Author: Stephanie Gauthier

The Chinese government returned Trump’s favorite phrase by labeling him “fake news”, after the latter suggested that talks were underway between the two countries to end the tariff war he himself started.

Chinese officials have insisted that no tariff negotiations are occurring, even as President Trump — whose trade war has rattled financial markets and threatened to disrupt huge swaths of trade — suggested on Friday that he has been in touch with Xi Jinping.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-04-25T15:46:13.269Z

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jaikun called Trump’s repeated statements this week that China and the US would be “actively” discussing trade issues “fake news”.

Trump even said, in response to questions from reporters, that two representatives had met to begin discussions.

However, according to ABC News, he refused to reveal the identity of the participants in these alleged negotiations, while China continues to claim that Trump is telling lies.

Later, in an interview with The Times, Donald Trump maintained that discussions were underway between China and the US, going so far as to claim that President Xi had personally called him on several occasions to raise the issue.

On the Chinese side, the authorities deny that they are “actively negotiating” with the United States, claiming that no consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue are underway.

This statement strongly calls into question the progress in negotiations that Trump claims to have made.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denounces Trump administration ad campaign as “discriminatory propaganda”.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government plans to ban advertisements from the Department of Homeland Security, which show Secretary Kristi Noem warning migrants not to enter the United States illegally.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-04-24T01:13:18.310Z

Sheinbaum announces her intention to ban an ad featuring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Kristi Noem, who crossed the border into Mexico to send migrants a threatening message: “We will hunt you down.”

The ad prompted Sheinbaum to announce reform proposals to prohibit foreign governments from disseminating what they consider political or ideological propaganda in Mexico.

The ad featuring Kristi Noem, broadcast notably during a prime-time soccer match, was described by Sheinbaum as “discriminatory propaganda”.

Claudia Sheinbaum claims that the same American propaganda ad was also broadcasted on radio and relayed on social networks.

She insists that Mexico “does not agree” with this propaganda targeting the migrant population.

According to CNN, the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security are reportedly rejoicing in the supposed effectiveness of the ad, claiming that there would be a general drop in border crossings, without specifically targeting Mexico.

No hard evidence has been presented, however, to directly link the drop in crossings to the ad campaign, rather than economic tensions, including tariff wars.

These tensions coincide with a clear drop in interest in staying in the United States, seen worldwide, including at the Canadian border. This trend was accentuated after several of Trump’s offensive statements about Canada, which led many Canadians to boycott the United States.

While Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day as president, weeks have passed with no clear outcome in sight.

Five days before his 100th day in office, President Trump is frustrated his efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine have so far fallen short, and has privately told advisers that mediating a deal has been more difficult than he anticipated, sources told CNN.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-04-24T23:54:21.589Z

According to a CNN source, frustration is starting to set in for the president, who now privately admits that a peace deal in Ukraine has been more difficult than he anticipated.

In private discussions, Trump would express his frustration and acknowledge that he had underestimated the depth of animosity between Putin and Zelensky, which he believed would explain the slow pace of negotiations.

Trump would express surprise at Ukraine’s refusal to accept the peace plan proposed by his administration, a plan that includes no concessions from Russia, while demanding that Kyiv renounce the occupied territories and its plans to join NATO.

Meanwhile, Russian bombing continues, including a recent strike on Kyiv that prompted Trump to post on TruthSocial: “Very bad timing”, before adding: “Vladimir, Stop!”.

Recently asked by a reporter about Putin’s concessions, suggesting that Trump’s plan favored Russia, Trump replied that Putin’s real concession was gonna be “stopping the war” and not to seize Ukraine in its entirety.

Let’s recall that since President Trump launched mediation efforts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been willing to consider a peace agreement, provided Ukraine’s sovereignty is respected.

However, Russia has responded evasively, rejecting several American proposals and continuing its attacks, notably on Kyiv, which is complicating negotiations.

Despite a rise of over 7% in worldwide sales of electric vehicles, Tesla recorded a 13% drop in its own sales compared with the same period last year, leading to a collapse in profits, down 71% in the first quarter of 2025.

Billionaire Elon Musk said he will step back from the U.S. DOGE Service next month and focus on Tesla, his reeling electric vehicle company, which on Tuesday reported a stunning 71 percent plunge in profits compared with the first quarter of 2024.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-04-23T12:02:46.607Z

Most of the decline is attributed to the heated controversies surrounding Elon Musk, including his US political involvement alongside Trump with DOGE, his controversial comments and gestures, and his closeness to the far right.

