Rumors are swirling on Twitter right now that Fed Chair Jerome Powell is going to resign imminently, or perhaps already has. Bitcoin is usually the canary in the coal mine on these things and it’s already trading like he’s resigned — sitting at a new all time high of $111,200 as I type this.  I think someone knows. But for right now, his resignation is not official and I want to focus instead on why people are calling for his resignation. It all stems from the Federal Reserve (allegedly) spending $2.5 billion to build themselves an ultra-posh new building — and then (allegedly) lying to Congress about it. They call it the Palace of Versailles, and honestly that’s probably an understatement: Fed Chair Jerome Powell accused of lying to Congress over $2.5B ‘Palace of Versailles’ HQ revamp https://t.co/3eMo69zbgj pic.twitter.com/0MtlhGFYai — New York Post (@nypost) June 30, 2025 Here’s a quick summary: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is facing calls for investigation primarily due to allegations of misleading Congress about a $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and the perceived extravagance of the project. Below is a concise summary addressing the reasons for the investigation calls, the alleged lying, and comparisons to illustrate the scale of the spending, presented in 7 bullet points: Alleged Lying to Congress:Powell testified before the Senate Banking Committee on June 25, 2025, denying that the $2.5 billion renovation included lavish amenities like VIP dining rooms, special elevators, new marble, water features, beehives, or vegetated roof terraces. However, government planning documents, first revealed by the New York Post, reportedly show these features are part of the project, leading lawmakers like Sen. Cynthia Lummis and FHFA Director Bill Pulte to accuse Powell of providing “factually inaccurate” and “deceptive” testimony under oath. Calls for Investigation:FHFA Director Bill Pulte, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, and others, including President Donald Trump, have urged Congress to investigate Powell for misleading testimony, with Pulte claiming the “scandal stinks to high heaven” and warrants removal “for cause.” Critics argue Powell’s statements reflect mismanagement and a lack of transparency, prompting demands for accountability. Cost Overruns and Extravagance:The renovation, initially budgeted at $1.9 billion in 2019, has ballooned by 30% to $2.5 billion due to rising construction costs and scope changes. Critics, including Sen. Tim Scott and former Fed advisor Andrew Levin, liken the project to the “Palace of Versailles” for its luxurious features, deemed wasteful amid economic struggles for many Americans. Comparison to NASA’s Artemis Program:The $2.5 billion could fund roughly half of NASA’s Artemis I mission (estimated at $4.1 billion), which launched a crew-capable spacecraft to orbit the Moon. This highlights the Fed’s renovation costing as much as a significant portion of a historic space exploration effort. Comparison to Aircraft Carrier:The cost matches the price of a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier (approximately $2.5 billion per ship, excluding R&D). The Fed’s renovation, for a single office building, rivals the expense of a state-of-the-art naval vessel critical to national defense. Comparison to Hospital Construction:Building a large, modern hospital, like the 1,000-bed UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus Heights, costs around $1.5–$2 billion. The Fed’s $2.5 billion could fund an entire advanced medical facility with capacity to serve thousands, underscoring the renovation’s disproportionate expense for administrative upgrades. Public and Political Backlash:The project’s optics, during a time of high inflation and interest rates (4.25–4.5% range), have fueled public outrage, amplified by figures like Elon Musk calling for scrutiny of taxpayer-funded spending. Posts on X and media reports reflect sentiment that the Fed’s priorities are misaligned, with luxury upgrades seen as tone-deaf. Allow me to put this into context for you… Do you remember