The West Point Association of Graduates recently decided to cancel an honorary ceremony for Tom Hanks.
The 69-year-old actor was due to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award at the event on September 25, celebrating his long relationship with the U.S. Army. Alongside the reward, he was scheduled to meet a number of West Point Cadets, unfortunately for any fans of Hanks, it seems it wont be so.
Mark Bieger, president of the West Point Association of Graduates, believes that the U.S. Army should instead focus on its core missions: training the next generation of officers and preparing for combat.
A native New Yorker, Donald Trump was back in his hometown as a guest of Rolex on Sunday for the U.S. Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The match was scheduled for 2.00 pm, but was delayed due to security preparations surrounding the President, the match eventually started at 2.48 pm. Long lines of people were still waiting outside Arthur Ashe Stadium at this point… yet to take their seats.
When Trump was introduced on screen during the national anthem, raucous boo’s were heard from the crowd amidst scattered applause for the polarizing figure.
The 79-year-old offered his detractors a wry smile, ultimately creating an even greater wave of booing during his second screen appearance. While some leaders appear chagrined when faced with thousands of boo’s from their constituents (especially in their home town), Trump seemed to take a dry pleasure in the response.
The United States Tennis Association shared a statement with the media, in order to avoid sharing reactions related to Trump’ s presence in the stadium. That said, with the powerful machine that is the internet, the videos will still have made the rounds.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama was among those present at the game, and unlike Trump, he received a lot of love from the New York crowd.
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that the Pentagon carried out a strike against a ship suspected of belonging to a Venezuelan drug cartel, while it was in international waters in the southern Caribbean.
Trump defends US strike on boat from Venezuela he says was carrying drugs reut.rs/4mOBnVg
According to Trump, 11 people aboard the ship, described by his administration as « a drug ship » that had sailed from Venezuela », were killed in the strike in international waters.
capturePentagon
The president himself later defended the attack, with Reuters reports, saying he believed the ship was carrying drugs.
Donald Trump broke the news via Truth Social, broadcasting a declassified video of the attack carried out by US forces:
« Earlier this morning, on my orders, U.S. military forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists in SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility. »
Getty Images
Recall that in an executive order signed last January, Trump officially classified drug cartels, including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG, as « foreign terrorist organizations » while the Pentagon promised further military action against them in the coming months. Trump used this accreditation to invoke Article II of the UN charter for the attack, allowing him to use deadly military force on a foreign entity without enacting war.
Multiple news outlets and legal experts have questioned the legitimacy and legality of the attack, and whether the ship was actually being used to traffic illegal drugs. The Trump administration fed into this speculation, with Marco Rubio and Trump giving conflicting information on the alleged destination of the vessel.
The White House has until Thursday to send it’s report to Speaker Mike Johnson, detailing its official reasoning for the attack, but experts warn to stay wary about information coming from POTUS.
The group Tren De Aragua have not made a comment on the airstrike, nor the accusation of the ship’s intention. The Venezuelan government has also not confirmed the identity or the objective of the vessel. On their part, President Nicolás Madur claims his government demolished Tren De Aragua in 2023. The government goes as far as to claim the group is a work of fiction, perpetrated by international media organizations.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been mounting for multiple months, with this attack representing a potential breaking point for Venezuela. President Maduro made statements on Monday that some saw as readying his citizens for war, with Maduro encouraging Venezuelans to prepare themselves to defend their country.
Maduro claimed to have once again won Venezuelas election last year, but numerous democracies around the world, including Canada’s, have refused to recognize his victory. Poll tracking of the 2024 election showed opposition leader Edmundo González owning more than 60 per cent of the popular vote, with Madura commanding under 20 per cent.
The Trump administration has not indicated they plan an invasion of Venezuela, but three navy destroyers and a cruiser, carrying 4,000 American troops has been moved closer to the Venezuelan shore.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO STANDALONE PUBLICATION USE (NO SPECIAL INTEREST OR SINGLE ARTIST PUBLICATION USE; NO BOOK USE)) Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Wembley Stadium on August 15, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )
The 35-year-old singer continues to rewrite history in the music world, with a new album entitled The Life of a Showgirl due for release on October 3, 2025.
Not even released yet, this album has already broken the record for the highest number of pre-orders in Spotify history.
Her album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, released in April 2024, once set the same record.
On April 18th, 2024, Taylor Swift's THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT became the most pre-saved album Countdown Page in Spotify history. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/gJbZgegdwV
Last month, she also became the first artist to have 4 albums with over 10 billion cumulative listens on Spotify, thanks to hits like Blank Space and Cruel Summer, among others.
Taylor Swift is the first artist to have 4 albums with over 10 billion streams on Spotify. pic.twitter.com/Sw6IEOet3a
The Super Bowl is considered a sacred event in America, not only for the game itself, but also because of the half-time show.
Multiple talents have performed on stage over the years, including Madonna, Eminem, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Coldplay, to name but a few.
Could Taylor Swift be next?
And, baby, that’s show business for you. New album The Life of a Showgirl. Out October 3 ❤️🔥https://t.co/rIaG2Ezo7Z
Album Producers: Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift 📸: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott pic.twitter.com/QRzLbLpnUS
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has teased a potential appearance by the country singer for the halftime show at the next Super Bowl, to be held on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California.
« Taylor Swift is welcome anytime (…) She’s a special talent (…) »– Roger Goodell
After years of rumors in the air, Amazon MGM Studios has announced the identity of the new Lara Croft, in preparation for the filming of the Tomb Raider series.
As confirmed on social networks, Sophie Turner, aka Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, has landed the lead role in this significant new project. The series will start shooting on January 19, 2026, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge acting as creator, writer and executive producer.
#TombRaider live-action series is officially set to begin production on Jan. 19, 2026 with Sophie Turner as Lara Croft.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge serves as creator, writer, and executive producer. Chad Hodge has boarded the show as executive producer and co-showrunner.… pic.twitter.com/EtBx0N1grG
Production of the series was given the green light by Amazon Video in May 2024, while development of the project had been under discussion since January 2023.
Turner, 29, will succeed Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander, two actresses who have played Lara Croft on the big screen in the past.
As a press conference was held outside the Capitol alongside Democratic and Republican members of Congress for the introduction of the « Epstein Files Transparency Act », several victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell delivered deeply moving speeches directly appealing to Donald Trump to take them seriously.
Trump bashes Epstein files as ‘hoax’ as Republicans rally with trafficking victims
Questioned by reporters at the White House at the same time, the President reiterated his position, stating once again that, in his opinion, the Epstein Files are nothing more than a Democratic « hoax ».
Getty Images
According to Trump, the uproar surrounding the bipartisan filing of the « Epstein Files Transparency Act », which calls for the file to be fully posted with victims’ names redacted, is nothing more than « A Democrat hoax that never ends ».
He added, according to The Independent, that « no one is ever satisfied » despite the « thousands of pages of documents » already made public, calling the whole thing « totally irrelevant ».
Getty Images
Trump finally complained that, no matter how hard his administration tried to make the Epstein files available, while many recalled that the vast majority of the thousands of pages released had already been released under the Biden administration, the requests never stop.
