A White House spokesperson told The New York Times that Truth Social is the 'most powerful and popular' social media platform in the world, even though data shows it trails far behind giants like YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram in monthly users. Similarweb data cited by the NYT shows Truth Social's monthly visitors fell 36 percent in July compared to a year earlier, averaging around 25 million visits this year versus 28 million last year.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-11
The National Science Foundation announced plans to restructure its funding model, moving away from its traditional practice of soliciting proposals shaped by the scientific community toward a 'portfolio-based' system blending investigator-driven research with agency-directed initiatives tied to White House priorities. The change was outlined in a September 10 letter from acting director Brian Stone, though specifics on the new directed programs were not disclosed. NSF staff, speaking anonymously, worry the shift will further erode funding for curiosity-driven basic research that has defined the agency since 1950.
nature.com
· 2026-09-11
Over Labor Day weekend, President Trump and the White House posted a wave of AI-style memes depicting him as an all-powerful superhero, including building walls and factories with a Green Lantern ring, towering over Canada's prime minister on a hockey rink, and commanding a warship in battle. The imagery arrives as Trump's approval ratings decline amid struggles with inflation, the Iran conflict, and manufacturing promises.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-09
The White House deleted a Tetris-style browser game called 'Build The Wall' from its website days after The Tetris Company publicly objected to the unauthorized use of its game mechanics and look. The company said on X it had no involvement in creating the game and takes copyright infringement seriously. The White House has not explained the removal or responded to media inquiries.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-09
The White House removed a browser game called 'Build the Wall' from its website after the Tetris Company said it had no involvement in the title and takes copyright infringement seriously. The game, which used block-stacking mechanics resembling Tetris, tasked players with building a wall to stop a 'zombie border siege' and drew criticism for its racist framing. The page now returns a 404 error, though another game on the site, Rio Run, which involves deporting immigrant characters, remains live.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-08
The White House has taken down Build the Wall, a browser game styled after Tetris that had players stack bricks to construct a border wall, from its online arcade. The removal followed public criticism from The Tetris Company, which said it had no involvement in the game and cited copyright concerns over its close resemblance to Tetris.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-08
The White House quietly removed 'Build the Wall,' a Tetris-inspired browser game from its new WhiteHouse.gov 'Arcade' section, after The Tetris Company publicly disavowed the game and warned it takes copyright infringement seriously. The game had players stack border-wall bricks to block pixelated 'zombies' representing migrants, but unlike real Tetris, completed lines never cleared, making every round end in a 'Border Breached' message. Other games in the same arcade, modeled on Flappy Bird and Snake, remain live.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-08
The White House quietly took down 'Build the Wall,' a Tetris-style browser game framed as stopping a 'zombie border siege,' just days after launching an arcade-themed section of its website. The removal follows criticism of the game's content and comes after Tetris Company said it was reviewing the situation. Other Trump-agenda-themed games, including a Flappy Bird clone and a Tapper-style title, remain live on the site.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-08
The Tetris Company publicly denied any involvement in Build the Wall, an immigration-themed browser game released by the White House that closely mimics Tetris's falling-block mechanics. Instead of clearing lines, players stack bricks to grow a wall meant to block a 'zombie horde' near the Southern Border, evoking Trump's long-standing border wall policy. The company said it never licensed its brand for the game and is reviewing possible copyright infringement.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-04
The White House released a set of browser-based arcade games with names like 'Build the Wall' and 'Rio Run' that closely mimic well-known titles such as Tetris, Snake and Flappy Bird, using immigration-themed imagery including depictions of migrants as 'aliens' fleeing toward the U.S. border. Tetris Company confirmed it had no role in creating the game modeled on its puzzle mechanics and said it is reviewing the situation, while other referenced companies including Sega, Nintendo, Xbox and Flappy Bird's creators have not commented.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-04
A divided Supreme Court, in a 5-4 order, allowed construction to continue on President Trump's planned $400 million White House ballroom while legal challenges to the project move through lower courts. The majority found the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely lacked standing to sue, citing government claims the project addresses security concerns, while Chief Justice Roberts led a dissent arguing the project is likely unlawful without congressional approval.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-01
Iran reportedly struck two U.S. bases in Jordan after American forces hit Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, the first direct exchange of fire between the two countries in over a month. The clash, confirmed by U.S. Central Command, followed concerns that Iran was preparing to launch sea-mine-equipped rockets into the Strait of Hormuz, and it sent oil prices up more than 3%. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh headed to North Carolina for G20 finance meetings, and Trump separately announced a deal giving the U.S. control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves.
cnbc.com
· 2026-08-31
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