This major setback prompted the CEO to announce to Tesla investors that he would be taking a step back from DOGE as early as next month, in order to refocus some of his attention on the electric vehicle company.

However, Elon Musk has said he has no intention of withdrawing from DOGE altogether, stating that he will remain heavily involved with the department under the Trump administration until the end of Donald Trump’s term.

Elon Musk’s erratic statements and behavior have clearly turned off some of Tesla’s customers, who were already weakened by the rise of competitors in the electric vehicle sector.

The company now has to contend with tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, further complicating its situation.

As well as trying to reassure investors of his renewed involvement in the company, Elon Musk also sought to appease them about his position on tariffs, saying he was in favor of a reduction.

However, he made it clear that, ultimately, decisions rest with the President.

The peace plan proposed by the Trump administration quickly collapsed, with Ukraine firmly rejecting it for its openly pro-Russian orientation, including endorsing Russian control over territories occupied for the past three years, recognizing the annexation of Crimea and banning any future Ukrainian membership of NATO.

LATEST: President Trump slams Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, claiming a peace deal was “very close” but placed blame on the Ukrainian president for potentially derailing negotiations.

— NBC News (@nbcnews.com) 2025-04-23T18:01:54Z

This initiative, presented by the United States, illustrates once again the problematic alignment of Trump’s foreign policy with the interests of the Kremlin, to the detriment of Ukraine.

Zelensky was also very clear about Ukraine’s position on its territorial integrity:

“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea”.

Zelensky then added: “There’s nothing to talk about here”.

This statement visibly irritated Donald Trump, who quoted Zelensky in a post on Truth Social, accusing him of having “no cards to play” and claiming that Crimea “was lost years ago”.

The Trump administration, through Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has also threatened to withdraw from peace negotiations if Ukraine persists in rejecting his proposal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed that Ukraine would only enter into peace negotiations with Russia once a complete ceasefire had been established.

U.S. Health Secretary RFK Jr. has come under heavy criticism from people on the autism spectrum and many families, various advocates and specialized organizations after his recent statements on autism.

The National Institutes of Health is amassing private medical records from a number of federal and commercial databases to give to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new effort to study autism, the NIH's top official said Monday.

— CBS News (@cbsnews.com) 2025-04-23T01:00:01.059Z

Having recently promised to discover the cause of autism through extensive research by the fall, RFK Jr. plans to roll out a series of measures, including a very contested autism registry.

According to RFK Jr., this national autism registry would aim to collect private medical data from multiple sources, such as insurance records, pharmaceutical information, data from connected watches and genetic analyses of people with autism spectrum disorder.

RFK Jr. has entrusted oversight of the National Autism Registry to NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, known for his controversial positions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bhattacharya is currently in discussions with several agencies, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to collect sensitive personal data.

RFK Jr.’s registry has been widely criticized as intrusive and stigmatizing. Advocates and experts denounce the massive collection of private data without sufficient safeguards, fearing targeted surveillance of autistic people and political or ideological instrumentalization of this sensitive information.

At a recent press conference as U.S. Secretary of Health, RFK Jr. stirred up controversy by declaring that autism “destroys families” and calling it a “preventable disease”.

His comments were roundly criticized by advocacy groups and experts as stigmatizing and scientifically unfounded.

RFK Jr. went on to claim that autistic children, in his words: “will never pay taxes, will never write a poem, will never play baseball” and that “many of them will never go on a date”.

Comments that shocked many.

As Trump prepares to sign a series of executive orders to promote marriage and the birth rate, he’s drawing on proposals from Project 2025, a plan he publicly distanced himself from on the campaign trail, but which now guides all his policies.

The Trump administration is assessing ways to persuade women in the U.S. to have more children, as a movement grows on the right to reverse declining birthrates and push conservative family values. Some pitched ideas include cash baby bonuses and menstrual cycle classes. nyti.ms/4jh3UAR

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-04-21T17:05:24.739Z

Trump, following Project 2025, intends to make the fight against demographic decline a priority, valuing conservative family principles and asserting his desire to “restore the family as the heart of American life”.

But among the measures Trump plans to implement soon, one in particular stands out: it appears to be inspired by a program instituted by Hitler in the 1930s to stimulate the birth rate.

With the aim of provoking a “baby boom”, Donald Trump is reportedly considering a series of measures described as pro-natalist.

Among them: a $5,000 bonus for each married mother after giving birth, as a way of promoting both births and marriage, as well as scholarships and educational programs on the menstrual cycle.

