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Trump jokes he would make TikTok algorithm '100% MAGA'

admin - Latest News - September 25, 2025
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After signing an executive order to preserve TikTok in the U.S, President Trump jokes he would make the algorithm “100% MAGA” if he could, and then continues on, saying, “Everyone is going to be treated fairly.”



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September 25, 2025
Sept. 25, 2025, 8:50 AM EDT / Updated Sept. 25, 2025, 9:04 AM EDTBy Andrea Mitchell, Abigail Williams and Chantal Da SilvaPresident Donald Trump has assured Arab leaders that he will not allow Israel to annex the already occupied West Bank, sources told NBC News, amid fears of retaliation from the U.S. ally after a host of countries moved to recognize Palestinian statehood.Trump made the comments Tuesday, according to two sources who were in the room, as he presented his 21-point plan for peace in the Middle East to Arab leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. The comments were first reported by Politico.Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the meeting with leaders from countries including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey was “productive.” He said a breakthrough could be imminent in efforts to bring an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has continued a deadly military campaign to take over Gaza City.Trump calls the recognition of a Palestinian state ‘a reward’ for Hamas02:23“We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast, in Gaza,” Witkoff said at the Concordia Annual Summit, a conference on the sidelines of the General Assembly. “I think it addresses Israeli concerns, as well as the concerns of all the neighbors in the region. And we’re hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days, we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough,” he added.Israel has intensified its attacks as troops pushed deeper into Gaza City in recent days.Moiz Salhi / Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt was not immediately clear what advances might have been made, with past promises of progress in talks failing to yield a deal to end Israel’s assault on Gaza and see hostages still held in the enclave released. The spiraling conflict in the Middle East has been a focal point of the General Assembly this week, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expected to address the gathering Thursday, albeit by video after the U.S. last month revoked his visa, along with those of other Palestinian Authority officials. Speaking with Gulf foreign ministers Wednesday during the assembly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We understand very clearly that the situation in Gaza, the situation with Israel and Gaza, is a key concern for everyone in this room here today.”“We want this conflict to end,” he said. “We want it to end immediately.”Rubio added that “some very important work is ongoing, even as we speak, and hoping to achieve this as soon as possible.”Funeral services for people killed in an Israeli military strike, outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday.Abdel Kareem Hana / APTrump’s assurances to Arab leaders that he would not let Israel annex the West Bank came after right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile government coalition called for the move as a string of countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized Palestine as a state. Palestinians envision the West Bank as a core territory for an internationally recognized Palestinian state, alongside Gaza and east Jerusalem. Annexation of the territory, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, would further imperil that cause. The bodies of people killed by an Israeli army attack on the Firas Market in Gaza City, on Wednesday.Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea / Anadolu via Getty ImagesNetanyahu, who was traveling to New York on Thursday before addressing the General Assembly on Friday and meeting Trump next week, has declared that there will never be a Palestinian state under his watch.Trump told the U.N. this week that the recognition moves risked rewarding Hamas.Israel has already pushed ahead with a widely condemned settlement plan that would effectively split the West Bank in two, further fracturing what Palestinians envision as their future state.Deadly settler violence and Israeli military operations have also increased in the Palestinian territory.UAE leaders have said annexation of the West Bank would be a red line for the influential Gulf state, blocking any future recognition of Israel and preventing the completion of Trump’s landmark Abraham Accords that sought to establish diplomatic normalization between Israel and several Arab states.Andrea MitchellAndrea Mitchell is chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News.Abigail WilliamsAbigail Williams is a producer and reporter for NBC News covering the State Department.Chantal Da SilvaChantal Da Silva reports on world news for NBC News Digital and is based in London.
