Not the Onion

memo via https://xcancel.com/kenklippenstein/status/1998829304856068344

Fifa had pledged an apolitical event, but this was anything but.

On a snowy Friday at the prestigious John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the football federation, in conjunction with the Trump administration, brought together celebrities, delegates from around the world, and almost the entirety of the president's cabinet and family to watch the draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup Finals.

The event was custom-made for US President Donald Trump.

"Mr. President... you definitely deserve the first Fifa Peace Prize for your action, for what you have obtained in your way, but you obtain it in an incredible way, and you can always count, Mr President, [on] my support and the support of the entire football community or soccer community to help you make peace and make the world prosper," Fifa boss Gianni Infantino said, as he awarded Trump a gold medal, a certificate, and a gold trophy far bigger than the World Cup itself.

His remarks followed a video montage of Trump's meeting with world leaders, praising him for - as he always puts it - "ending eight wars".

Crossposted from https://slrpnk.net/post/29666121

Slightly modified the title to clarify that they banned the naming not the actual product itself, but they did serve it under the banned term naming

With hours to go until the announcement of this year’s Nobel peace prize, Norwegian politicians were steeling themselves for potential repercussions to US-Norway relations if it is not awarded to Donald Trump.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee pointedly said on Thursday that it had reached a decision about who will be named 2025 peace prize laureate on Monday, several days before Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire under the US president’s Gaza plan.

Taking into account the timeframe and the composition of the independent five-person committee, most Nobel experts and Norwegian observers believe it is highly unlikely that Trump will be awarded the prize, leading to fears in the country over how he will react to being overlooked so publicly.

None of the 40 vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel intercepted on Yom Kippur, was carrying humanitarian aid, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

WASHINGTON—The White House is planning to unveil a direct-to-consumer website for Americans to buy drugs, dubbed TrumpRx, while also announcing that Pfizer plans to lower prices on several of its medications in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.

TrumpRx would allow people to pay cash for certain drugs directly from a government website, at a discounted price negotiated by the government. It’s unclear how many drugs would be offered, or whether the website would be useful for the majority of Americans who are already covered by private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

The Department of Homeland Security has sparked a Pokémon backlash after using the kids’ game to promote ICE deportation raids.

The DHS social media team posted a video to X on Monday of dramatic immigration raids—including one that was bungled yet still posted online by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—spliced with animé imagery from the popular Japanese cartoon and collectibles game, which is part owned by Nintendo.

Video link

ICE tweet link

Discord, the platform long associated with gaming communities and crypto traders, has now become the unlikely stage for a political revolution in Nepal.

After widespread protests and the banning of major social media platforms, young protestors flocked to Discord to coordinate, deliberate, and even vote on who should lead the country next.

The “Youth Against Corruption” server, which quickly ballooned to more than 130,000 members, hosted multiple polls over the past week.

On Sep. 10, the group reached consensus. Sushila Karki, Nepal’s former chief justice, was chosen as interim leader. More than 7,700 votes were cast before Karki crossed the 50% threshold, reported South China Morning Post.

The Taliban is reportedly "ready and willing" to work with Nigel Farage and accept Afghans deported from Britain under Reform UK's unprecedented new mass deportation plan.

Reform leader Farage announced on Tuesday new plans to deport a staggering 600,000 illegal migrants within five years of a Reform government, which would mean deporting 300 people a day.

Farage said his government would negotiate returns agreements with countries including Iran, Eritrea and Afghanistan, which is governed by the Taliban.

JD Vance was booed and heckled with chants of “Free DC!” during a photo op with national guard troops at Union Station in Washington on Wednesday afternoon.

Handing out burgers to troops deployed last week by Donald Trump, at the station’s Shake Shack alongside the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, Vance told soldiers “we appreciate everything you’re doing” and asserted: “We brought some law and order back.” Meanwhile, a crowd of demonstrators protested outside.

The crowd shouted slogans such as “Free DC!” and “From DC to Palestine, occupation is a crime.” Some also shouted expletives as the three men walked into Union Station and gathered at the restaurant, and continued as they tried to speak to reporters and eventually left.