Author: Stephanie Gauthier

Donald Trump responded to questions about two high-profile legal cases involving former friends of his: Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted as Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator in child sex trafficking, and Sean Combs, also known as P. Diddy, sentenced to 50 months in prison on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

The president said he would consider whether to pardon both.

In the news for months

In a strange exchange on Monday with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, President Trump was asked about a potential pardon for Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

Trump oddly claimed he hadn’t heard her name «in so long», despite Maxwell being in the news for months.

«I haven’t heard the name in so long. I can say this, that I’d have to take a look at it. I would have to take a look,»

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, formerly Trump’s personal lawyer, met with Maxwell two times in July at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tallahassee, meetings that led to her transfer to a minimum-security prison, a move that sparked public controversy. Trump then added that he would consider offering her a pardon.

Responding to the CNN journalist about a possible pardon for Maxwell, Trump said: «I haven’t heard the name in so long. I can say this, that I’d have to take a look at it. I would have to take a look,» adding:

«I will speak to the DOJ.»

A lot of people

Trump then added that «Puff Daddy» had just asked him for a pardon as well.

Sean Combs was recently sentenced to 50 months in prison.

Continuing on the subject of pardons, Trump said that many people had approached him for presidential clemency:

«A lot of people have asked me for pardons,» he stated, adding about the rapper:

«I call him Puff Daddy. He has asked me for a pardon.»

In August, one month before his sentencing, CNN reported that members of Diddy’s defense team had reached out to the president’s office to request a potential pardon.

As people wait to see what Trump will do regarding a possible pardon for P. Diddy, the prospect of clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell is drawing even stronger reactions. Trump and his administration have already been accused of trying to bury the Epstein files, and his response, saying he would «take a look at it», has sparked anger among many, including both current and former allies.

Even controversial figures such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Laura Loomer have voiced their outrage.

During a speech celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy, President Donald Trump claimed that he alone had warned about Osama bin Laden a year before 9/11, a claim repeatedly debunked over the years, notably by CNN.

«I wrote about Osama bin Laden exactly one year ago.»

During his speech, Trump abruptly shifted the subject to Osama bin Laden, claiming he had issued a warning about the terrorist a year before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

A page devoted to bin Laden

Urging his audience to «please remember», Trump insisted that one of his books, ghostwritten and published in 2000, contained his warning to «watch» bin Laden.

«I wrote, whatever the hell the title, I can’t tell you, but I can tell you there’s a page in there devoted to the fact that I saw somebody named Osama bin Laden, and I didn’t like it.»

«I wrote about Osama bin Laden exactly one year ago,» Trump said, misspeaking and before adding, «one year before he blew up the World Trade Center.» The president went on to insist that he had warned about bin Laden, citing the line from his book: «You’ve got to watch Osama bin Laden.»

According to CNN, Trump, referring to his book titled «The America We Deserve», though appearing unable to recall the title, claimed he had written a page devoted to bin Laden, insisting that he had warned to «take care of him»: «I wrote, whatever the hell the title, I can’t tell you, but I can tell you there’s a page in there devoted to the fact that I saw somebody named Osama bin Laden, and I didn’t like it» adding:

«You gotta take care of him.»

«So, you gotta take a little credit, because nobody else is gonna give it to me.»

A claim long debunked

Trump quickly added, as proof of his claim, that «The fake news would never let me get away with that statement unless it was true.» However, the media has repeatedly disproved his assertion, with outlets like CNN noting they have debunked the story since 2015.

Trump writes in his book that: «One day we’re told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin Laden is public enemy number one, and U.S. jetfighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later it’s on to a new enemy and new crisis.»

Far from being a personal warning, this passage is written as an observation of the media cycle, where one threat replaces another. By the late 1990s, Osama bin Laden was already on the U.S. radar as a high-profile target. President Bill Clinton had publicly identified him as a major threat, ordering strikes against al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan in 1998, years before George W. Bush took office.

A little credit

The book’s reference is therefore not a prescient call to action, but rather a reflection of debates and operations that were already underway.