October 5, 2025
Oct. 5, 2025, 7:00 AM EDTBy Brooke SopelsaThe most commonly banned books in U.S. schools include LGBTQ titles, international bestsellers, teen romantasy novels and a 1962 classic, according to a new report that compares modern-day censorship to Cold War-era McCarthyism.More than 6,800 book bans were enacted during the 2024-25 school year in 87 public school districts across 23 states, according to a report released Wednesday by PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for free expression. The report was released ahead of Banned Books Week, which starts Sunday.“Censorship pressures have expanded and escalated,” Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, said in a news release. “A disturbing ‘everyday banning’ and normalization of censorship has worsened and spread over the last four years.”The organization’s annual “Banned in the USA” report says the current environment of “unfettered book banning is reminiscent of the Red Scare of the 1950s.” It defines a school book ban as “any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by governmental officials” that leads to the book being removed or restricted.The latest report found that 3,752 unique titles were affected by bans in the school year that ended in June. The most banned titles included “A Clockwork Orange” and “Wicked,” while the most banned authors included Stephen King, Sarah J. Maas and Jodi Picoult. More than 80% of all bans originated in just three states: Florida, Texas and Tennessee.This past school year saw fewer total bans than in 2023-24, at more than 10,000, though the number is far above where it was in 2021-22 (more than 2,500 bans), when PEN America first started to compile an annual report. Since July 2021, PEN America has tracked 22,810 book bans across 45 states.One reason the total number of book bans may have dipped this year is that some titles are being pre-emptively taken off the shelves.“This functions as a form of ‘obeying in advance’ to anticipated restrictions from the state or administrative authorities, rooted in fear or simply a desire to avoid topics that might be deemed controversial,” the report states. Another potential reason, as author Malinda Lo pointed out, is that previously banned titles have not returned to shelves. Lo, whose book “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” was No. 4 on PEN America’s new list, said on Instagram that her 2021 novel made the cut “partly because all of the usual titles like ‘Gender Queer’ have already been banned and removed.”“Once a book is banned, it’s gone,” she wrote on Wednesday. “This is why we have to keep fighting these attacks on our first amendment rights.”“Gender Queer,” a graphic memoir that debuted in 2019, was No. 1 on PEN America’s Most Banned Books List in 2022, though it didn’t even make the top 15 on this year’s list.Books with LGBTQ themes and characters — like “Gender Queer” and “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” — are consistently among the most banned books highlighted in the annual reports of PEN America and the American Library Association, and this year is no different.Here are the 15 most banned books this past school year as tracked by PEN America, ranked in order of those banned by the most public school districts across the country:“A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess.W. W. Norton & Company‘A Clockwork Orange’ by Anthony BurgessBurgess’ dystopian satire about a sociopathic, Beethoven-obsessed teen gang leader was banned in 23 districts in the 2024-25 school year. The 1962 novel was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film by Stanley Kubrick in 1971 and was named one of Time’s 100 best English-language novels and one of Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels.“Breathless” by Jennifer Niven.Knopf Books for Young Readers‘Breathless’ by Jennifer NivenNiven’s 2020 novel is a coming-of-age love story that was banned in 20 school districts. On her website, the bestselling author describes “Breathless” as “the book I needed when I was sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. A frank take on sex and love, parental divorce, finding yourself, and the importance of writing your story. Of writing your life.”“Sold” by Patricia McCormick.Little, Brown Books for Young Readers‘Sold’ by Patricia McCormickMcCormick’s young-adult novel, about a girl from Nepal who is sold into sexual slavery in India, was banned in 20 school districts in the last school year. This 2006 title was a National Book Award finalist and was on the Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of the Year list and the ALA’s Top Ten Books for Young Adults list.“Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo.Dutton Books for Young Readers‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’ by Malinda LoLo’s young-adult historical novel about love and duty in 1950s San Francisco was banned in 19 school districts in the 2024-25 school year. The critically acclaimed 2021 novel won a long list of awards, including a National Book Award, Stonewall Book Award and Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.