donald trump
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Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty / Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos continues to find ways to capitulate to Donald Trump, out of fear Orange Mussolini won’t bully him.
Freedom of the press was under attack during the first Trump presidency. Now, for the unfortunate second term, Jeff Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, is helping silence voices that may offer dissenting views against Felon 47.
Spotted on Variety, Bezos announced he is making more changes to the Washington Post, revamping the opinion section. He claims it will now focus on “support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”
Whatever that means.
According to a ridiculously long post the billionaire shared on his personal X account, he offered David Shipley, the now former Washington Post editorial opinion page editor, “the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t ‘hell yes,’ then it had to be ‘no.”
Bezos continued, “After careful consideration, David decided to step away.” As such, “We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction.”
The Blue Origin founder who purchased the Washington Post in 2013 added that the opinion section will still “cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”
Shipley acknowledged his time with the Washington Post had ended in an email sent to his now former colleagues obtained by the New York Times.
“It is with both sadness and gratitude that I write to let you know that I have decided to leave The Post. This is a conclusion I reached after reflection on how I can best move forward in the profession I love,” Shipley said.
Social Media Is Not Feeling The Decision
As expected, Bezos’ decision is not sitting well with folks. Jeff Stein, the Post’s chief economics reporter, slammed Bezos’ move in a post on X: “Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today — makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there. I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know.”
Another post on X read, “Who do you think you are, Jeff? The American people–workers, consumers, and everyday citizens–are the reason you became a billionaire. And now, instead of using your platform to support a fair and balanced discourse, you’re turning The Washington Post into a mouthpiece for policies that make the rich even richer while undermining workers’ rights, economic fairness, and government protections that keep corporate greed in check.”
Welp.
Jeff Bezos deserves all the smoke since he wants to kiss Trump’s ring.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: picture alliance / Getty / Apple
This iPhone issue doesn’t sound like a bug to us, but Apple is treating it as such. A viral TikTok video shows the iPhone’s dictation tool displaying Trump when someone says “racist.”
Spotted on The Verge, Apple is aware of the so-called bug after the viral TikTok caught fire on social media on Tuesday. In a statement to both the New York Times and Fox News, the company confirmed the bug: “We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers dictation, and we are rolling out a fix as soon as possible.”
The Verge has tried to reproduce the bug, but it did not happen during their attempts.
According to Apple, the issue involves what the company describes as a “phonetic overlap” between “Trump” and “Racist.” However, according to someone who was part of the Siri team, this smells like a well-orchestrated prank from someone who worked at Apple.
Per The Verge:
The company told Fox News that other words with an “r” consonant are also occasionally affected. But John Burkey, who formerly worked on the Siri team at Apple, told the Times that Trump’s name appearing “smells like a serious prank” that could have been purposefully carried out by someone internally.
Apple is seemingly scrambling to fix the issue because it happened after Apple announced it would be investing $500 billion in the United States to help alleviate the pain Orange Mussolini’s stupid tariffs will inflict on the company.
There is already a 10% tariff on imported goods from China and a 25% tariff on chips coming into the United States.
Also, Tim Cook already kissed Donald Trump’s ring, personally donated to Trump’s inauguration fund and attended the sh*t show.
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Source: Andrew Harnik / Getty
Donald Trump recently dropped a wild AI-generated video that’s got everyone scratching their heads. The clip supposedly shows the “future of Gaza,” but it’s packed with bizarre scenes that seem totally out of touch with reality.
Trump has posted a sinister AI video of his future for ‘Riviera’ Gaza.
It needs to be seen to be believed:
Trump statues; Musk dancing; Trump & Netanyahu sun bathing & drinking cocktails.
Monsters rejoicing in their genocide & ethnic cleansing.
It is truly racist fascism. pic.twitter.com/OJhRyqz8Ob
— Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) February 26, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
In it, you’ve got a sunbathing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chilling poolside with Trump, sipping cocktails like they’re on vacation. Meanwhile, Hamas militants are dancing in bikinis, Teslas are cruising the streets, and even Elon Musk is tossing cash at people. To top it off, the soundtrack features the odd lyrics, “Donald Trump will set you free, bringing the life for all to see, no more tunnels, no more fear, Trump Gaza is finally here.”
The video is full of over-the-top, almost surreal imagery – think skyscrapers, beach scenes, and clubbing with Trump hitting the dance floor. It all seems too weird and out of place, especially given the real-life issues going on in Gaza. Many people online are calling out the video for making light of a serious, ongoing situation, with some claiming it’s an insensitive way to portray the region’s future.
It’s unclear what Trump was really trying to say with this strange post, but it’s certainly raised some eyebrows. The use of AI to show a “post-conflict” world in Gaza, with political figures looking carefree, doesn’t sit well with many who feel the video oversimplifies or even mocks the real struggles in the area.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Elon Musk / Donald Trump
This hilarious stunt will definitely make Donald Trump feel some type of way, and in *Trump’s voice* it definitely won’t be good.
