Author: Stephanie Gauthier

As the BBC faces a major scandal over a misleading edit of a Donald Trump speech from January 6, 2021, two top executives – Director Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness – have resigned amid mounting accusations of bias and lack of impartiality.

The BBC faces legal threats from President Trump after a documentary allegedly misrepresented his Jan. 6, 2021, speech, leading to two top network officials' resignation.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-11-10T16:26:05.376970996Z

«The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught “doctoring” my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.»

A (PERFECT!) speech

Trump has seized on the controversy on Truth Social to accuse the British, a key US ally, of damaging democracy, calling it «What a terrible thing for Democracy!» and is now threatening to sue the BBC for 1 billion dollars over the edited segment, according to several media outlets including The Washington Post and Fox News.

In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed that senior leadership at the broadcaster was being pushed out, writing that «The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught “doctoring” my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.»

«On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!».

A terrible thing for Democracy

In the same message, Trump also thanked a British newspaper for its coverage of the controversy, writing «Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt “Journalists.”».

Trump continued his attack on the network and its staff, writing «These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election.»

Trump ends his message by broadening his accusations to a key US ally as a whole, writing «On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!».

«The BBC has caused President Trump to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm» and warning that «if the BBC does not comply with the above by November 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST, President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived»

Completely misleading

The accusations against the BBC centre on a Panorama documentary that spliced together separate parts of Donald Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, allegedly creating the impression that he was directly urging supporters to storm the Capitol. The row was ignited by a detailed exposé in The Telegraph, based on a leaked 19-page internal memo written by former BBC adviser Michael Prescott.

That dossier claims the programme «Trump: A Second Chance?» was «completely misleading», accusing editors of “doctoring” Trump’s remarks by stitching together lines spoken nearly an hour apart and then overlaying them with footage of the Capitol march that was filmed earlier, thereby changing the meaning of his words.

«It feels like a coup.»

One Billion Dollars in damages

According to Fox News, Trump and his legal team have also sent a formal letter to the BBC, claiming that «The BBC has caused President Trump to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm» and warning that «if the BBC does not comply with the above by November 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST, President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived».

The letter adds that this could include «filing legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages.»

Turness, according to The Guardian, defended the corporation as she announced her resignation over the scandal, rejecting Trump’s claim that its journalists are corrupt and insisting that «Our journalists aren’t corrupt. Our journalists are hardworking people who strive for impartiality. And I will stand by their journalism,» adding that while mistakes happen, «There is no institutional bias.»

According to The Guardian, some BBC staff believe the scandal is being driven less by genuine concerns over impartiality than by a coordinated campaign from the corporation’s political enemies, with sources inside the News department saying «It feels like a coup» and calling it «the result of a campaign by political enemies of the BBC.»

Two top BBC leaders resign after accusations that footage of Trump's Jan. 6 speech was misleadingly edited in a documentary.https://cnn.it/3WOyokl

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-11-09T18:42:37.966602029Z

Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and Sidney Powell, all close former political allies or lawyers of Donald Trump, are among scores of people pardoned by the president over the weekend for their roles in an alleged plot to steal the 2020 election.

President Trump has pardoned Rudy Giuliani and a host of other prominent allies involved in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, furthering his efforts to rewrite the history of his losing campaign five years ago.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-11-10T15:15:13.90641438Z

The president’s intent

In a statement posted on X, US pardon attorney Ed Martin announced that the Trump administration had granted pardons to 77 people said to have taken part in a scheme to install fake Republican electors in several battleground states, which would have falsely declared Trump the winner of the 2020 election instead of Joe Biden.

In a post on X, US pardon attorney Ed Martin celebrated the move, writing «Breaking: President Trump pardoned the 2020 Alternative Electors.» He went on to thank Trump, the White House and several senior legal advisers for allowing him to help carry out the president’s intent, saying it would «let their healing begin».

«Let their healing begin.»

-US pardon attorney Ed Martin

Ed Martin also attached to his post a copy of a document titled «A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump», setting out a list of 77 people to whom Trump granted a «full, complete, and unconditional pardon» for conduct linked to efforts to create and promote alternative slates of presidential electors and to expose alleged voting fraud and vulnerabilities in the 2020 election.