Far from the «You gotta take care of him» line he expressed during his address to U.S. Navy members, where he added that «They didn’t do it; a year later he blew up the World Trade Center.»

Trump concluded the topic by insisting he deserved credit, since no one else would give it to him: «So, you gotta take a little credit, because nobody else is gonna give it to me.»

Donald Trump announced his plans for the celebrations of his 80th birthday on June 14, alongside the 250th anniversary of American independence, something the president has long wanted to see, as he prepares to host a UFC match on White House grounds.

In September, according to The Hill, the White House promised a major event with «fireworks and light shows» to mark the combined celebration days.

«On June 14, next year, we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House, right at the White House on the grounds.»

Trump’s 80th Birthday Set for a Big Celebration

But Trump officially announced with enthusiasm, during his speech to Navy personnel marking the Navy’s 250th anniversary, that a major UFC fight is planned: «On June 14, next year, we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House, right at the White House on the grounds.»

For critics, it underscores a pattern, from his 79th birthday parade to this planned White House fight, of bending patriotic celebrations into political theater.

«Thank god they are focused on the priorities of all Americans.»

The idea has already ignited a storm of ridicule and controversy. Trump, a longtime fixture at UFC events and a close friend of UFC president Dana White, has often reveled in the sport’s brash style. But, hosting a cage fight at the presidential residence is being called by opponents a cheap stunt, more fitting for Las Vegas than the White House lawn.

California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked Trump’s plan to host a UFC fight at the White House with a sarcastic post on X.

Sharing official renderings of the event, he wrote: «Thank god they are focused on the priorities of all Americans,».

Controversy Surrounds Trump’s 79th Birthday Military Parade

On June 14, 2025, Donald Trump marked his 79th birthday with a military parade in Washington, D.C., coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. What was intended as a grand display of patriotism quickly became a lightning rod for controversy and ridicule.

Thousands of troops, armored vehicles, jet flyovers, and fireworks filled the capital, though even the assault tanks drew attention as they rattled past, their movements marked by squeaks and groans like machines in need of oil.

For many observers, the display felt less like a national tribute and more like a birthday spectacle for Trump. The timing, coinciding exactly with his 79th birthday, only reinforced accusations that the Army’s anniversary had been used as cover for a glorified personal celebration.

The cost, estimated at $25 to $45 million, fueled outrage, with opponents blasting it as a waste of taxpayer money. Protesters rallied under the slogan «No Kings», warning that Trump was turning military tradition into political theater. Media outlets mocked the excess, comparing it to authoritarian-style pageantry.

Instead of uniting the nation around the Army’s milestone, the parade left many with the impression of a president staging a costly, controversial birthday show at the taxpayers’ expense.

Trump’s UFC birthday bash is set to be one of the most polarizing and surreal spectacles of America’s 250th year.

Hailed by some as historic, mocked by others as humiliating.

After a series of strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs for cartels bound for the United States, the Pentagon informed Congress that the Trump administration now considers the country to be in an «armed conflict» with drug cartels.

According to CNN, the revelation came in a memo delivered this week, which stated that cartel smugglers should be treated as «unlawful combatants» and therefore legitimate military targets under U.S. law.

«The President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.»

An armed attack against the United States

According to CNN, Pentagon general counsel Earl Matthews and senior defense officials told lawmakers that the legal rationale for the strikes rested on the idea that «The cartels involved have grown more armed, well organized, and violent… now transnational and conducting ongoing attacks throughout the Western Hemisphere as organized cartels.» Adding that: «The President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.»

«IF YOU TRANSPORT DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!»

At least four attacks against cartels in international waters

The first strike occurred on September 2, 2025, when U.S. forces destroyed a vessel in international waters in the southern Caribbean. Donald Trump claimed the ship was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, recently designated a foreign terrorist organization by his administration. He said eleven people aboard were killed and defended the action by insisting the vessel was carrying drugs. Trump himself announced the operation on Truth Social, releasing a declassified video of the attack and describing it as a direct strike against «narcoterrorists».