Hackers finally put their talents to good use, hacking a television at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Monday morning and playing an AI-manipulated video of puppet Donald Trump kissing and carressing the real president, Elon Musk’s feet.
The stunt was first reported by Vox journalist Rachel Cohen, who said the video with the message “LONG LIVE THE REAL KING” was being played on TV at the agency that Trump considers to be a “Black job” because any Black person who is linked to Trump lands that position.
If you guessed it, the current HUD Secretary, Scott Turner, is a Black man; Trump’s last pick for that position was Ben Carson.
The video plays on the current sentiment amongst people who can’t stand both Musk and Trump. They have taken to calling the Tesla Chief the real president while calling Trump a puppet because Musk seems to have so much influence over the president.
It also comes after Trump shared an AI-generated TIME magazine cover with himself on it with the caption “Long Live The King” after he claimed to have killed New York’s congestion pricing.
The Hackers Are Getting Love On X
Reactions to the stunt from those on the left are what you should expect; they loved it.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” a post on X from the Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee account read.
Another post added, “He must have found out Musk’s net worth.”
HUD spokeswoman Kasey Lovett commented on the incident, saying it was “another waste of taxpayer dollars and resources” and that “Appropriate action will be taken for all involved.”
This video clearly indicates how much of a joke this administration is.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
Billboard Canada Power Players is returning in 2025, and it’s moving to Toronto’s NXNE.
The authoritative ranking of the music business’s most powerful executives — an official extension of Billboard’s Power 100 list — expanded to Canada in 2024. The event brought a who’s-who of industry leaders to a packed celebration at Toronto’s tallest building, the CN Tower. This year, the event will grow even bigger at its new home at NXNE, the beloved music festival celebrating its 30th anniversary amidst a new strategic partnership with Billboard Canada.
Nominations officially opened this week and will close on March 7, 2025.
“We’re thrilled to bring Power Players to the country’s most vibrant music conference and festival,” says Mo Ghoneim, president of Billboard Canada. “Power Players is a crucial spotlight of the executives leading the charge in Canada on a global scale, and we can’t wait to bring it to new heights in 2025.”
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Canada is home to some of the most impactful people in music, both at home and internationally. In 2024, Billboard Canada celebrated Arthur Fogel, Live Nation’s CEO of global touring, at No. 1. The Canadian industry icon who shaped the modern global touring market attended the event and spoke about the impact Canada’s live music scene had on his career.
As Canada’s market for stadium concerts and festivals continues to expand and Canadian Content regulations continue to be debated, there are many factors and stories that could play a role in this year’s Power Players list.
Billboard Canada Power Players celebrates people across the industry, including record labels, publishing, legal, streaming and radio, creative media, and more. The extremely competitive honour reflects market share, industry impact, achievements and other metrics.
The Power Players list is peer-nominated and selected by the Billboard Canada team.
Find the submissions form here. It’s also available in French here. – Richard Trapunski
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Canadian Independent Music Association Pulls Out of SXSW Amidst ‘Instability’ In the United States
One of the top showcase opportunities for Canadian musicians at SXSW will not take place this year.
The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has canceled its Canada House event at the upcoming Austin music festival amidst rising political and economic tensions between Canada and the United States.
Andrew Cash, CIMA’s president and CEO, describes the decision as a confluence of various factors, mostly related to the relationship between the two countries since Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. President.
That includes the 25% tariffs placed on goods from Canada set to kick in on March 12, which falls during the dates of this year’s SXSW (which runs from March 7-15), as well as Trump’s repeated threats to annex the country.
“The growing instability of everything in the United States right now, plus the high cost [of putting on events in the United States] and the low [Canadian] dollar — all of these things combined made it so we couldn’t feel confident or good about what we were getting ourselves into at this particular moment,” Cash tells Billboard Canada.
“The timing is not great,” he continues. “We would be going down there just after the 30-day tariff pause has expired. We’re going to have a new Prime Minister [in Canada, following the resignation of Justin Trudeau]. I just didn’t feel comfortable putting CIMA out there in that context of instability.”
For more than a decade, Canada House has been a pivotal exporting opportunity for Canadian bands and artists at the influential American music festival. Taking over the Swan Dive music venue, it offers opportunities for Canadian musicians and entrepreneurs to network and showcase at an event well-attended by members of the local and international music industry. CIMA had planned to host a one-day daytime music showcase on March 12.
CIMA made the decision to pull out of SXSW on Feb. 13, sending emails to partners and invited artists informing them that they would not be producing the event this year.
Applications opened last fall, and four Canadian and Indigenous acts had been sent offers to play CIMA’s Canada House showcase. They learned of the cancellation last week.
