United States: On Monday, the president and first lady gathered in the White House Rose Garden so he could sign a new law addressing revenge porn which was championed by the first lady. 

“I want to thank my husband, President Trump, for standing with us on this effort,” Melania Trump stated, with a riot of pink roses in bloom behind her. 

What is the Take It Down Act? 

The bill, known as the Take It Down Act, commands social media platforms to promptly take down sexually explicit pictures and videos of others, including “deepfakes,” if they were uploaded without consent. It was created to support teen survivors. 

Melania Trump’s Mission to Protect Teens 

“Artificial Intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation — sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children,” the first lady stated, the New York Times reported. 

“But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly,” she added. 

This guide focuses on teenage victims of FGM. Mrs. Trump was determined to get the bill passed from the day of her husband’s second inauguration, the day Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, first mentioned it over lunch. 

Like Be Best, Mrs. Trump’s anti-cyberbullying effort from the previous four years, the bill was a great fit for the first couple’s focus on battling digital meanness. 

Early in March, she visited Washington to lead a roundtable with girls who had fallen victim to online attacks and the father of a young boy who left the world because of internet “sextortion.” 

The event was emotional at times, and after it was over, Mrs. Trump took some of the guests to see the president address Congress the next day, where he discussed the bill, the New York Times reported. 

United States: In a shocking incident that has rocked Palm Springs, California, the FBI has declared a recent car explosion an act of terrorism. 

Deadly Blast Rocks Palm Springs Clinic 

The blast occurred outside the American Reproductive Centers, a local fertility clinic, claiming one life and leaving four others injured. 

The explosion, which originated from a vehicle parked near the facility, tore through the area with devastating force. 

Emergency services quickly responded to the scene. Fortunately, no patients or clinic staff inside the building were harmed, although structural damage was reported. 

🚨 NEW: Preliminary OSINT Brief – Palm Springs Fertility Clinic Bombing (May 17, 2025)
This morning’s explosion at American Reproductive Centers marks the first major anti-IVF terror attack in U.S. history
Here’s what we know—and what we’re watching. 🧵
🔗 https://t.co/GZeSw0S4Gr

— Prime Rogue Inc (@PrimeRogueInc) May 17, 2025

FBI Labels It Terrorism 

According to federal investigators, the FBI is leading the probe alongside local authorities and has already identified a person of interest connected to the case. Officials are now working to determine whether this act of violence was domestic or internationally inspired, though no official group or motive has yet been confirmed. 

This incident raises immediate concerns about the security of medical facilities and public areas across the US, especially amid rising tensions both at home and abroad. 

The FBI has assured the public that it is deploying all necessary resources to fully investigate the matter and ensure there are no further threats. 

Local law enforcement has increased patrols around critical infrastructure and public health facilities while urging citizens to report any suspicious activity. 

As the investigation continues, authorities emphasize the importance of community vigilance and staying informed through official updates. 

We will continue to follow this developing story closely and provide updates as more information becomes available. 

United States: Hadi Matar, who attacked novelist Salman Rushdie last year, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison — the maximum for attempted murder. 

Matar received a conviction for second-degree attempted murder for the attack on Rushdie in 2022 while they were both at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. 

A man armed with a knife attacked Salman Rushdie as he was about to deliver a speech, inflicting injuries on the writer all over his body. 

Rushdie suffered severe damage to the eyes and nerves and is now partially blind because of the attack, npr.org reported. 

Rushdie wasn’t in the courtroom for Friday’s sentencing but wrote that he’s spent over 800 days in hospitals since the assault. 

Judge David Foley additionally ordered Matar to serve 7 years in prison on the charge of causing serious bodily injury to the event moderator. 

Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses created widespread outrage among many Muslims for its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. 

Just before his passing in 1989, the Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, declared a legal judgment condemning Rushdie to death. 

Prosecutors from the Western District of New York argued that Matar was attempting to carry out the threat contained in the fatwa. 

Matar has affirmed that the fatwa didn’t inspire the attack but has explained to the New York Post that Rushdie had personally offended him by insulting Islam, npr.org reported. 

Matar told reporters that he had skimmed over just a few pages of The Satanic Verses.