A second strike followed weeks later, again in international waters, targeting another boat allegedly carrying narcotics from Venezuela to the United States. The administration said three people were killed. Trump described the passengers as «violent drug cartels» and justified the attack as essential to U.S. national security. He released another declassified video on Truth Social, accompanied by a warning: «IF YOU TRANSPORT DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!» Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed that line, declaring the government knew «exactly» who was on board and what they represented, though no evidence was made public.

A third strike confirmed by the Trump administration took place in mid-September 2025, again in international waters in the Caribbean. According to U.S. officials, the operation targeted a vessel suspected of transporting drugs from Venezuela to the United States and resulted in three deaths.

On October 3, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in a post on X that a strike had been carried out in international waters near the coast of Venezuela against a vessel allegedly transporting illegal drugs, resulting in four deaths: «Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike, and no U.S. forces were harmed in the operation. The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics — headed to America to poison our people,» Hegseth wrote on X.

Hegseth concluded his message with a stark warning: «These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!»

The strikes sparked immediate backlash. Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro denounced the attacks as an «aggression» against his country, rejecting U.S. claims and labeling the operations a «military, political, and judicial aggression».

Trump administration overstepped its constitutional authority

Legal experts in Washington criticized Trump for bypassing Congress, arguing that the executive branch had overstepped its constitutional authority. International observers also warned that the use of force is only permitted under international law in cases of imminent threat or with UN approval, conditions they said were not met.

With the Pentagon memo now public, critics argue that the administration has effectively escalated to a declared war against cartels, without congressional authorization, without presenting evidence to the public, and without international legitimacy.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, posted a blistering message on Truth Social calling on Hamas one last time to accept the peace deal.

He asserts that the group’s forces are surrounded and militarily trapped, and threatens to order decisive action that would result in the swift annihilation of their fighters.

On Truth Social, Trump pressed Hamas to agree to a peace deal, and warned that refusal would trigger severe consequences.

«Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, “GO,” for their lives to be quickly extinguished.»

In the post he described Hamas’s past actions and the October 7 attack, writing «Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat, for many years, in the Middle East! They have killed (and made lives unbearably miserable), culminating with the October 7th MASSACRE, in Israel, babies, woman, children, old people, and many young men and women, boys and girls, getting ready to celebrate their future lives together.»

He emphasised the scale of the retaliation already carried out, stating «As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas “soldiers” have already been killed.», Trump continues in his post by asserting that most of the remaining fighters are encircled and awaiting his signal: «Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, “GO,” for their lives to be quickly extinguished.»

«If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.»

Hamas must accept peace deal by Sunday

In his Truth Social post, Trump demanded the immediate release of hostages and imposed a firm deadline on Hamas to reach an agreement, setting Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Washington time as the cutoff.

«Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance!»

The president presented the proposed peace deal backed by the U.S. and Israel as a sweeping diplomatic effort, highlighting that «Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East.»

Finally, Trump issued an ultimatum: «Fortunately for Hamas, however, they will be given one last chance!» and warned of dire consequences if they refuse: «If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.»

Trump concludes by calling on civilians to move to safer areas: «I am asking that all innocent Palestinians immediately leave this area of potentially great future death for safer parts of Gaza. Everyone will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help.»

Meta announced that, before 2026, the company will begin reading and exploiting the AI conversations of its platform users to serve them more targeted advertising.

Starting next December, according to CNN, Meta plans to use its users’ private AI conversations to better target them with advertising.

This marks a major shift in Meta’s monetization model: private conversations with AI will become a direct source of advertising insights, expanding the depth and precision of its ad-targeting strategy.

Instant targeting: Meta’s new ad strategy

The company will begin rolling out the system in December, but Meta says users will already start noticing unspecified changes right away. Until now, Meta has targeted ads based on what users post, click, and who they connect with, but its new AI chatbot ad strategy introduces a new layer: instant targeting.

Through conversations with its chatbot, users may directly reveal what they plan to buy, the trip they are preparing for, or the problems they face that a product could solve, information that Meta can automatically capture and use in its instant targeting strategy through direct access to private chatbox conversations.