Breaking: President Trump pardoned the 2020 Alternative Electors.

Thank you: @POTUS for allowing me, as U.S. Pardon Attorney, to work with @WhiteHouse, along with @AGPamBondi, @DAGToddBlanche & SG John Sauer, to achieve your intent—let their healing begin. #Federalist74 ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/rDOtgpapCB

— Ed Martin (@EdMartinDOJ) November 10, 2025

Among those pardoned are Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former personal lawyer, accused of pushing false fraud claims and backing the fake electors plan; Mark Meadows, Trump’s final White House chief of staff, accused of helping pressure officials and support efforts to keep Trump in power after 2020; and Sidney Powell, a pro-Trump lawyer tied to conspiracy theories about voting machines and efforts to overturn results in key states.

John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, conservative lawyers close to Trump, were accused of designing the legal strategy behind the fake electors. Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark was accused of drafting a false DOJ letter to urge states to appoint alternate Trump electors. Jenna Ellis, another Trump campaign lawyer, was accused of spreading false claims of massive fraud to support that broader effort.

«This proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.»

The process of national reconciliation

These are only a few examples of the alleged offenses committed by those pardoned by Trump, who are all accused of having played an active role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election result in his favor.

In the written proclamation, Trump describes the cases against those he has just pardoned as a «grave national injustice» and presents the pardons as a step that continues the process of national reconciliation:

«This proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.»

Trump pardons Rudy Giuliani and other key figures involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election: https://cnn.it/4r8Y21h

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-11-10T08:30:09.072270316Z

Donald Trump has declared victory in a new self-proclaimed war — this time against what he calls the «Climate Change Hoax.»

In an interview with Axios, Bill Gates defended his climate change and responded to President Trump, who posted that "Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue."Gates: "It's a gigantic misreading of the memo."

— Axios (@axios.com) 2025-11-04T14:06:30.782Z

In a post on Truth Social, the president took a victory lap, saying he’s «won the war on the Climate Change Hoax» and citing Bill Gates’ recent comments as proof that he was right all along.

In a memo published on his blog ahead of the COP30 climate summit, Bill Gates wrote: «Climate change is a serious problem, but it will not be the end of civilization.»

A total victory

Trump began his post on Truth Social, declaring: «I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax.»

«Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue,» he continued, seizing on Gates’ recent comments about renewable energy as proof that his longtime skepticism toward climate science had been justified.

As Trump praised himself for what he saw as a total victory, he closed in trademark fashion: «It took courage to do so, and for that we are all grateful. MAGA!!!»

In an interview with Axios, Bill Gates called Trump’s claim that he’d admitted being completely wrong on climate change «a gigantic misreading of the memo.»

Climate change is one of the most serious challenges we face, and I’m committed as ever to supporting breakthroughs that will help the world reach net-zero. ​

— Bill Gates (@billgates.bsky.social) 2025-10-29T02:55:45.240Z

The true measures of progress

Bill Gates did not deny the reality of climate change but argued that current efforts place too much emphasis on temperature and emissions targets.

Gates said that innovation and human welfare should be the true measures of progress: «Temperature is not the best way to measure our progress on climate… Health and prosperity are the best defense against climate change.»

The billionaire emphasised that while climate change will hit poorer countries hardest, the biggest threats remain «poverty and disease, just as they always have been.»

«I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax.»

-Donald Trump

Gates urged leaders to refocus strategy: invest in innovation and adaptation rather than solely chasing emission-targets.

Disappointment and anger

On social media, disappointment and anger erupted over Bill Gates’s shift in tone on climate change, with some users accusing him of joining the same circle as other billionaires who align with Donald Trump in pursuit of power and profit — without any regulation on their business.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Around 150 countries will gather in Brazil for the COP30 climate summit. What are the key results negotiators are aiming for — and how could talks break down?Bloomberg journalists answer your questions today at 1 p.m. EST. Stream: bloom.bg/3Ji78rn

— Bloomberg News (@bloomberg.com) 2025-11-03T14:00:58Z

Some major red flags have been raised about potential conflicts of interest surrounding the financing of Trump’s «Ballroom Donors,» who collectively hold nearly $300 billion in federal contracts and face multiple federal investigations into their businesses.

