Trump Launches US Space Academy
It will join other military academies in the United States that train students for the forces, like the Military Academy, West Point, and the United States Naval Academy.
Trump established the U.S. Space Force in 2019, during his first term, as the newest and sixth branch of the U.S. military to compete in an ever-changing world.
During the event, Trump also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four crew members of Artemis II, who navigated the first manned mission to space in 50 years, traveling the farthest distance from Earth in history.
“We have the American dream, and the American dream is back,” Trump said at the signing.
Meta to Pay $18 Billion in Settlement
The social media giant that owns Facebook and Instagram has been accused of designing its platforms to be addictive to children and not doing enough to warn consumers about the potential harmful effects of its platforms.
The case was brought about by 47 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories.
The settlement also requires Meta to implement safety measures on its platforms, including mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and nighttime blocks for youths between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., as well as other security measures that enhance parental control.
Attorney for Meta Paul W. Schmidt walks out of court after tech giant Meta reached a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2026. Noah Berger/AP Photo
Trump Renames Lake Ontario to Lake America
Trump signed the executive order on Aug. 27 amid heightened tensions between the United States and Canada due to an ongoing trade spat.
“Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly,” Trump said after signing the order.
The United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, which came into effect on Aug. 22, after days of failed negotiations.
Canada announced on Aug. 25 that it would be matching U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar on more than 700 items.
“We lose on average over the last 15 years $60 billion a year carrying Canada, so we just can’t do it anymore,” Trump said at the signing.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum published the order on X.
“Make the Great Lakes Great Again!” he wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Aug. 27, 2026. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
China-Made Voting Machine Parts Highlight Security Threat
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin highlighted the issue in an Aug. 24 letter to the White House Transparency Task Force, a committee set up to address foreign or domestic threats to national security.
A recently declassified document states that three voting machine companies that make up 80 percent of machines used in the country acknowledge that they contain parts made in China.
China is a known national security threat, and those parts could potentially be vulnerable to hacking.
“Voting machines with components manufactured by foreign adversaries introduce significant security risks,” Mullin said in the letter.
A woman casts her vote at an early voting polling site at East Carolina University as North Carolina begins its midterm primary election, in Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 12, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
Federal Judge Rules Against Pentagon’s Anthropic Blacklisting
U.S. District Judge Rita Lin ruled in a California court on Aug. 27 that the Pentagon’s actions were “illegal and baseless,” and violated the company’s free speech rights.
The company says it had refused to change the policy of its AI tool Claude, which prohibited users from using the software for “mass surveillance” and “fully autonomous weapons,” and was consequently barred from working with the military.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth accused the company of being arrogant.
“Their true objective is unmistakable: to seize veto power over the operational decisions of the United States military. That is unacceptable,” Hegseth wrote in a Feb. 27 post.
President Donald Trump also responded to Anthropic’s response in a Feb. 27 Truth social post: “WE will decide the fate of our Country — NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company run by people who have no idea what the real World is all about.”
The Pentagon is expected to appeal the decision.
Stacy Robinson contributed to this report.
An illustration of the AI company Anthropic on Aug. 1, 2025. Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
DOJ Says University Factored Race Into Medical School Admissions
The school has been found to have favored black and Hispanic students with lower scores over white and Asian students.
George Washington University denies the allegations.
The Department of Justice seal is seen during a news conference at the DOJ office in Washington on May 16, 2023. Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo
Dolly Parton Dies at 80
She was born in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in 1946 and began performing at 10 years old. She wrote hundreds of songs, with such hits as “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” and “I Will Always Love You,” which later went on to become a hit at the hands of Whitney Houston and one of the best-selling singles of all time.
She got her break in 1967 alongside country music star Porter Wagoner, until she went solo in 1974.
Bryan Seaver, her nephew, released the news in a video statement on Aug. 25 as a representative of the Parton family.
“Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” he said.
Country music queen Dolly Parton is pictured in London on May 20, 1977, following her performance at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow. Keystone/Getty Images
