Xi, Putin and Kim showcase power in Beijing, 33,000 Epstein files dropped: Unbiased Updates, Sept. 3, 2025
In Beijing, three of the world’s most controversial leaders stood shoulder to shoulder at China’s biggest military parade in decades. President Donald Trump fired back, accusing the trio of conspiring against the United States.
Plus, the U.S. military confirms it blew up a suspected Venezuelan cartel vessel in the Caribbean. The administration is calling it a strike against narcoterrorists, but Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro says it’s a dangerous escalation.
And the clash over violent crime in America’s cities intensifies. Trump says the National Guard is heading to Chicago, while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker calls the move “unhinged.”
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
China’s parade of power draws Putin, Kim and Trump’s ire
A parade of power took place in Beijing on Wednesday morning. China displayed its military might fully alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in a show of solidarity against the West.
The massive “Victory Day” parade marked 80 years since the end of World War II. It showcased China’s most advanced weaponry: fighter jets, drones, hypersonic missiles and, for the first time, its land, sea and air-based nuclear forces.
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the “international friends” who helped China resist Japan in World War II, but did not name the United States.
That snub prompted President Donald Trump to accuse Xi, Putin and Kim of “conspiring against the U.S.”
On Truth Social, Trump asked whether Xi would “mention the massive amount of support and blood” America gave China during the war.
The parade comes as Beijing promotes a new “global governance initiative,” a challenge to the U.S.-led order that has defined world politics since World War II.
Court blocks Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act
Trump faces a new legal setback for his immigration crackdown. A federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled the administration wrongly invoked a 200-year-old law to deport migrants.
Trump has framed migration as an “invasion.” Last spring, he turned to the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to fast-track the removal of suspected members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.
However, the court said the evidence didn’t support an actual invasion or “predatory incursion,” making it likely petitioners will prove the law was misused.
The ruling paves the way for a showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court over how far presidents can go in using emergency powers on immigration.
Trump did score a limited win with the same court saying the administration’s seven-day notice of deportation did comply with a previous high court order.
House panel releases 33,000 pages in Epstein probe
The long-awaited “Epstein files” have dropped on Capitol Hill, but the release has raised more questions than answers. The House Oversight Committee released more than 33,000 pages of records from the Justice Department to the public.
However, Democrats pointed out that 97% of the documents were already made public. Many are just old court filings.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, teaming with Democrats, said this is a “document dump” meant to give cover to the Trump administration.
He’s pushing a bipartisan petition to force a floor vote requiring the DOJ to release all the files within 30 days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called Massie’s move “meaningless,” but some Republicans, including Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., have already signed on.
The documents include flight logs and audio from the initial investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. However, victims and lawmakers on both sides say the public deserves far more.
In fact, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, along with Massie, will stand with survivors of Epstein’s abuse on Wednesday morning to demand more transparency.
US strike hits drug vessel from Venezuela
Trump said the U.S. military has struck a drug boat in the Caribbean. It’s a move that escalates his war on cartels and may lead to further clashes with Venezuela.
Trump posted a video of a small vessel erupting in flames, saying it belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang, a Venezuelan cartel that the U.S. has labeled a terrorist group.
He claims the strike killed eleven people, calling it a warning to anyone thinking about bringing drugs into America.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the counter-drug mission in the Caribbean would continue.
“So the president’s been very clear that he’s going to use the full power of America and the full might of the United States to take on and eradicate these drug cartels, no matter where they’re operating from and no matter how long they’ve been able to act with impunity. Those days are over,” Rubio said.
The strike comes as the U.S. builds up naval power in the region, with marines, warships and aircraft on standby.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called it an “imperialist threat.” He has accused Washington of using cartels as an excuse for regime change.
Trump threatens to send troops into Chicago to combat crime
Trump escalated his fight with Chicago over crime and law enforcement, saying he’s planning to send National Guard troops into the city whether the state leaders like it or not.
In an Oval Office exchange Tuesday, Trump blasted Chicago as a “hellhole” and the murder capital of the world, comparing it to war zones overseas.
He claimed he has an obligation to act:
Trump: “There’s no place in the world, including — you can go to Afghanistan, you can go to places that you would think of — they don’t even come close to this. Chicago is a hellhole right now. Baltimore is a hellhole right now.”
Reporter: “Have you made your mind up on Chicago, though?”
Trump: “Well, we’re going in. I didn’t say when. We’re going in. When you lose, look, I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing.”
The president has already sent troops or federal agents to Washington, D.C., which he now calls a crime-free zone. He also sent troops to Los Angeles, which a judge ruled “unconstitutional” on Tuesday.
Trump now indicated that Chicago is likely next, with Baltimore also on the list.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has pushed back and dug in, calling the president’s comments unhinged.
“We know before anything has happened here that the Trump plan is to use any excuse to deploy armed military personnel to Chicago. If someone flings a sandwich at an ICE agent, Trump will try and go on TV and declare an emergency in Chicago. I’m imploring everyone: if and when that happens, do not take the bait,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker and other Democrats called the move purely political and promised to fight it in court. Trump, however, has insisted he doesn’t need the governor’s permission.
The president said that Chicago would have “no crime” within a week of federal intervention, which city leaders call absurd.
Viral White House video ‘probably AI-generated’: Trump
Trump has dismissed a viral video claiming to show a black bag being thrown out a window at the White House. The clip, posted over the weekend, seems to show an object being dropped from a second-story window at the president’s private residence.
But Trump says it’s a fake.
“That’s probably AI-generated. So, actually, you can’t open the windows. You know why? They’re all heavily armored and bulletproof,” Trump said. “It’s got to be because I know every window up there. The last place I’d be doing it is that because there are cameras all over the place, right?”
When a reporter showed him the video directly, the president pushed back again, saying it wouldn’t be possible.
“Yeah, those windows are sealed. Those windows are all — they’re all sealed. You can’t open them,” Trump said.
Trump joked that if something bad ever happens to “just blame AI.”
UC Berkeley experts who reviewed the footage said they don’t see signs it was AI-generated. Sources told CNN the bag was likely related to ongoing renovations inside.
Hawaii’s Kīlauea erupts again, lava shoots 300 feet
Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano is putting on another dramatic show, shooting lava hundreds of feet into the air.
This is the 32nd eruption episode since December 2024, and scientists said it’s all part of one continuous event, with magma traveling along the same underground pathway to the surface.
This time, lava is flowing from three different vents, but so far, it’s all contained within the summit crater at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Kīlauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, continues to remind residents and visitors just how unpredictable so-called paradise can be.
Again, nobody is in danger, just some really cool video for Wednesday morning.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Officials, experts grapple with how to improve tsunami warning issues in July
The United States faced a tsunami scare in late July after one of the strongest earthquakes on record struck off Russia’s coast, prompting warnings across Hawaii and coastal areas. Public agencies took immediate action to alert the public, but evacuation efforts in Hawaii were challenged by traffic gridlock and confusion, raising concerns over whether current systems can handle a large-scale disaster and prompting discussion on how to reinforce preparation at the street level.
Hawaii’s governor issued a red flag warning, and in a July 30 statement, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi urged Hawaii and coastal U.S. residents to take tsunami evacuation warnings seriously.
“When an alert is issued, take action immediately — there is no room for hesitation or complacency,” Blangiardi said.
Despite the rapid warnings, Oahu residents described hours-long delays leaving tsunami risk zones.
Evacuees reported traffic backed up as far as Saddle Road in Hilo, approximately 25 miles from the bay’s major impact area. Those who used the road said they were trying to avoid more congested routes.
One Oahu resident told Straight Arrow News that her evacuation process took almost four hours. Read the full story now >
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
