President Donald Trump announced Monday he will file a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging defamation and libel, and accusing the outlet of being a “virtual mouthpiece” for the Democrat party.

Trump had threatened last week to sue The Times after it published articles related to a sexually suggestive note and drawing that was given to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003 and appears to have been signed by Trump. Trump and his aides have denied that he was involved in the creation of the note.

In a post overnight on his social media platform, Truth Social, the president accused the Times of making false statements about him, his family and his businesses, though he did not elaborate on the allegations.

“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times,” Trump wrote.

“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” he added, while singling out the Times’ endorsement of Kamala Harris during the last presidential election in 2024.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of high-profile legal challenges mounted by Trump against major media outlets in what he describes as a broader effort to “restore integrity to journalism.”

The lawsuit would be filed in Florida, Trump said, without providing further details.

CNN reached out to The New York Times for comment.

In a complaint filed in a Tampa federal court, Trump’s lawyers accused The Times of a deliberate pattern of “false, malicious, defamatory, and disparaging” reporting aimed at undermining Trump’s presidential campaign and legacy.

The filing cites previous examples of lawsuits brought by Trump’s lawyers against Disney’s ABC News and Paramount Global’s CBS News, which resulted in multimillion-dollar payouts and public acknowledgments of inaccuracies in their reporting.

It also cited a lawsuit brought in July against The Wall Street Journal and reporters who wrote a story about the collection of letters gifted to Epstein. A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company, said in a statement at the time, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”

In the latest lawsuit against The Times, Trump’s lawyers say the “reputational injury inflicted in this case reaches billions of dollars” and confirms they are seeking at least $15 billion in damages.

This is a developing story.

The Los Angeles Chargers have been in front of a national TV audience twice in two weeks.

Their closeups have gone well.

In Brazil, the Chargers got an early signature win in Week 1 by beating the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won the AFC West nine years in a row. Week 2 was tricky. Back from São Paulo, the Chargers had to travel again to face a Las Vegas Raiders team that also won its opener and looked much improved from last season.

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The Chargers passed the test and did so easily Monday night. Their defense did a good job limiting the Raiders and intercepted quarterback Geno Smith three times. Meanwhile, Justin Herbert played well again. The Chargers have two divisional wins to start the season after beating the Raiders, 20-9.

That kind of start was important if the Chargers want to finally knock the Chiefs off their pedestal in the division. It’s early, but they have a two-game lead on the Chiefs now.

Raiders fall behind early

The night started in an ominous way for the Raiders. Chargers safety Alohi Gilman broke on a Smith throw, deflected it and linebacker Daiyan Henley made a nice catch as he trailed the play.

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Smith, who played very well in Week 1, had too many risky throws in the first half. Two were intercepted, including one late in the half after the Chargers had taken an 11-point lead.

Herbert completely outplayed Smith. His 60-yard touchdown to Quentin Johnston late in the second quarter was a beautiful deep throw. Herbert was fantastic in a Week 1 win over the Chiefs, and he continued that right into Week 2.

The Raiders weren’t getting much from tight end Brock Bowers, who was playing through a knee injury, and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, who was being oddly underutilized and had just 30 yards in the first half. Combine that with Smith pressing on too many throws, and the Raiders were in trouble early.

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Chargers D has a strong night

The Raiders looked good on offense in Week 1, with Smith having nine completions of 20 yards or more. Even without Khalil Mack for most of the game, after he exited with an elbow injury, the Chargers did a fine job shutting Las Vegas down.

The Raiders still had hope in the fourth quarter when they drove to the Chargers’ 15-yard line with a little more than six minutes left, trailing 20-9. Then Jeanty lost 5 yards on a catch, and Smith threw his third interception as he tried to force a pass into the end zone. Safety Derwin James Jr. tipped it and Donte Jackson picked it off. That essentially ended the Raiders’ chances to win.

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The start to the season couldn’t have gone much better for the Chargers, though the Mack injury is worrisome. Herbert looks even better than last season, when he took a big step with Jim Harbaugh as his head coach. The Chargers have multiple weapons producing on offense. Their defense had a stellar night Monday. The Chargers will be even better if they can get a run game going, which has been a rare weakness early this season.

The Chargers are 2-0 to start the season.

Baker Mayfield, playing with what appeared to be an injured left leg, willed the Buccaneers to a come-from behind 20-19 victory over the Texans on Monday night.

The Bucs did what they do, starting 2-0 for a fifth consecutive season. The Texans fell to 0-2.

The Bucs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions as Mayfield hit Ryan Miller for a 20-yard touchdown and Emeka Egubka for a 15-yarder. They did not score again until only six seconds remained.

Tampa Bay faced a third-and-10 with 59 seconds left, and Mayfield ran for 15 to keep the drive alive. He completed 7-of-9 passes for 63 yards on the game-winning, 80-yard drive that took 11 plays and 2:04. Rachaad White had a 2-yard run for the deciding points.

Mayfield went 25-of-38 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for 33 yards on three carries. Bucky Irving had 17 carries for 71 yards and White 10 carries for 65 yards as the Bucs ran for 169 yards on 30 carries, a 5.6-yard-per-carry average.

Mike Evans had five catches for 56 yards in his return home.

The Texans’ special teams nearly won them the game, and the Bucs’ special teams nearly lost them one.

Tampa Bay missed a 38-yard field goal, had a punt blocked and gave up a 53-yard punt return to set up Houston’s go-ahead touchdown late.

Jaylin Noel caught a Riley Dixon punt at the Houston 21 and returned it to the Tampa Bay 26 before Kaevon Merriweather saved a touchdown. Officials picked up a flag for a block in the back. Two plays later, Nick Chubb, who had only 18 yards on his first 11 carries, ran for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:10 remaining to give Houston its first lead since the initial drive of the game.

The Texans blocked a Riley Dixon punt with 6:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. Justin Watson returned it 1 yard to the Tampa Bay 35, but the Texans gained no yards on three plays and settled for a 53-yard Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal. That cut the Bucs’ lead to 14-13.

The block was the first allowed by the Bucs since 2018 when the Saints had one against them.

The Texans earlier failed to score on three plays from the 1-yard line after a 7-yard gain on a reception by Nico Collins on first down. They turned it over on downs with Chubb stopped for no gain and C.J. Stroud throwing back-to-back incompletions.

The Texans were outgained 266 to 360, with Stroud going 13-of-24 for 207 yards and a touchdown. He ran for 27 yards on four carries. Collins caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.