Many publicly identified donors to President Trump’s White House ballroom have high-stakes business before the administration, ranging from billions in contracts to federal investigations of their companies, according to a watchdog group report.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-11-04T01:00:13.232688247Z

According to a new report from a government watchdog group, cited by The Washington Post, many of the publicly identified donors behind Trump’s lavish White House ballroom have significant business interests before his administration.

«The same critics who are wrongly claiming there are conflicts of interest would complain if taxpayers were footing the bill.»

A shocking turn

While some companies hold billions in active government contracts and others are under investigation by federal authorities, more than half of the firms that donated to Trump’s White House ballroom have faced or are currently facing federal enforcement actions — including cases tied to labor violations, consumer deception, and environmental harm.

Trump’s controversial construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom took a shocking turn this month as excavators and construction crews tore down the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for what the president described as a “grand hall” — a ballroom reportedly larger than the White House itself.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the project, saying: «The same critics who are wrongly claiming there are conflicts of interest would complain if taxpayers were footing the bill.»

The full list of wealthy donors and corporations

Well, actually, after weeks of speculation over who was footing the $300 million bill, the Trump administration released a full list of wealthy donors and corporations financing the project, ending what had become one of Washington’s most talked-about mysteries.

The newly disclosed roster reads like a who’s who of corporate America and billionaire power players. It includes Amazon, Google, Meta, Apple, Comcast, Caterpillar, T-Mobile, and Union Pacific Railroad, alongside major energy and finance backers such as NextEra Energy, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Adelson Family Foundation.

The list also features prominent investors and Republican donors, including Stephen A. Schwarzman, Harold Hamm, Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher, as well as tech entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

Donors tied to federal contracts and investigations

Together, the group’s financial influence — and their deep business ties to federal contracts and policy decisions — has fueled mounting criticism that Trump’s “White House ballroom” is less a renovation project than a symbol of political favoritism on an unprecedented scale.

Among the top contributors with major federal business ties, Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Caterpillar Inc. stand out. Amazon continues to hold multibillion-dollar cloud computing contracts with the Department of Defense and numerous federal agencies. Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the largest U.S. government contractors, provides defense and intelligence consulting services worth over $10 billion annually. Caterpillar also maintains large-scale supply and infrastructure contracts with the Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

On the enforcement side, several companies on the donor list have faced investigations or penalties in recent years. Meta has been repeatedly fined by the Federal Trade Commission for privacy violations, while Tether America has been under federal scrutiny for alleged misrepresentation of its cryptocurrency reserves. Reynolds American, one of the nation’s largest tobacco producers, has been the subject of Justice Department and FDA investigations related to marketing practices and public health compliance.

These connections have intensified criticism that Trump’s «ballroom donors» include firms with both lucrative federal ties and ongoing regulatory troubles.

Tech, crypto and tobacco companies are funding Trump’s White House ballroom.The donor list includes several billionaires who have looked to curry favor with the Trump administration.

— Politico (@politico.com) 2025-10-23T16:10:46.095Z

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump seems to have turned it into a full-blown home-renovation reality show, and his latest fixation, aside from the massive ballroom construction, seems to be the Lincoln Bathroom.

Trump posted dozens of photos of the Lincoln Bedroom’s remodeled bathroom, stating the prior art deco style was “totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.”

— Forbes (@forbes.com) 2025-10-31T20:10:04Z

«It was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.»

-Donald Trump

The president’s obsession

Donald Trump’s obsession with renovations has reached new heights as he floods Truth Social with updates, posting about one of his latest projects seven times in a single day.

«I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House.»

Trump first announced his newly completed project in the first of a series of Truth Social posts on the subject, writing: «I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House.»

«I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble.»

Inappropriate for the Lincoln Era?

The president began by describing the space’s history, noting that «it was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.»

Trump then explained the aesthetic he chose for the makeover:

«I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble.»

Trump concluded by suggesting that his design choice was historically faithful, claiming:

«This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!»

Trump then followed up with a rapid series of photo-only posts, showing the renovated bathroom from every possible angle.

As the images went viral on social media, many users pointed out that the new White House bathroom now looked more like one of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago suites than a historic presidential restroom.