when Jerry Jones built the lavish new Dallas Cowboys stadium with the retracting roof? State of the art, luxury in every way. That cost $1.3 billion. And it’s a freaking FOOTBALL STADIUM! Jerome Powell and his buddies at the Federal Reserve built themselves a palace office building for twice that! I think the toilets literally have litter butlers that emerge and wipe your butt each time you’re done using them! Insane! Just to give you an idea of how much DC steals from us… Jerome Powell wants $2.5 billion to “renovate” the Federal Reserve building. Dallas Cowboy stadium cost $1.3 billion to build. You could build 2… pic.twitter.com/8OPRRCrDsP — C3 (@C_3C_3) July 8, 2025 President Trump has called on him to be investigated: JUST IN: President Trump says Congress should investigate Fed Chair Jerome Powell. pic.twitter.com/ltXgOUXPeR — Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) July 8, 2025 Senator Cynthia Lummis just said he is unfit for office: Jay Powell has proven time and time again that he is unfit to run the Fed. He must resign now. — Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) July 9, 2025 Can you feel the doors closing in? President Trump says he is costing us $360 billion a year, and honestly, it’s probably closer to $720 billion if the truth were known: It’s time for Jerome Powell to lower the rate or resign in disgrace. pic.twitter.com/VLtXmZh3vs — Proud Elephant (@ProudElephantUS) July 9, 2025 U.S. Director of Federal Housing Bill Polte called for his investigation: Jerome Powell needs to be investigated pic.twitter.com/A0e4THVgxB — Pulte (@pulte) July 2, 2025 And just today President Trump said he should resign immediately: JUST IN: President Trump DEMANDS Jerome Powell “RESIGN” in disgrace “IMMEDIATELY” as Fed Chair and says Congress should investigate his corruption.pic.twitter.com/lUuvbJdzTW — Proud Elephant (@ProudElephantUS) July 8, 2025 Here’s more from the NY Post: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is being accused of lying to Congress after he denied that a $2.5 billion revamp of the central bank’s Washington headquarters will load the facility with lavish amenities — and some are demanding that he be punished, The Post has learned. Powell called The Post’s exclusive report in April about the bloated renovation project — which led Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) to liken it to the “Palace of Versailles” during a grilling by the Senate Banking Committee last week — “misleading and inaccurate.” “There’s no VIP dining room, there’s no new marble. There are no special elevators,” Powell insisted under questioning from the powerful panel on Wednesday. “There are no new water features, there’s no beehives, and there’s no roof terrace gardens.” But Powell — who is meanwhile facing heat from President Trump over a failure to slash interest rates — directly contradicted the project’s own planning documents, which were signed off on by government pen pushers in 2021 — and which haven’t been revised since. The costly vanity project was signed off on by US government pen pushers in 2021 and costs are already overrunning. “The private dining rooms on Level 4 (of the Fed’s Eccles building) will be restored,” reads one excerpt from the filing with the National Capital Planning Commission. “The Governors’ private elevator will be extended to discharge at the dining suite level.” The documents also expressly mention “vegetated roof terraces” that will welcome “urban wildlife and pollinators” as well as new marble and water features. Andrew T. Levin — a professor of economics at Dartmouth College who served as an economist and advisor to the Fed’s board from 1992 to 2012 — urged Congress to step in and punish Powell for lying to lawmakers. “A top Fed official cannot be permitted to make false statements under oath at a congressional hearing. Such statements must be promptly corrected, and in egregious cases, subject to censure by the Senate,” Levin said. Fun tip….you don’t have to fire Jerome Powell if you just END THE FED. Just sayin’! More here: The SCAM of Central Banks — EXPOSED and EXPLAINED Share!