“A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas.Bloomsbury Publishing‘A Court of Mist and Fury’ by Sarah J. MaasThis bestselling adult romantasy novel, which was banned in 18 districts in the 2024-25 school year, is the second book in Maas’ wildly popular “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series. Maas, the only author with more than one title on this top 15 list, also has the distinction of being one of the most banned authors this year, with 162 total bans, behind only Stephen King and “Crank” author Ellen Hopkins.“Crank” by Ellen Hopkins.Margaret K. McElderry Books‘Crank’ by Ellen Hopkins Hopkins’ 2004 young-adult novel was banned in 17 school districts. On her website, the author revealed this bestseller is loosely based on her “older daughter’s story of addiction to crystal meth.” She said “Crank” began as “a personal exploration of the ‘why’s’ behind my daughter’s decisions, and what part I might have played in them.”“Forever…” by Judy Blume.Atheneum Books for Young Readers‘Forever…’ by Judy BlumeBlume’s award-winning 1975 young-adult novel, which was banned in 17 districts in the last school year, has been a target of censorship for 50 years, according to PEN America. Blume said she wrote the book — which was named one of NPR’s 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels and Time’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time — because her daughter “asked for a story about two nice kids who have sex without either of them having to die.”“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.MTV Books‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ by Stephen ChboskyChbosky’s 2009 coming-of-age novel about an observant “wallflower” navigating the “strange world between adolescence and adulthood” was banned in 17 school districts in the 2024-25 school year. The No. 1 New York Times bestseller — which deals with topics including first dates, family drama, sex, drugs and suicide — was adapted into a 2012 film starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.“Wicked” by Gregory Maguire.William Morrow Paperbacks‘Wicked’ by Gregory MaguireThis No. 1 New York Times bestseller, which debuted in 1995 and is a reimagined prequel to “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” was banned in 17 school districts. The story of “Wicked,” however, is perhaps best known due to its adaptation into a Tony-winning Broadway musical and an Oscar-winning musical film starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson.Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ by George M. JohnsonJohnson’s 2020 memoir-manifesto about coming of age as a queer Black man was banned in 16 districts in the last school year, and it also topped the ALA’s list of 10 most challenged library books of 2024. In an interview with NBC News last year, Johnson said the real book censorship danger lies in the “soft-banning”: “We can track the books that are being banned, but we can’t track books that are not being ordered.”“A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas.Bloomsbury Publishing‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ by Sarah J. MaasThe first book in Maas’ internationally bestselling five-book romantasy series was, like the remaining books on this list, banned in 16 school districts. The central character in 2015’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses” is 19-year-old Feyre, a moral huntress who is dragged to a magical land and falls for her immortal captor.“Damsel” by Elana K. Arnold.Clarion Books‘Damsel’ by Elana K. ArnoldThis dark and twisted fairy tale, a 2019 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, is, on the surface, about a damsel who is rescued from a dragon by a handsome prince. Prior to “Damsel,” Arnold’s book “What Girls Are Made Of” was a finalist for the 2017 National Book Award in Young People’s Literature.“The DUFF” by Kody Keplinger.Poppy‘The DUFF’ by Kody KeplingerIn Keplinger’s 2010 young-adult novel, 17-year-old Bianca discovers her high school’s “slimy school hottie” has given her an offensive nickname — DUFF, or Designated Ugly Fat Friend — but she still ends up in a “closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship” with him. Keplinger was only 17 herself when she wrote this bestselling book, which was adapted into a 2015 film.“Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult.Atria Books‘Nineteen Minutes’ by Jodi PicoultThis No. 1 New York Times bestseller is about the aftermath of a school shooting in a small New Hampshire town. Published in 2007, this is one of 29 novels written by Picoult, whose other works include “My Sister’s Keeper,” “Small Great Things” and “The Pact.”“Storm and Fury” by Jennifer L. Armentrout.Canary Street Press‘Storm and Fury’ by Jennifer L. ArmentroutArmentrout’s 2019 romantasy novel is the first book in her three-book “Harbinger” series. “Storm and Fury” is centered on 18-year-old Trinity Marrow, who “may be going blind” but “can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits,” according to Armentrout’s website.Brooke SopelsaBrooke Sopelsa is the editorial director of NBC Out, NBC News’ LGBTQ digital destination. 