“We don’t know what the climate is going to be,” Cash says. “It felt potentially dissonant to be going down to Texas and hosting an event called Canada House while the President of that country is essentially stating his intent to annex our country…We made the decision based on what we could control, because there’s so much about this situation that we can’t.”
CIMA is still offering Canadian bands spots at networking events with other international music offices and export partners from Australia, England, New Zealand and other markets. And though the Canada House showcase is on pause for 2025, they could still bring it back in future years depending on the geopolitical situation.
In the meantime, Cash says CIMA will focus its resources and investments on other international markets and opportunities within Canada. This will not affect the organization’s other Canada House activations at the German festival Reeperbahn, British festival The Great Escape or SXSW Australia.
Cash says he hopes the situation in the U.S. is resolved soon, as the country is Canada’s biggest export market — not just for music but many sectors of the economy.
“I think everyone understands that we’re in unprecedented times,” says Cash. “And I think everyone is unsure exactly how to react.”
For more on the cancellation, and how it affected artists who were invited to play, head here. – Richard Trapunski
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Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Hits No. 1 In Canada for The First Time After Super Bowl Performance
Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” is the No. 1 song in Canada this week — for the first time.
The diss track never managed to claim the top spot on the charts in Drake‘s home country like it did in the U.S. last year during the height of the stars’ heated rap beef. But after a Super Bowl halftime performance that saw record viewership, Canadians have pushed the controversial single to a new peak on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for the chart dated Feb. 22, 2025.
Going into the Super Bowl, it wasn’t clear if Lamar was even legally allowed to perform the track, as Drake is suing Universal Music Group, the label that released it. But after teasing it throughout the night, Lamar not only played the song, he included the lines that name-drop Drake and accuse him of predatory behaviour. Serena Williams, Drake’s ex, danced alongside Lamar on the field.
Following the success of “Not Like Us” last year, Lamar dropped a surprise album, GNX, which is at No. 2 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart this week. Lamar is also all over the Canadian Hot 100, with 11 of his tracks charting there.
He performed his SZA collab from that album, “Luther,” at the halftime show as well, with the R&B star joining for the duet. That track also got a post-show boost, rising 18-2 on the Canadian Hot 100, as did SZA’s 2017 album Ctrl, which re-enters the Canadian Albums chart at No. 91. SZA’s SOS, meanwhile, drops from 2-3 behind GNX.
The two will perform together on the Grand National tour this summer, which stops in Toronto on June 12 and 13. – Rosie Long Decter
Madonna has shared her latest thoughts on the current activities of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Queen of Pop’s latest comments on Trump came following a controversial post from the official White House X account on Wednesday (Feb. 19). Sharing a fake Time magazine cover, the title was altered to feature Trump’s name, while a caption reading “long live the king” appeared above a smiling of the President, adorned with a crown.
The post, which was shared after his administration ordered New York to end congestion pricing, was also accompanied by a quote attributed to Trump, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING.”
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Understandably, the post drew swift criticism from those who recognized the irony of the White House’s reference to Trump as a monarch, given the very circumstances upon which America was first founded. Madonna was one of those very people, who took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday (Feb. 20) to criticize the post.
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“I thought this country was built by Europeans, escaping living under the rule of a King, to establish a New World governed by the people,” she wrote. “Currently, we have a president who calls himself our King. If this is a joke, I’m not laughing.”
This is far from the first time that Madonna has responded negatively to actions from the Trump administration. Following Trump’s first inauguration in Jan. 2017, the musician addressed a crowd of over 500,000 women and men at the Women’s March on Washington, with her expletive-laden speech airing uncensored on C-Span, CNN and MSNBC.
“Welcome to the revolution of love, to the rebellion, to our refusal as women to accept this new age of tyranny, where not just women are in danger but all marginalized people, where being uniquely different right now might truly be considered a crime,” she told the gathered masses. “It took this horrific moment of darkness to wake us the f— up.”
More recently, Madonna responded to Trump’s myriad executive orders eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion positions within government branches and agencies, and numerous orders repealing protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals and members of other marginalized communities.
“It’s so sad to watch our new Government slowly dismantling all the Freedoms we have been fighting for and WON over the years,” she wrote, accompanying her post with a pride flag and a broken heart emoji. “Don’t give up the Fight!”
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Source: JIM WATSON / Getty / White House
Donald Trump and his lame administration are working hard to set the advancement of Black culture back years with the removal of DEI programs, but that’s not stopping these Black celebrities from joining him at the White House to celebrate Black History Month.
The Associated Press reports that Donald Trump’s White House will host a Black History Month event on Thursday, and the who’s who of sellouts will be in attendance to celebrate the jig.