An armed woman who demanded to see President Trump has been arrested just outside of Mar-a-Lago: BREAKING: Armed woman saying she had an “Urgent Message” for Trump was arrested outside Mar-A-Lago, per FOX35 — Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) July 9, 2025 BREAKING: Armed woman DEMANDING TO SEE TRUMP arrested outside Mar-A-Lago. https://t.co/t9fkuBPQST — E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) July 9, 2025 Here’s a quick summary of everything we know so far: A Florida woman named Katherine Anne Reinke, 41, from Orlando, was arrested on July 8, 2025, after attempting to enter Mar-a-Lago with an “urgent message” for President Donald Trump. She approached the main entrance of Mar-a-Lago, asking to speak directly to Trump. She claimed to have a critical message for the president. Reinke was carrying two firearms in her car — a pistol and a rifle — but did not brandish or threaten anyone. Secret Service agents and Palm Beach Police intercepted her at the entrance, and she complied peacefully with law enforcement. Authorities did not find any evidence of a direct threat against Trump or anyone else. However, she was charged with armed trespassing and resisting an officer without violence. She reportedly believed she was being followed and told authorities that only Trump could help her. A judge ordered her to have no contact with Donald Trump, and she was later released on bond with a GPS monitor. Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the incident. The woman has a history of mental health issues, according to officials, and her motives appear to have been driven more by distress than malice. No injuries or violence occurred during the incident. Here’s the mugshot: BREAKING VIDEO – Woman arrested outside Mar-a-lago with firearms in vehicle – https://t.co/43gSOwHF7o pic.twitter.com/9k1V16kkgZ — ✟ Right Scoop ✟ (@trscoop) July 9, 2025 From Local CBS12: A woman was arrested after approaching Mar-a-Lago with claims of an urgent message for President Donald Trump while claiming she had firearms in her car. The Palm Beach Police Department (PBPD) said that on Monday, officers responded to Mar-a-Lago due to a suspicious person being investigated by the United States Secret Service (USSS). Caroline Shaw was arrested at Mar-A-Lago after claiming she had an urgent message for President Donald Trump. (WPEC) According to the probable cause affidavit, Caroline Shaw approached a gate and asked to speak with President Donald Trump. The USSS told PBPD that Shaw claimed she had an urgent message for the president. Additionally, it was reported that she told USSS she had firearms in her car. PBPD did a records check on Shaw’s car and found that her registration expired in December 2021; furthermore, her license was suspended on April 23, 2023, for not paying traffic citations. Watch more here: Just in, 2 hours ago!Just In:Woman arrested near Mar-a-Lago after claiming she had firearms in car Palm Beach police responded around 10 p.m.. after the Secret Service reported Caroline Shaw’s approach to the south gate of Mar-a-Lago, where pic.twitter.com/P4PLRZhNe0 — Patricia Lockwood (@Patricia626262) July 9, 2025

Few celebrities have been more outspoken in their support for President Trump than Roseanne Barr. But that doesn’t mean she’s on board with his latest rhetoric regarding Jeffrey Epstein and his supposedly nonexistent “client list.” The former sitcom star offered a scathing rebuke via social media, adding to mounting backlash against the White House this week from otherwise supportive figures. Mr. President- Yes, we still care about Epstein. Is there a time to not care about child sex trafficking? Read the damn room. — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) July 8, 2025 The Hill provided additional coverage of Trump’s recent Cabinet meeting remarks: Trump grew exasperated when reporters asked questions about a recent Justice Department memo concluding there was no “client list” that Epstein kept and that he died by suicide. Trump jumped in when a reporter asked Attorney General Pam Bondi about the memo’s conclusion at the Cabinet meeting. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump said. “This guy’s been talked about for years. You’re asking — we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable.” “I mean, I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy, with what happened in Texas,” Trump added. “It just seems like a desecration.” The Justice Department and FBI on Monday published a memo concluding that there was no evidence of a client list detailing individuals connected to Epstein, a convicted sex offender. The existence of such a list had become fodder for conspiracy theories, particularly among those on the right who claimed prominent Democrats were on the list. A slew of other social media comments delivered reactions similar to Barr: Trump is mistaken if he thinks the American people are just going to “move on” from the Epstein client list. This is too big – it’s not going away. pic.twitter.com/SPF0R8c4V5 — Lori Love (@thereallorilove) July 7, 2025 Pam Bondi embarrasses herself with this bullshit excuse and Trump acts like the Epstein case ain’t a big deal This is a terrible look for the Trump admin pic.twitter.com/4BSgnNPWjL — Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) July 8, 2025 Bondi has received the brunt of the MAGA backlash, though, including from former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, per the Daily Beast: “Her days are numbered as a member of the Trump administration,” Kelly declared on her show Tuesday as the internal MAGA fallout over the Epstein files continues. Bondi had previously declared that the alleged child sex trafficker’s client list was “sitting on her desk” in February, before backtracking this week to declare that there was no list and the case was no closed. Kelly slammed Bondi over the inconsistencies Tuesday, pointing to the supposed Epstein bombshell binders Trump loyalists posed with months ago. Here’s a clip of Kelly’s commentary:

