In Case You Missed It … This Week in News

A lot happened in the world this week – Make sure you didn’t miss it with Liberty Nation GenZ’s weekly news roundup!

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Zelensky Plans to Meet With Trump After Putin Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to meet with President Donald Trump. According to a post on Telegram, Zelensky confirmed that he spoke with Trump for more than an hour and that he will meet with him in Washington on Monday. “We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine and the United States and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes: key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and the trilateral format is suitable for this,” Zelensky said. “I am going to discuss all the details at the end of the killings, at the end of the war, with President Trump.”

Melania Trump Writes Letter to Vladimir Putin Regarding Children

First lady Melania Trump penned a letter to Russian President Putin, expressing concerns regarding children caught in the middle of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reports say that President Trump delivered the Aug. 15 letter to Putin ahead of their summit in Alaska, as she was not present for the meeting. To date, thousands of Ukrainian children have been reportedly abducted, receiving widespread condemnation.

Hurricane Erin Strengthens to Category 5 Storm in Caribbean

From tropical storm to massive hurricane in 24 hours? Hurricane Erin strengthened to a “very powerful” Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on August 16, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The first Atlantic hurricane of the year has been found to sustain winds exceeding 158 miles per hour, and the NHC says “we expect to see Erin peak here in intensity relatively soon.”

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Trump Offers Zelensky Security Guarantees in Cordial White House Meeting

President Donald Trump continued to push for a trilateral meeting between himself, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky, appearing with Trump in front of reporters in the Oval Office, said Kiev is “ready for a trilateral discussion.” Trump interjected and said, “I think it’s going to be when, not if.” He also told a delegation of European leaders that he would contact Putin by phone.

Germany’s Merz Wants Ceasefire Before Trilateral Meeting

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed support for a ceasefire agreement ahead of a meeting among Trump, Zelensky, and Putin. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire,” Merz said in a meeting with Trump and other leaders. “So let’s work on that, and let’s try to put pressure on Russia because the credibility of these efforts, these efforts we are undertaking today are depending on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations from next step on.”

Texas Confirms More Than 700 Confirmed Measles Cases

The measles outbreak has exceeded 700 cases in the state of Texas. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported that the state has 762 confirmed cases of the measles, as of August 18, since January. A majority of the cases have occurred in children and involve unvaccinated individuals or those whose vaccination status is unknown. To date, there have been two deaths.

MSNBC Changes Name to MS NOW

Goodbye, MSNBC. Hello, MS NOW. The cable news channel MSNBC has split from NBC News and is dropping NBC from its name. The network announced that the channel will transition to MS NOW, meaning My Source for News, Opinion and the World, later this year. This is part of Comcast’s efforts to disentangle the progressive cable news channel from NBC News and its broader portfolio, as part of a wider strategy to divest its traditional linear cable assets by the year’s end. Versant is the new company set up by Comcast.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Trump Vows No US Troops Ever in Ukraine

President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged that US troops will never be deployed to defend Ukraine’s border, even after he leaves the White House.

“You have my assurance,” Trump told Fox News in an interview. “I’m just trying to stop people from being killed,” he said, discussing his efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. “When it comes to [Ukraine’s] security, [Europeans] are willing to put people on the ground,” he added. “We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably … by air.”

Mexico Denies Cross-Border Agreement With DEA

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday denied there is a framework in place to allow Mexican law enforcement personnel to work with US Drug Enforcement Administration agents on an operation targeting narcotics smugglers.

White House Yanks Security Clearances of Current, Ex-Officials

The Trump administration on Tuesday revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials as its effort to root out anti-Trump activists from the US government continues.

“Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote in an X post. “Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold. In doing so, they undermine our national security, the safety and security of the American people and the foundational principles of our democratic republic.”

Trump Says Smithsonian Museums Are ‘Last Segment of Woke’

President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the federally funded Smithsonian museum system as the final bastion of the rapidly fading woke cultural phenomenon.

“The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘woke,’” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. “The Smithsonian is out of control, where everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been – nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future. We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with colleges and universities where tremendous progress has been made.”

Thursday, August 21, 2025

Texas House Passes New GOP-Friendly Redistricting Maps

The Texas House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday to redraw the state’s congressional maps. The move could flip five US House seats to the GOP in 2026. The bill now moves to the Republican-dominated state Senate, where it is expected to pass easily.

Democrats Losing Voter Registration Race Across US

The big picture is getting even bleaker for Democrats. “Of the 30 states that track voter registration by political party, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in every single one between the 2020 and 2024 elections – and often by a lot,” The New York Times reports, using a new analysis it conducted from information “compiled by L2, a nonpartisan data firm.”

Federal Judge Blocks DOJ’s Request to Release Epstein Docs

A federal judge in New York on Wednesday denied the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury material related to pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Israel Kicks Off First Stage of Assault on Gaza City

Israel on Wednesday rolled out the opening stage of a planned military assault on Gaza City. Some 60,000 reservists have been called up for the operation.