Meta announced that beginning on December 16, 2025, users’ interactions with its AI tools, both via text and voice, will be added to its advertising data to personalize content and ads across Facebook, Instagram, and other apps.

«People’s interactions simply are going to be another piece of the input that will inform the personalization of feeds and ads.»

No option to opt out

Users will start receiving notifications about the change in October, and Meta has confirmed there will be no option to opt out. The data from these AI conversations, what people say or ask, will be combined with existing signals such as posts, likes, and connections to power instant recommendations (including Reels) and more precisely targeted ads.

Meta also stated that it will not use sensitive data, such as political beliefs, health information, or religion, for ad targeting.

«People’s interactions simply are going to be another piece of the input that will inform the personalization of feeds and ads.» explained Christy Harris, Meta’s privacy policy manager.

«When people have conversations with Meta AI about more sensitive topics such as their religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, Meta will not use those topics to show them ads.»

For now, the policy will apply only to Meta AI users, and regions such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, and South Korea are excluded due to local regulatory restrictions.

A bizarre post from U.S. president, lending credibility to a QAnon conspiracy theory, raised eyebrows before being deleted 12 hours later.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper has expressed his bewilderment after Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video promoting a conspiracy theory about the existence of futuristic all-healing technology.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-09-29T11:56:21.351631Z

A strange conspiracy theory

Over the weekend, Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social in which an AI version of himself appears to announce that every American would receive a “MedBed card” and that “MedBed hospitals” would be created, echoing a strange conspiracy theory tied to QAnon.

The video is staged as a phony Fox News-style segment, featuring the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, herself AI-generated, appearing as a fake news anchor to announce the supposed launch of the “MedBed” program.

It then shifts to an AI-generated version of Donald Trump, delivering a fabricated address in which he declares that every American will receive a “MedBed card” and that “MedBed hospitals” will be created.

In the video, the fake Trump declares that: “These facilities are safe, modern, and designed to restore every citizen to full health and strength.”

Hidden from the public

The “MedBed” conspiracy theory, widely circulated in QAnon circles, claims that hidden futuristic machines exist with the power to cure all illnesses, regenerate organs, and even reverse aging.

Believers insist that these miraculous beds have been kept secret by shadowy elites and will be unveiled during a so-called “Great Awakening,” often tied to Donald Trump.

Supporters of the theory see MedBeds as evidence of advanced technology deliberately hidden from the public, with the potential to transform humanity.

After roughly twelve hours online, the video was taken down from Trump’s Truth Social account. No explanation was provided for its removal, but the brief window was long enough for the clip to circulate widely, drawing media scrutiny and fueling debate. The deletion has only added to the controversy, with some observers interpreting it as a tacit acknowledgment of the video’s inaccuracy, while others see it as part of a broader pattern in which Trump shares inflammatory or misleading content, lets it dominate the conversation, and then quietly erases it once the damage is done.

Experts, however, emphasize that no such “MedBed” devices exist. Critics warn that Trump’s promotion of the narrative is especially dangerous, as some believers postpone or even reject real medical care while waiting for this fictional technology.

Restrict healthcare access for millions

The bizarre MedBed video surfaced at a politically fraught moment. While Trump briefly amplified a QAnon-linked fantasy of miracle hospitals, his administration is simultaneously moving to slash funding for Medicaid and roll back key provisions of the Affordable Care Act in its latest budget plan, measures that could curtail real access to healthcare for millions.

The odd MedBed video arrives against a backdrop of escalating health controversies around Trump’s administration. In a recent White House briefing, Trump asserted that acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy could be linked to autism, claims widely rebuked by medical professionals who say no causal connection has been demonstrated.

Between pushing a fabricated AI vision of universal healing and advancing scientifically dubious health claims, the contrast between fantasy and the real stakes of public medical policy couldn’t be sharper.

Trump has scored another legal victory, this time against YouTube, which agreed to pay $24.5 million.

The lawsuit was filed by President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, insurrection, after YouTube, along with several other social media platforms, suspended his account.