According to the website, Trump’s heada** pick to be ambassador to t Herschel Walker, Trump’s favorite African American, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Republican Rep. John James of Michigan, prison reform advocate and recipient of a Trump pardon in 2020 thanks to Kim Kardashian Alice Johnson, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, Alveda King will join Felon 47 in the East Room for the event.
Other notable sellouts in attendance will be former ESPN host Sage Steele, Kodak Black, Lil Boosie, who recently begged Trump for a pardon on X, formerly Twitter, and Rod Wave, fresh off from performing at the Crypto Ball alongside Snoop Dogg.
The event was scheduled for last week but was postponed due to inclement weather.
Social media has been responding accordingly to the list of names who will be at the event.
“Sorry but ever single attendee (including that fuck ass president) is a cte having criminal degenerate,” one person on X wrote, adding a long rap sheet of problematic behavior from Rod Wave.
Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker added, “Glad to hear our best and brightest will represent us….and if you don’t hear the sarcasm in my voice, you clearly don’t follow me on here.
The list of Black Trumpers continues to grow. Never forget these people were on the wrong side of history.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
4. Exactly
7. “Jigaboo Jubilee” HOWLING
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Source: TheStewartofNY / Getty / Tom Hanks
Hit dogs are hollering on social media after Tom Hanks put on a MAGA hat to portray a racist Donald Trump supporter during a skit on SNL 50.
Tom Hanks is feeling the wrath of MAGA Republicans for what they are saying is a “racist and disgusting” portrayal of Trump supporters on Saturday Night Live’s (SNL) 50th-anniversary special.
For the special, NBC spun the block on some of the more popular sketches, including “Black Jeopardy,” featuring Kenan Thompson, Leslie Jones, Eddie Murphy, and Tom Hanks.
For the hilarious skit, Hanks brought back his character Doug, an accurate depiction of Donald Trump’s core base of supporters who have no clue about what is going on in America outside of the right-wing echo chamber.
The Forrest Gump star first portrayed Doug in 2016 during Felon 47’s first failed presidency. In that original skit, he pointed out the differences and similarities between those who proudly support Orange Mussolini and those who give him the middle finger every chance they get.
In this new skit, Doug is the only white contestant on Black Jeopardy and refuses to shake hands with Kenan Thompson’s character, Darnell Hayes, before reluctantly agreeing to complete the gesture.
MAGA world took it as an insult, basically crying that it’s wrong to label the group of people who are proudly rallying behind immigrants being rounded up and deported and an administration on a mission to remove all DEI policies geared towards evening the playing field for Black and Brown people to “make America great again.”
Social media has been sipping on MAGA rage tears over the skit because Tom Hanks nailed the performance.
Welp.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
3. Nailed it.
5. We’ll wait
6. Never forget
7. So delicious
10. He sure does
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / TikTok
TikTok is back in the Apple Store and Google Play stores for US users.
The popular social media platform officially returned to Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store for US users on Thursday after the companies removed it on Jan.19.
A federal law banning TikTok as of Jan.19 because TikTok’s Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, failed to divest its ownership of the app forced both companies to pull it from their US stores. Failure to adhere to the law by still hosting or distributing TikTok in the US would result in penalties, $5,000 per user or $850 billion in fines because the platform boasts it has 170 million US users. Hence, it’s not surprising both companies yanked the app from their stores.
TikTok gained an ally in Donald Trump, who initially spearheaded the app’s banning before he lost his reelection bid to Joe Biden. Unfortunately, after returning to the White House, Felon 47 signed an executive order on Jan.20 instructing his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, not to enforce the ban for 75 days.
The executive order also instructed Bondi “to issue a letter to each [TikTok] provider stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct’ as of Jan.19 throughout the 75-day extension.
According to Bloomberg’s report, Bondi sent Apple and Google letters on Thursday.
In a blog post, TikTok celebrated its return to both stores: “The TikTok app is now available for download from the App Store and Google Play. Our U.S. users can download the latest version of our app and continue to create, discover, and share what they love on TikTok.”
How The TikTok Ban Jig Played Out
What a turn of events following TikTok’s loss in its appeal to the Supreme Court, claiming the ban was in direct violation of the First Amendment.
Following the court’s decision, TikTok shut down on Jan.18, a day before the ban was supposed to start, before restoring service after Donald Trump vowing not to enforce the ban. When US users opened the app, they were greeted by a message telling them the app was back thanks to Orange Mussolini.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, have been reacting to the app’s return to the Apple Store and Google Play store; you can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Serious question
5. Accurate
Jimmy Kimmel is calling out Kanye West after the rappers string of hate speech over the past week. During the monologue kicking off his late night talk show on Wednesday night (Feb. 12), Kimmel called Ye a “Nazi.” He added, “In the wake of his antisemitic spinout this weekend, Adolf Twitler was cut by his […]