Former Republican Representative George Santos sent out an ominous message on X as he is set to report for prison. As the WLT Report previously reported, Santos was expelled from Congress in 2023 over ethics concerns, only to be later convicted on wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges Santos was later sentenced by a federal judge to serve 87 months in prison and will soon report to prison. In Santos’ post, he stated that he was not suicidal and shared, “I did not kill myself.” Take a look: I’m heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I’m not suicidal. I’m not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I’m in there. If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider… — George Santos (@MrSantosNY) July 9, 2025 Here’s Santos’ full post: I’m heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I’m not suicidal. I’m not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I’m in there. If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie…full stop. The statistics around what happens to gay men in BOP custody are horrifying, and that’s exactly why I’m putting this out there now. So if something does happen, there’s no confusion. I did NOT kill myself. Last month, Santos shared a lengthy post on X attacking his “friends” and Republicans who have not been able to secure him a pardon from President Trump. Here it is: Oh no….sounds like George Santos is having a hard time getting Trump on the line for a pardon pic.twitter.com/63aPrCNhks — Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) May 26, 2025 The New York Post had more details to share on Santos’s struggle to get a pardon: George Santos went on an unhinged and extended X rant this week, bashing everyone from frenemies, former Republican colleagues to the American justice system — and then deactivated the account. The disgraced ex-congressman — who is headed to federal prison July 25 — whined about his prison sentence and attacked his “so called friends” in the GOP for not delivering on a pardon for seven consecutive days of posts beginning May 21, The Post has learned. The dramatic tirade culminated with the deactivation of his 200,000- follower X account Wednesday. “For those asking. … Even though I initially considered the prospect of petitioning the president with a pardon application I have [ceased] that approach as I will not spend the last 61 days I have of life scrambling on how to get past a bunch of guard dogs,” Santos, 36, posted Monday. “The so called ‘friends’ I have that said they’d help legit should have just told me to go f–k myself, because that’s what has essentially happened with their actions. I’ve accepted my fate and don’t want to talk about it anymore.” An emotional George Santos is begging for a pardon from Trump. “Now I’m in the process of filling an application for a pardon. I’ll take a commutation, clemency– whatever the president is willing to give me. I would appreciate if the president would consider… I’m not a… pic.twitter.com/UEPCsIpps3 — Ron Smith (@Ronxyz00) May 8, 2025

Jeffrey Epstein’s brother has spoken to the press for the first time since the FBI and the DOJ released a report claiming Jeffrey Epstein was not killed but rather committed suicide and that investigators had no client list. Mark Epstein, the brother of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, shared that when he first read the DOJ and FBI’s memo, he laughed. He later stated that his brother was murdered and did not commit suicide. Fox News had these details to report on Mark Epstein’s latest statements: Jeffrey Epstein’s brother is ripping federal investigators as “stupid” for a recent memo stating no additional evidence would be released and that his brother’s death in federal custody was indeed a suicide. Mark Epstein, 70, has long disputed the official finding that his brother killed himself. He told Fox News Digital that when he hounded New York officials for answers, they didn’t even provide him with the 911 call reporting his brother’s death at a federal jail in Manhattan. He said his brother was looking forward to a bail hearing at the time of his death and that autopsy findings were inconsistent with suicide Epstein said he laughed when he saw the FBI memo during a Tuesday night interview with NewsNation. “Every time they say something or do something to try to quash the fact that he was most likely murdered, they put their foot further down their mouths,” he told the station. Kash Patel came out with that statement, I laughed at how stupid it was,” Epstein said. Listen here: Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark, slams feds as ‘STUPID’ for saying no additional evidence to be released and bro’s death a suicide — News Nation Epstein ‘LAUGHED’ when he saw