September 22, 2025
Sept. 22, 2025, 8:04 AM EDT / Updated Sept. 22, 2025, 11:58 AM EDTBy Freddie ClaytonDrones over Poland. Fighter jets above Estonia. Surveillance planes over the Baltic Sea.To U.S. allies in Europe, the pattern is unmistakable: A deliberate campaign of escalation from the Kremlin, designed to probe NATO’s defenses and political resolve. The question hanging over an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday is how exactly the alliance will respond.As NATO struggles to turn alarm into action, officials and analysts urged a more forceful response and warned that hesitation risks emboldening Russian President Vladimir Putin. But questions about U.S. support, escalation risks and what this growing threat means for Ukraine remain unresolved. Estonia, which called for the Security Council meeting after three Russian MiG-31 fighter aircraft entered its airspace for 12 minutes without permission last week, pressed members to address what it described as a “blatant, reckless, and flagrant violation of NATO airspace” and Russia’s “repeated violations of international law.”Russia’s actions “undermine principles vital to the security of all U.N. member states,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Sunday in a post on X. Claims that Russia violated Estonian airspace were “baseless” and “aimed at escalating tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, adding that Russia operated within international regulations. So far, NATO’s response has largely been limited to meeting rooms as Moscow’s probing exposes a contrast between European leaders’ urgent calls for action and President Donald Trump’s more muted response.A Russian MiG-31 fighter jet that took part in the violation of Estonian airspace, in a photo released by the Swedish armed forces.Swedish Armed Forces / via ReutersAsked by reporters Sunday whether Washington would come to the defense of Poland and the Baltic states if Russia attacks, Trump said: “Yeah I would.”And on Monday Mike Walz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations told the Security Council meeting that the events left “the impression either Russia wants to escalate or doesn’t have full control of its fighter planes and drones.” Either scenario, he said, was “very disconcerting.” The U.S. “will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he said, adding that he expected “Russia to seek ways to de escalate, not risk expansion.” At the same meeting, Britain’s Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper also warned that Russia’s incursions into NATO territory risked triggering an armed conflict. “Your reckless actions risk direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia. Our alliance is defensive but be under no illusion we stand ready to defend NATO’s skies and NATO’s territory,” she said. “If we need to confront planes operating in NATO space without permission then we will do so,” she added. This drew an immediate rebuke from Moscow, which dismissed Europe’s concerns as groundless and hysterical.NATO’s response to this ratcheting Russian activity amounts to the launch of operation “Eastern Sentry” earlier this month to bolster the defense of Europe’s eastern flank in response to a series of Russian drone incursions over Poland. After Germany and Sweden scrambled fighter jets Sunday to intercept and track a Russian surveillance plane flying unidentified over the Baltic Sea, one regional leader said Russia was not just testing NATO’s response, but was also aiming to reduce support for Ukraine by compelling countries to redirect resources.Calibrating how to respond to Russia was not easy, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said on social media, adding that Russia was doing just enough not to cross a red line.European confidence about backing from Washington has been shaken by Ukraine, where Trump has so far stopped short of imposing his promised punishment of further sanctions on the Kremlin for refusing peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he was preparing for an “intense week” at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he hopes to build support for efforts to stop Russia’s invasion.Ukraine has also submitted a request to attend the Security Council meeting and present its position.The aftermath of a Russian missile attack Saturday, in Dnipro, Ukraine. Denys Poliakov / Global Images Ukraine via Getty ImagesBut Europe’s security will require decisive action, and that will not happen at a Security Council meeting, “for the very simple reason that Russia has a veto on the council,” said Keir Giles, a senior fellow at Chatham House, a London-based think tankUnable to rely on Trump’s “shifting position” on Russia, Giles told NBC News, the “coalition of the willing” — European nations that say they are prepared to underwrite security guarantees for Ukraine — must become the “coalition of the able and actually doing something.”Poland will not hesitate to shoot down objects that violate its airspace and pose a threat, its prime minister said Monday. But, he said, his country would take a more cautious approach when dealing with situations that are less clear-cut, and would need to know it had its allies’ support.”You really need to think twice before deciding on actions that could trigger a very acute phase of conflict,” Donald Tusk told a news conference.Trump met with Putin in Alaska but his peace push in Ukraine has stalled.Kevin Lamarque / ReutersHesitation, analysts said, risks sending a dangerous signal.“Europe and NATO have to show the will to respond forcefully to Russia,” said Moritz Brake, a senior fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies.“Russia is trying to gauge whether it’s possible to single out individual elements of the alliance,” he said in a phone interview. A forceful approach, Brake argued, would involve not just intercepting Russian aircraft, but also sending “manned fighter jets” that could shoot Russian jets down “at any minute.” As an example, he pointed to 2015, when NATO member Turkey shot down a Russian warplane seconds after it violated the country’s airspace near the Syrian border. Moscow did not retaliate militarily. “Russia didn’t declare war on Turkey,” Brake said. “Wavering is much more dangerous than a forceful approach.”Freddie ClaytonFreddie Clayton is a freelance journalist based in London. Abigail Williams contributed.
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