The final post on the subject for the day

Trump shared several photos of the newly renovated Lincoln Bathroom on Truth Social in what appeared to be his final post on the subject for the day, proudly captioning them:

«The Refurbished Lincoln Bathroom in the White House — Highly polished, Statuary marble!»

Since returning to the White House, Trump has become fixated on renovations, treating the residence like his personal resort.

He redesigned the Rose Garden, overhauled the Lincoln Bathroom, and completely demolished the East Wing to build a ballroom reportedly larger than the White House itself.

Less than a year into his four-year term, no one is sure if he plans to stop there.

Host Miles Teller was hilarious as he played real estate hot shots Drew and Jonathan Scott taking on their "biggest challenge yet."

— HuffPost (@huffpost.com) 2025-11-03T02:06:43.509Z

After recently lashing out at Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, Trump has now turned his ire toward another late-night comedian, Seth Meyers.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at yet another late-night TV show host for failing to fall at his feet in groveling praise.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T00:45:05.489345Z

In a fiery post on Truth Social, the president claimed he had watched Late Night with Seth Meyers for the first time in years and was appalled by what he called the host’s «Anti-Trump» jokes.

The post marks yet another instance of Trump publicly attacking television personalities who have mocked or criticized him.

«Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this???»

The least talented person to “perform” live

Trump began his Truth Social post by attacking NBC’s Late Night host, calling Seth Meyers «the least talented person to ‘perform’ live in the history of television.»

The president then doubled down, saying Meyers «may be the worst to perform, live or otherwise,» turning what started as an insult into a sweeping dismissal of the comedian’s entire career: «Seth Meyers of NBC may be the least talented person to “perform” live in the history of television. In fact, he may be the WORST to perform, live or otherwise.»

The president escalated his attack, calling Meyers «a truly deranged lunatic,» a label he often reserves for journalists and entertainers who mock him.

«On and on he went, a truly deranged lunatic.»

-Donald Trump

Trump claimed he had tuned into Late Night with Seth Meyers «for the first time in years,» and said the host «talked endlessly about electric catapults on aircraft carriers,» prompting him to revisit one of his favorite grievances about Navy technology, the same topic he had recently raised in a speech to U.S. troops aboard the USS George Washington in Japan, where he bizarrely vowed to ban electromagnetic catapults and restore the old steam-powered systems:

«I watched his show the other night for the first time in years. In it he talked endlessly about electric catapults on aircraft carriers which I complain about as not being as good as much less expensive steam catapults. On and on he went, a truly deranged lunatic.»

Trump went on to ask, «Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this???» questioning the network’s decision to keep Meyers on the air — the same kind of jab he has directed at Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, whom he’s also accused of being biased and «anti-Trump.»

Trump ended his post in all caps, denouncing Meyers’s show as « NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!! » — a line that sparked widespread mockery online for its baseless and authoritarian tone.

The president tore into Seth Meyers in a weekend social media post.

— HuffPost (@huffpost.com) 2025-11-03T10:00:06.831Z

In what many have described as a heavily edited 60 Minutes interview, his first appearance on the show in five years, Donald Trump boasted that the network «paid him a lot of money» after a 16-million-dollar settlement with CBS News, which he had sued for allegedly editing an interview with Kamala Harris when she was running against him for president.

CBS seems to have bent to Trump on cutting a section where he bragged about a multi-million dollar payout from the network’s parent company.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-11-03T17:17:42.343727Z

Trump also pushed for more aggressive ICE raids while waving a document listing wars he claimed to have ended.

While the interview aired on 60 Minutes, some of Trump’s remarks, including those claims, were omitted from the televised segment and appeared only in the extended version and full transcript released afterward.

«You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have legit news.»

-Donald Trump

The CBS Settlement and Trump’s Media Grievance

In his first appearance on 60 Minutes in five years, Donald Trump revisited his long-standing feud with CBS News.

«You don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you … But 60 Minutes was forced to pay me … a lot of money…»

The president boasted about a 16-million-dollar settlement the network reportedly paid him after he sued over what he called a «dishonestly edited» interview with Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign against him.

