May, Trump visited Saudi Arabia as the first state visit of his second term, where he was greeted with an elaborate ceremony that included a fighter jet escort, an honor guard with golden swords and a fleet of Arabian horses accompanying his limousine.

Before the May meeting, the Saudis promised to invest $600bn in the United States. Trump brought along several American executives with him on that trip and signed several agreements.

 There is also an added dynamic to this meeting: Trump’s personal financial stake in Saudi Arabia. The Trump Organization, run by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, is involved in multiple significant real estate projects in Saudi Arabia. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also has substantial business ties to the country. Kushner’s investment fund, Affinity Partners, has raised billions of dollars in capital from Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s personal connections to Saudi Arabia have raised eyebrows and put the word corruption on the tongues of his critics, but this is just another example in a long line of thinly veiled corrupt behaviour.

At 5 PM EST, on November 17, the U.N. Security Council passed a U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing the controversial plan to deploy an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza. The resolution is based on President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza proposal and includes a “Board of Peace” to supervise Gaza’s reconstruction and governance.

Regional pushback

The plan has sparked pushback from multiple nations, including Russia, China, Algeria, and multiple other Arab countries about the yet-to-be established board that would temporarily govern the territory and the lack of any transitional role for the Palestinian Authority..

Some UN representatives have critiqued that the resolution does not put a clear path into view for Palestinian independence. The plan was also missing a timeline for the retreat of Israeli troops from the West Bank.

“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,”

The plan does outline that once the ISF “establishes control and stability » in Gaza, Israel will remove its troops, but experts question the vague wording.

Critics are also wary of the idea of a Stabilization Force removing power from the Palestinian Authority.

A Hamas spokesman told Al Jazeera that the group rejects the presence of any foreign military personnel in Gaza, claiming it would be exchanging Israeli occupation for “foreign guardianship,” and nothing would change.

Israeli doubt

Many experts’ doubts stem from the simple fact that Israel signed onto this accord. The verbiage used in the plan seems to imply there is a pathway for a Palestinian State, but experts warn that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu would not have signed anything that jeopardizes Israel’s future in Palestine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly and publicly opposes Palestinian statehood and a Gaza governed by the Palestinian Authority.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 69,483 Palestinians and wounded 170,706 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

With the Epstein situation reaching a boiling point over the weekend, Donald Trump’s hand apparently has been forced, explaining his sudden flip on the issue Sunday night. 

Senior House Democrat and Rep. for California, Robert Garcia, said in a statement on Monday that “He’s failed… And now he’s panicking and has realized he is about to lose this Epstein vote to force the Department of Justice to release the files.”

Donald Trump had a sudden change of heart about the release of the Epstein files on Sunday.

“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.”

It was a strange turn from the messaging he’s had for the last few months, and even stranger after he publicly demeaned longtime supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene for gently criticizing his handling of the documents less than 48 hours prior.

“Trump is panicking”

According to Robert Garcia, Trump “tried everything to kill our Jeffrey Epstein investigation,” and after it became clear on Sunday that he would no longer be able to brush it off, he was forced to switch sides.

“Now [Trump’s] panicking and has realized he is about to lose this Epstein vote to force the Department of Justice to release the files.”

Garcia added in a later statement that “Let’s be crystal clear: Trump has the power to release all the files today… But instead, he wants to continue this cover-up and launch bogus new investigations to deflect and slow down our investigation. It won’t work. We will get justice for the survivors.”

“Nothing to hide”

Trump’s flip on Epstein came via a Truth Social post just after 9 PM:

 “As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.”

Trump’s post on Truth continued to say that the issue was distracting from the ‘Great Success’ of his administration, and the GOP needed to get “BACK ON POINT,” before prattling off a list of his administration’s ‘accomplishments’.

The statement left experts wondering ‘why’ for about 20 hours; now we know, Trump’s hand had been forced.