FBI memo — ‘put their foot further down their mouths’ Adds autopsy findings inconsistent with suicide pic.twitter.com/G9ohe4XklX — RT (@RT_com) July 9, 2025 News Nation reported that he called out FBI Director Kash Patel: Mark Epstein has lashed out at the FBI and Department of Justice over their conclusion that his brother, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, died by suicide. The DOJ and FBI said on Sunday that they concluded an “exhaustive review” into Epstein’s death in 2019 and found that he was not murdered. The memo read in part: “After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019.” The federal agencies also found that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t have a client list despite Attorney General Pam Bondi previously suggesting on Fox News that the list was “sitting on my desk” for review. “Every time they say something or try to do something to quash that he most likely was murdered, they put their foot further in their mouth,” Mark Epstein told “CUOMO.” He went on to question the credibility of FBI Director Kash Patel following the agency’s assertion that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide. “When Kash Patel came out with that statement, I laughed at how stupid it was,” he said. Tucker Carlson previously interviewed Mark Epstein. Watch the full interview below: Ep. 59 Most people understand that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself. But the attorney general of the United States helped cover up his murder? That’s a different thing entirely. Epstein’s brother Mark explains. pic.twitter.com/aP6EjURJmL — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 4, 2024

Well, this is pretty wild folks… Those crazy conspiracy theorists are at it again, but can you blame them? First they told us they can’t control the weather. Now they admit “yes we can, but only in small areas” and they call it cloud seeding. Now news has come out that “cloud seeding operations” took place in Texas just two days before the recent floods, but you’re obviously a conspiracy theorists if you draw any connection between those events: BREAKING: CEO of a weather modification technology company has confirmed that cloud seeding operations took place in Texas just two days before the flood occurred, says it does not mean they are connected. — Leading Report (@LeadingReport) July 8, 2025 Gee, I really do miss the old days back in 2024 when everyone told me chemtails and cloud-seeding were not real! Whatever happened to all of that? Now we’re just admitting it’s real? Apparently so, according to “Rainmaker” CEO August Dorko — errrr, sorry…..Augustus Doricko, the 25-year old CEO of cloud-seeding company Rainmaker. Check this out: This man, Augustus Doricko, admits that his company Rainmaker controls the weather nation-wide. He talks about how you could weaponize it, and explains that China has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into weather control technology. He even says Rainmaker shouldn’t be… pic.twitter.com/deahGmsl5l — Nitz (@NickWalshNitz) July 6, 2025 And while he tells us true weather control and weather attacks are not real, he also seems to suggest we cannot cede “not real” control of these weapons to China: He says it a little before 6 minutes: pic.twitter.com/mukqnwhYYK — Nitz (@NickWalshNitz) July 8, 2025 Sorry man, which is it? They’re not real or we can’t possibly let China have them? Here’s more, from Bloomberg: According to Doricko, Rainmaker flew a brief 20-minute cloud seeding mission in south-central Texas last Tuesday, but suspended all operations that same day due to abnormally high moisture content in the air. The two clouds seeded during the Tuesday flight would have dissipated after a few hours and would have had no effect on the floods several days later, he added. Cloud seeding involves using chemicals, often particles of silver iodide, to trigger the formation of ice crystals or droplets from water that’s already present in a cloud but not being efficiently turned into rain. Though the technique has been studied for decades, it remains difficult to predict the additional rainfall that cloud seeding operations can generate, with estimates ranging widely from 0% to 20%. What’s clear is that the technique would not have been able to generate the record-breaking rainfall seen in Texas. So much rain fell that the Guadalupe River at Kerrville, one of the epicenters of the floods, rose some 26 feet (8 meters) in less than an hour overnight on Friday. “Based on the meteorological evidence, the Texas floods were caused by a powerful natural weather system, with thunderstorms fed by very moist air from the warm Gulf of Mexico,” said Andrew Charlton-Perez, professor of meteorology at the University of Reading in the UK. Here he is with Steve Bannon, judge his credibility for yourself: Augustus Doricko, CEO of “Rainmaker” a cloud seeding company, discusses the Texas floods.His largest project produced 10 million gallons of rain and states that he sees no evidence that cloud seeding caused this catastrophic flooding. The storm dumped 4 TRILLION gallons of water… pic.twitter.com/Vkmj51NBB4 — Bama_Jeans (@bamajayt) July 8, 2025 And with Tim Pool: Rainmaker CEO Augustus Doricko defended his company against claims that its cloud seeding contributed to the Central Texas floods. He noted that Rainmaker did not operate in the region on July 3 or 4, and that