Trump said: «Actually 60 Minutes paid me a lot of money. And you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you … But 60 Minutes was forced to pay me … a lot of money because they took [Kamala Harris’] answer out that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights before the election. And they paid me a lotta money for that. You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have legit news.»

CBS and 60 Minutes publicly denied Trump’s allegations in multiple news reports covering the settlement, maintaining that the Kamala Harris interview was edited according to standard journalistic practices and not in a misleading or malicious manner.

ICE Raids and a Hardline Immigration Stance

One of the most contentious moments came when Trump defended recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that had sparked widespread outrage.

«No. I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back … by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama.»

The interviewer cited footage showing ICE agents using tear gas in a residential neighborhood, smashing car windows, and an incident where a mother was pushed to the ground by an agent while clutching her child during an arrest, asking whether the operations had “gone too far.”

Trump shot back:

«No. I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back … by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama.»

In fact, some of the judges overseeing immigration cases were appointed by Trump himself.

He added: «Yeah, because you have to get the people out … Many of them are murderers … many of them are people that were thrown outta their countries because they were … criminals.»

Data from Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security show that the majority of migrants targeted in recent ICE raids had no criminal record.

The exchange underscored Trump’s push for more aggressive deportations while blaming federal judges for limiting ICE’s reach, comments that quickly drew backlash across political and humanitarian circles.

«I’ve stopped six wars. I’m averaging about a war a month.»

-Donald Trump

A president of peace?

At another point, Trump held up a sheet of paper that he said listed the wars he had ended, declaring himself a president of peace. «I’ve stopped six wars. I’m averaging about a war a month,» Trump claimed, referring broadly to conflicts involving Iran, Israel, and other regions.

Fact-checkers later found no evidence to support most of those assertions, though his delivery, confident and dramatic, fit the showman style that has long defined his public persona.

During the interview, journalist Norah O’Donnell offered little fact-checking or pushback against Trump’s false or misleading statements, a lack of challenge that many critics quickly pointed out on social media.

WATCH: President Donald Trump's extended 60 Minutes interview cbsn.ws/3LghAAh

— 60 Minutes (@60minutes.bsky.social) 2025-11-03T01:47:31.406Z

Public outrage erupted over Trump’s over-the-top ‘Great Gatsby’ Halloween party for himself and his elite friends at Mar-a-Lago, held as he moves to cut millions of Americans off from vital food support programs.

The president’s already under fire for what critics describe as a bitterly ironic choice of party theme on the eve of 42 million Americans losing access to food support programs.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-11-01T21:11:37.507412Z

On Friday, Oct. 31, Trump hosted a Halloween party at his Palm Beach estate inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic The Great Gatsby.

Videos of dancers and a martini-glass act go viral amid public outrage

Numerous photos show him seated alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while several videos circulating online capture women in feathered costumes and flapper dresses dancing for his guests — and yet another video shows a woman performing inside a giant martini glass.

Many viewed the scenes circulating on social media as a stark symbol of the widening divide between the political elite and ordinary Americans, as federal workers went unpaid during the Trump administration’s shutdown and food insecurity continued to rise across the nation.

Trump’s Gatsby-like party unfolds as the government is still shutdown

The party came as the government shutdown entered its 31st day, and the videos quickly went viral on social media as criticism mounted against the president and his administration for cutting millions of Americans off from food-support programs.

Trump’s administration has been pushing to scale back the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a move that could strip access to vital food support from millions of low-income families.

On the same day as Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago party, October 31, a federal judge from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia temporarily blocked the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit cuts and ordered the Department of Agriculture to use contingency funds to ensure continued payments for roughly 42 million Americans.

The timing of the extravagant Halloween party fueled public anger, with critics accusing the president of flaunting wealth and privilege while ordinary citizens struggle to afford basic necessities.

According to People, members of the press were initially allowed inside the event but were later asked to leave the premises, restricting media access to the rest of the evening’s festivities.

Sam Stein, managing editor of "The Bulwark," bashed President Donald Trump's Gatsby-themed Halloween party, saying it was an example of the "incredible and sad dichotomy" of the impact of the Trump administration.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2025-11-03T12:00:13Z

Pakistan has threatened to «obliterate» the Afghan Taliban amid the complete collapse of peace talks between the two neighboring countries.