«Trump fought for free speech and WON!»

According to CNN, YouTube, the latest media company to settle one of the many lawsuits Trump has brought against such platforms, declined to comment on the agreement, while Trump celebrated his victory on Truth Social.

«YouTube SURRENDERS!» Trump wrote on his social platform, adding: «President Trump $24.5 MILLION for illegal ban!»

A «Victory» for Free Speech

Trump celebrated the settlement as a triumph for free speech, declaring «This MASSIVE victory proves Big Tech censorship has consequences» and «Trump fought for free speech and WON!», even as he faces accusations of having tried to silence late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, highlighting the contradictions at the center of his free speech crusade.

Court documents reveal the details of the settlement between the two parties: YouTube will pay $22 million to the nonprofit «Trust for the National Mall», an organization «dedicated to restoring, preserving, and elevating the National Mall, to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom,» according to the filing.

According to CNN, The platform will also pay $2.5 million to settle with other plaintiffs, including the «American Conservative Union.»

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has scored a series of legal settlements against major media and tech companies, turning courtroom battles into political victories.

More than $90 million

Trump has pursued an aggressive legal strategy against media and tech companies in recent years, securing a series of high-profile settlements between 2024 and 2025.

In March 2024, Meta agreed to pay $25 million to resolve Trump’s claims stemming from his suspension on Facebook and Instagram after January 6. Two months later, in May 2024, X (formerly Twitter) reached a $10 million settlement over his removal from the platform.

By August 2024, ABC / Disney agreed to pay $15 million and issue a clarification after anchor George Stephanopoulos incorrectly said Trump was found liable for rape. In January 2025, Paramount / CBS settled a lawsuit concerning a 60 Minutes interview edit for $16 million.

Most recently, in September 2025, YouTube settled for $24.5 million, directing the bulk of the payment to nonprofits tied to Trump’s political projects.

Together, these deals totaling more than $90 million, have fueled Trump’s narrative of victory over what he calls Big Tech and mainstream media censorship, even as critics highlight the political and ethical implications of such settlements.

In an address before all of America’s senior military officials, at an emergency meeting convened by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump declared that the United States faces «a war from within.»

The U.S. president stated that generals and admirals should be prepared to address domestic threats with the same urgency and discipline usually applied to foreign adversaries.

«This is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room.»

They don’t wear uniforms

At a rare military gathering in Quantico, Trump urged his top commanders to shift their focus away from foreign adversaries and toward domestic security.

The president argued it would be «no different than a foreign enemy,» but emphasized the challenge, noting that the targets «don’t wear uniforms,» which makes the task «more difficult in many ways.»

«We are under invasion from within … no different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms,» Trump declared in his speech before the nation’s generals, who sat in unusual silence.

Upon taking the stage, Trump even remarked on the atmosphere, saying: «I never walked into a room so silent before», a striking contrast for a president more accustomed to being greeted with chants and cheers from his fervent MAGA supporters.

«We should use some of the dangerous cities as training grounds.»

Very unsafe places

Trump went on to single out major U.S. cities, blaming Democratic leadership for turning them into what he described as dangerous places:

«The ones that are run by the radical left Democrats … what they’ve done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they’re very unsafe places.»

The president then warned his audience that restoring order in these cities would fall to the military, declaring: «And we’re going to straighten them out one by one. And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room.»

Trump added that the armed forces should be directly involved in tackling unrest at home, saying: «We should use some of the dangerous cities as training grounds» for the military.

«If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. But, there goes your rank and there goes your future.»

The president then revealed that he had issued orders to create quick-reaction forces tasked with helping to quell civil disturbances, directing the National Guard to form standing units capable of rapid deployment across the country.

A Stern Warning on Dissent

During his address to America’s top military leaders, President Trump struck a combative tone while outlining his vision of the armed forces playing a greater role in domestic security. After declaring that the country faced «a war from within» and urging generals and admirals to treat internal threats like foreign enemies, Trump warned the assembled officers about dissent.

«If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. But, there goes your rank and there goes your future,» he said, according to People