its last operation took place nearly 150 miles south of the… pic.twitter.com/p6JepXi5ZO — AF Post (@AFpost) July 9, 2025 For those who would like a TL/DR summary, here you go: Severe Flooding in Texas: Deadly floods hit Texas in May 2024, leading to significant damage and public concern. Cloud Seeding Company Involved: A company called Rainmaker Weather Technologies had been contracted by local water districts for cloud seeding—a weather modification method that aims to increase rainfall by dispersing substances into the air. Conspiracy Theories Spread: After the floods, conspiracy theorists began blaming cloud seeding for causing or intensifying the storms, alleging weather manipulation or geoengineering. CEO Speaks Out: David Stooksbury, CEO of Rainmaker, publicly denied the accusations, explaining that cloud seeding cannot create storms and only enhances existing clouds by a small percentage. Scientific Consensus: Meteorologists and atmospheric scientists strongly reject the idea that cloud seeding can produce such extreme weather, calling the accusations scientifically unfounded. Media Misinformation: Social media posts, videos, and influencers amplified false claims, including accusations that cloud seeding was being used for depopulation or warfare. Rainmaker’s Role Misunderstood: The company clarified it only works with permission from local agencies to augment rain during droughts and operates under strict regulations. State Officials Reaffirm Safety: Texas authorities and fact-checkers reiterated that cloud seeding has been safely practiced in the state for decades and had nothing to do with the May floods. Distrust of Government & Science: The surge in conspiracy theories reflects a broader trend of public skepticism toward official explanations, fueled by past government secrecy and distrust in media. No Link to Trump Administration: There is no connection between the Trump administration and the flooding or the cloud seeding programs mentioned in these reports.

Tony Iommi has reflected on Black Sabbath's performance at Villa Park

The Trump administration is suing California for allowing males to play in girl’s sports. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, explained that California will receive more than $44 billion for schools this year alone while violating Title IX. She said it would be irresponsible not to file a lawsuit over California for violating […] The post Trump Administration Sues California Over Males in Female Sports appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

President Donald Trump took a sledgehammer to Brazil on Wednesday, calling out the leftist government for its censorship of U.S. social media and its “witch hunt” targeting former conservative president Jair Bolsonaro. In a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — one of the many letters Trump has sent to countries around the world this week — the U.S. president deviated from his typical message announcing tariff rates to blast “Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans.” “Dear Mr. President,” Trump began the letter. “I knew and dealt with former President Jair Bolsonaro, and respected him greatly, as did most other Leaders of Countries. The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” Last year, Bolsonaro was charged alongside 36 other people for taking part in an alleged coup to overthrow the government after he lost the 2022 election to Lula. Brazilian prosecutors claim the plot included plans to commit political assassinations, but Bolsonaro has denied the allegations and argued that the charges against him are politically motivated. Bolsonaro has maintained the support of millions of Brazilians as he faces the indictment brought against him by Lula’s leftist government. Trump has also defended Bolsonaro on numerous occasions, saying earlier this week that he will “be watching the WITCH HUNT of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of his supporters, very closely.” “The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil — It’s called an Election. LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!” he added. In his letter to Lula on Wednesday, Trump also slammed the government for going after American social media companies. Last year, the Brazilian Supreme Court upheld a nationwide ban on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. The country’s Supreme Court took further action on the issue last month, ruling that social media platforms can be held liable for their users’ posts. Trump wrote in the letter, “Due in part to Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans (as lately illustrated by the Brazilian Supreme Court, which has issued hundreds of SECRET AND UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders to U.S. Social Media platforms, threatening them with Millions of Dollars in Fines and Eviction from the Brazilian Social Media market), starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge Brazil a Tariff of 50% on any and all Brazilian products sent into the United States, seperate from all Sectoral Tariffs.” Trump has sent numerous letters to countries around the world this week, informing them of the tariffs they will pay come August 1. The 50% tariff rate on Brazil is the highest one that Trump has unveiled this week, a rate that Trump said “is necessary … to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime.”