Pakistan threatens to 'obliterate' Taliban after peace talks fail reut.rs/49pEGy8

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2025-10-29T09:05:10Z

The Pakistani government said that negotiations held in Istanbul had ended without a solution, marking a total breakdown in efforts to ease tensions with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban.

«Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding.

Fighting Between Pakistan and Afghan Taliban Escalates Along Border

The failure of the talks comes amid a sharp escalation of violence along the border, where heavy clashes in recent days have left multiple dead on both sides and pushed the region closer to open conflict.

In recent weeks, fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban has sharply escalated along the border. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government in Kabul of sheltering militants from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have launched deadly attacks inside its territory.

According to Islamabad, recent clashes killed five Pakistani soldiers and twenty-five Taliban fighters near the frontier.

Peace talks in Istanbul collapsed without agreement

The peace talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban began in mid-October with a first round in Doha, followed by a four-day session in Istanbul that ended without agreement.

After peace talks in Istanbul collapsed without agreement, Pakistan’s defence minister warned that the country could «obliterate» the Taliban if violence continued.

«Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding,» Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said in a post on X.

The conflict has further intensified as thousands of Afghan refugees gathered at the Chaman border crossing awaiting deportation.

Major border crossings such as Torkham and Chaman have since been closed, and Pakistan says it has carried out airstrikes against TTP positions inside Afghanistan. Efforts by Turkey and Qatar to revive negotiations have so far failed, leaving tensions at their highest point since the Taliban took power in 2021.

Exclusive: Pakistan says Afghan Taliban must rein in militants for ceasefire to hold reut.rs/3LjN4oR

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2025-10-20T11:35:12.356Z

Donald Trump seems to be entering his own nuclear era. During a major week of travel across Asia, the president has shockingly announced that he has ordered the Pentagon to resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing, ending a program that had been shut down since 1992.

The US last conducted a nuclear test in 1992, when it began a voluntary moratorium on such explosive testing.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-10-30T11:30:09.307456401Z

The declaration marks a dramatic shift in American defense policy and raises immediate global concerns about a renewed nuclear arms race.

«The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.»

A post on Truth Social

Donald Trump defended his decision in a post on Truth Social, framing it as a necessary act of strength rather than aggression.

«I HATED to do it, but had no choice!»

-Donald Trump

Trump began by asserting America’s dominance in nuclear capability, positioning the United States as the uncontested leader in global military power: «The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.»

In reality, Russia currently possesses a slightly larger overall nuclear stockpile than the United States.

Trump did not deliver a “complete update”

The president then credited his first term with modernizing the U.S. arsenal, presenting the decision as a continuation of his earlier defense agenda: «This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office.»

In reality, most modernization projects of the U.S. nuclear arsenal were long-term programs launched under previous administrations and still ongoing today; experts note that Trump’s term accelerated funding but did not deliver a “complete update” or full renovation as he claimed.

«Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.»

A world without nuclear weapons

He attempted to justify the move by portraying it as reluctant but unavoidable, acknowledging the destructive nature of nuclear weapons while implying that renewed testing was inevitable: «Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice!»

This stance contrasts sharply with Trump’s earlier statements as president, when he repeatedly claimed to seek global denuclearization — including his 2018 remarks after meeting Kim Jong-un, where he said he wanted «A world without nuclear weapons.»

Trump current justification therefore reverses the position he once promoted as a goal of his foreign policy.

Trump tried to justify his decision by comparing U.S. capabilities to those of its rivals, claiming that «Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years» even though Russia currently holds a slightly larger nuclear stockpile than the United States, and most experts strongly doubt that China could reach parity within such a short timeframe.

«That process will begin immediately.»

Only North Korea

The president asserted: «Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.»

However, since the early 1990s almost all declared nuclear-weapon states have observed a moratorium on explosive nuclear weapons tests, with only North Korea conducting tests in recent decades.

Trump concluded by declaring that the process would begin without delay — one of his most shocking decisions since returning to the White House: «That process will begin immediately.»

Trump directs Pentagon to ‘immediately’ start testing US nuclear weapons

— The Guardian (@theguardian.com) 2025-10-30T02:16:33Z