38 h. ago Do you know about shitposting? It’s cheap humour, rage bait – and now, it seems, US government policy | Robert Topinka

Donald Trump’s White House reveals a new ‘portrait’ of Joe Biden – and in his world, if you don’t laugh, the joke’s on youOn 24 September, a White House communications adviser posted a video on X of a new presidential Walk of Fame, captioned: “Wait for it”, with a pen and eyes emoji. The video pans over a succession of presidential portraits to reveal – in place of Joe Biden’s portrait – a framed photograph of an autopen signing his name. The sight-gag references the Maga conspiracy theory that, unbeknownst to “Sleepy Joe”, unscrupulous aides used the autopen to sign pardons in his name. The post delighted supporters and outraged critics, which only further delighted supporters.And that was precisely the point. This combination of cheap humour and rage bait is the province of the shitpost, a genre of low-effort social media content designed to amuse insiders and annoy outsiders. Like so much of internet culture, shitposting was pioneered on the message board 4chan – but Donald Trump...

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51 h. ago Fired Surface Transportation Board member sues Trump over his dismissal ahead of rail merger review

A former Democratic member of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board has filed a lawsuit challenging his dismissal by President Donald Trump

Politics

57 h. ago Supreme Court declines Trump’s request to immediately remove Lisa Cook from Federal Reserve board

Justices will revisit Trump’s request to remove Lisa Cook as a Federal Reserve governor in January

Politics

3 d. ago Who is set to be on Trump’s Board of Peace? Tony Blair named as part of Israel

Tony Blair would have a central role in any post-war plans for the beleaguered Palestinian enclave laid out by Washington

Politics

3 d. ago Left's fury as Starmer backs Tony Blair to help run Gaza in extraordinary Trump 'peace plan'

Donald Trump named Tony Blair as a member of a new board that would run the territory if a ceasefire can be achieved between Israel and Hamas.

Politics

3 d. ago Netanyahu warns Hamas to accept Trump’s Gaza peace plan including role for Tony Blair: Live updates

Former British PM Tony Blair would join Gaza’s governing board — run by Trump — under a sweeping White House plan

Events

3 d. ago Netanyahu warns Hamas to accept Trump’s Gaza peace plan that includes role for Tony Blair: Live updates

Former British PM Tony Blair would join Gaza’s governing board — run by Trump — under a sweeping White House plan

Events

4 d. ago Trump and Netanyahu demand Hamas accept Gaza peace plan: Live updates

Former British PM Tony Blair would join Gaza’s governing board — run by Trump — under a sweeping White House plan

Politics

4 d. ago Tony Blair set to serve on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza

Some in former UK prime minister’s Labour party react with incredulity at his proposed role in Palestinian territory

Politics

4 d. ago Trump and Tony Blair set to run Gaza if Hamas accepts ‘peace plan’ but Netanyahu vows to ‘finish the job’ if not: Live updates

Former British PM would join Gaza’s governing board — run by Trump — under a sweeping White House plan

Society

4 d. ago Florida man killed, cooked and ate two of his pet peacocks, say authorities

Craig Vogt arrested after allegedly saying he killed the animals out of spite because neighbor kept feeding themA man on Florida’s Gulf coast has been charged with animal cruelty after authorities said he killed, cooked and ate two of his pet peacocks to spite a neighbor.Craig Vogt, 61, was arrested on 23 September on a third-degree felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty, according to an affidavit from the Pasco county sheriff’s office, as the Miami Herald reported. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Trump and Netanyahu detail ceasefire plan with US chairing ‘board of peace’ to govern Gaza with Tony Blair: Live updates

Trump’s crucial meeting with Israeli leader follows growing calls for Palestinian statehood

Politics

7 d. ago Melania Trump issues stern order to Donald during tense exchange

Donald and Melania Trump were caught in a heated exchange on board Marine One on Wednesday night following the president's appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York

Politics

7 d. ago Trump wags his finger at Melania during private conversation on board Marine One

Donald and Melania Trump were caught having a frank discussion on board Marine One, the president’s helicop

Politics

8 d. ago Lisa Cook urges supreme court to reject Trump’s bid to fire her from Fed board

Cook’s lawyers say president’s unprecedented move would destroy Fed’s independence and disrupt financial marketsFederal Reserve governor Lisa Cook urged the US supreme court on Thursday to reject Donald Trump’s attempt to fire her, telling the justices the Republican president’s unprecedented move would destroy the central bank’s independence and disrupt financial markets.Lawyers for Cook filed a written response opposing the justice department’s 18 September emergency request to lift a federal judge’s order that blocked Trump from immediately removing Cook, an appointee of Democratic former president Joe Biden, while her legal challenge continues. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Murdoch’s TikTok? Trump offers allies another lever of media control

Under the known terms of the deal with China, TikTok would get a new board, including Murdochs and EllisonsDonald Trump revealed last week the US and China are close to inking a deal to let TikTok continue operating in the US. Details are not final, but should the agreement go through as has been reported, the owners of the US’s most powerful cable TV channels may soon also steer the nation’s most influential social network. The arrangement would gift Trump’s billionaire allies a degree of control over US media that would be vast and unprecedented.Here’s what we know. Under the known terms of the deal, which Trump declared has the tentative buy-in of Chinese president Xi Jinping, TikTok in the US would get a new group of US investors, led by the US software giant Oracle, which would license TikTok’s vaunted recommendation algorithm and take over its security. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Man who pointed laser at Marine One with Trump on board is charged with felony

Jacob Winkler repeatedly apologized to President Trump as he was being handcuffed

Politics

1 week ago Man charged with shining laser pointer at Marine One with Trump aboard

The Secret Service has arrested a man on a charge that he shined a laser pointer at Marine One while President Donald Trump was aboard the helicopter

Politics

1 week ago Charlie Kirk's memorial service: Security upped after 'armed man impersonating cop' arrested

Joshua Runkles, 42, was arrested on a felony charge of impersonating a law enforcement official and a misdemeanor for carrying a weapon into a restricted area, according to court documents

Events

2 w. ago Trump announces new deadly strike on suspected drug boat in Caribbean

President says US military carried out strike ‘on my orders’, killing three men he said were carrying illegal narcoticsDonald Trump announced on Friday that the US military has carried out another deadly strike on a vessel in the the Caribbean, killing three males on board the vessel whom Trump alleged were trafficking illicit narcotics.“On my orders”, Trump wrote in a social media post shared by the White House and defense secretary, “the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.” Continue reading...

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