Trump has also reportedly received a draft presidential decree submitted by pro-natalist activist Simone Collins, proposing the creation of a National Medal of Motherhood for women who have given birth to six or more children…

Several observers point out that this type of award is strongly reminiscent of a program set up by Hitler in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

It’s also quite The Handmaid’s Tale territory…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, already at the center of controversy for leaking sensitive, classified information about an imminent military strike in Yemen to a Signal group featuring several members of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, as well as a journalist from The Atlantic added by mistake, is once again causing scandal.

At the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at reporters over coverage of him sharing war plans in a second Signal chat that included members of his family and his personal lawyer. Read more: nyti.ms/3GiswuB

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-04-22T10:49:03.116Z

New revelations from the New York Times indicate that he would have shared the same information in a second Signal group, this time made up of his wife, family members, lawyer and personal assistants.

These messages, which Pete Hegseth allegedly first received from General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, via a secure U.S. government system, contained specific information about the March strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

According to NBC News, the Secretary of Defense ultimately transmitted this information from his personal phone to two newsgroups on Signal, not just one as initially reported, despite a clear warning from one of his aides against sharing classified data via an unsecured communications system.

The former Fox & Friends Weekend host denied sharing classified information in these newsgroups, while acknowledging the existence of a second Signal group.

He dismissed the accusations at the outset, claiming that the media were relaying old information provided, he said, by disgruntled former employees.

Hegseth, with Donald Trump’s support, continues to weather the controversy for the time being, despite calls for his resignation.

Among them, Republican Representative Don Bacon, who called the existence of this second Signal group “totally unacceptable”.

Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, days after the federal government announced the freezing of $2.2 billion in grants intended for it.

NEW: Harvard University has sued the Trump administration, claiming its freezing of $2.2 billion in grants and demands for greater control over the university violated the First Amendment and other federal laws and regulations. nbcnews.to/3S42NbK

— NBC News (@nbcnews.com) 2025-04-21T23:21:48.782Z

The legal action comes after the Trump administration decided to freeze federal funding, in response to the university’s refusal to submit to a series of requirements. According to Harvard, these measures, presented as reforms against anti-Semitism on campus, would in reality constitute a disguised abuse of power.

In its complaint, Harvard accuses the Trump administration of masking, under the guise of concerns about anti-Semitism, a desire to increase its grip on the university, thus going beyond the limits of its governmental authority over a private institution.

It further asserts that the government fails to make a logical connection between these concerns and the freeze on research projects.

It accuses the government of seriously undermining research in crucial fields such as medicine, science and technology, areas the university considers essential to saving lives, ensuring national security and preserving U.S. global leadership.

As a reminder, the Trump administration’s demands on the university included the elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, the introduction of merit-based selection only, restrictions on international students, the banning of pro-Palestinian groups, increased collaboration with immigration authorities, as well as a ban on the wearing of masks during campus protests.

Harvard then announced its refusal to comply with this series of demands formulated by the Trump administration. In response, Donald Trump immediately retaliated by freezing over $2 billion in federal funding and contracts earmarked for the university, also threatening to strip it of its tax-exempt status.

According to a complaint filed by the organization Whistleblower Aid, Daniel Berulis, a former computer specialist at the US government agency National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), recently raised the alarm about a potential serious security breach involving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and his team.

EXCLUSIVE: A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that … information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.

— NPR (@npr.org) 2025-04-15T10:10:22.927Z

Berulis claims that he observed disturbing things in March 2025, when members of the DOGE team obtained extended access to the NLRB’s internal systems, allowing them to view, copy, and modify sensitive data.

According to the whistleblower, the data in question included files related to ongoing union cases, confidential testimonies, personal information about employees, and sensitive information about business owners.

According to the computer specialist, he immediately observed unusual activity on the NLRB’s computer network, including a significant increase in outgoing data volume, estimated by him to be around 10 gigabytes.

At the same time, Berulis also noticed that the logging protocols, essential for monitoring user activity, had been modified. According to him, these alterations significantly complicated the traceability of operations performed on the system.

The computer specialist reports that shortly after the DOGE team accessed the systems, suspicious login attempts from a Russian IP address were observed.

One of them used a recently created account by the DOGE, with a correct username and password, which suggests potential compromise. Although these connections were blocked thanks to the geographical restrictions in place, they greatly concerned the whistleblower.

The whistleblower stated in an interview with CNN that he had received a threatening note accompanied by drone photos showing him at home, shortly after trying to alert the authorities.

He adds that his superiors ordered him to abandon his investigation and not transmit his concerns to national security agencies, while the NLRB rejects all of his accusations.