79 m. ago Stuck in a van while the president measures the Kennedy Center drapes: Inside Trump’s day of ego boosting as crises loom

Political trouble stalks his administration from multiple directions as the midterms approach, but Donald Trump just wants to dance. Andrew Feinberg reports on the president’s big day at the FIFA World Cup draw

Politics

4 h. ago CNN mic catches panelist LAUGHING as Trump is awarded inaugural 'FIFA Peace Prize' at World Cup event

Network microphones picked up the chuckle as 'Inside Politics' anchor Dana Bash reacted to the award from FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the Kennedy Center.

Politics

6 h. ago Trump, Infantino and Ferdinand’s bad jokes: Inside Fifa’s shambolic and shameful 2026 World Cup draw

The drawn-out ceremony at Washington’s Kennedy Center was a highly politicised show and a glimpse into football’s dystopian future

Politics

8 h. ago Donald Trump puts his own medal on after winning FIFA Peace Prize as he takes center stage for World Cup draw

Donald Trump fired a warning to high-crime Democratic cities before receiving FIFA's inaugural Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday. 

Politics

8 h. ago Trump awarded inaugural Fifa peace prize at World Cup draw in Washington

Trump praised by Infantino at DC ceremonyPresident’s peace claims disputed by criticsFollow the live blog of the World Cup drawDonald Trump has been named the first winner of the newly created Fifa peace prize, claiming “the world is a safer place now” as he received the award at the draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC.Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president and one of Trump’s closest sporting allies, presented the honour onstage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, saying Trump had been selected “in recognition of his exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace and unity around the world”. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Donald Trump arrives at FIFA's glitzy 2026 World Cup draw where he is expected to steal the show

US President Donald Trump fired a warning to high-crime Democratic cities as he arrived at the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday. 

Politics

9 h. ago Watch live: Trump attends FIFA 2026 world cup draw at the Kennedy Center

Watch live as Donald Trump attends FIFA’s 2026 World Cup draw on Friday (5 December).

Politics

13 h. ago World Cup 2026 draw: updates as the teams await fate in Washington DC – live

⚽ Draw begins in Washington DC at 5pm GMT / 12pm local⚽ Draw explainer | Qualifiers | Follow on Bluesky | Mail JohnHere are the pots.Via the Fifa media release, here’s what we can expect on the razzmatazz front.Global icons Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart to co-host final draw show at Kennedy Center in Washington DCActor and producer Danny Ramirez to engage football greats in attendance, bringing Hollywood flairLive performances to be delivered by legendary maestro Andrea Bocelli, Village People and global music superstar Robbie Williams, who will be joined by award-winning multi-hyphenate Nicole Scherzinger Continue reading...

Politics

22 h. ago Trump allowed to speak at glitzy World Cup draw as soccer chiefs prepare to hand him peace prize

The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC is just down the road from the White House. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw set to take place on Friday, President Trump will have a major role.

Politics

33 h. ago Noise around Donald Trump an unwanted distraction to World Cup draw of dreams

Amid all the hoopla circling its Washington backdrop, Friday’s event must be all about firing the starting gun on football’s biggest showWhen the sculptor Joel Shapiro created Blue, the piece that stands around the back of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, looking out over the Potomac River in Washington, he wanted to tap into a number of elements. The giant matchstick figure denotes movement and energy, risk and possibility. As Shapiro himself has said, it is supposed to “reconfigure depending on how you look at it”.It has the perfect home at the Kennedy Center, the vast cultural hub for ballet and opera, stage productions and concerts. And it resonates on a new level now as the venue prepares to host Friday’s World Cup draw, at which the competing nations at next summer’s extravaganza in the United States, Canada and Mexico will discover their group opponents and knockout round pathways. Because from one angle it is plain that Blue is executing a raking pass. From...

Politics

53 h. ago Tom Brady leads stellar cast of sporting icons taking part in World Cup draw in front of Trump

A remarkable crossover of sporting icons will take to the stage at the Kennedy Center on Friday to assist with the draw, which will decide the groups for 48 nations for next year's blockbuster tournament.

Politics

59 h. ago How does the World Cup draw work? The AP explains FIFA's process for dividing teams into groups

The draw for the 2026 World Cup takes place Friday at the Kennedy Center

Politics

3 d. ago World Cup 2026 draw: which teams have qualified and how does it work?

Your essential guide to Friday’s draw in Washington DC, including where to watch it, who to watch out for and a look at Fifa’s peace prizeThe World Cup draw will start at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center at 12pm local time on Friday 5 December (5pm GMT/4am Saturday AEST). Although don’t worry if you tune in late: based on previous draws there will be a few speeches about Fifa being on the verge of bringing about world peace via the medium of football, some interpretive dance about Fifa being on the verge of bringing about world peace via the medium of football, some videos with kids kicking a ball about to show that Fifa is on the verge of bringing about world peace via the medium of football, and then, hopefully, Fifa actually bringing about world peace via the medium of football. And if you miss any of that, don’t worry Fifa will also be awarding a peace prize to the person most likely to bring about world peace in the next few months (more on that zinger later). At some point in al...

Politics

4 d. ago World Cup draw 2026: When Scotland will discover fixtures, venues and times for group games plus how to live stream it

THE excitement is building as Scotland get set to find out who we will face at next summer's World Cup. All eyes will be on Washington DC on Friday when the draw for the group stages are made in the Kennedy Center. But Fifa revealed on Monday that won't give us the full picture. Steve...

Sport

8 d. ago South Africa hits back at ‘punitive’ Trump move to bar it from G20 meeting in Florida

Diplomatic row worsens after US president says member state will not be invited to 2026 summitDonald Trump has said that South Africa will not be invited to G20 events in the United States when it presides over the forum next year, a measure the African nation described as “punitive”.The US president repeated widely discredited claims that South Africa is “killing white people”, extending a diplomatic row between the countries after the US boycotted the summit in Johannesburg last weekend. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Saudi prince Mohammed is being lavished by Trump. It’s clear why | Mohamad Bazzi

Autocrats like Prince Mohammed are eager to benefit from Trump’s brazen effort to use the presidency to enrich himself and his familyDonald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, appeared together at a US-Saudi investment summit at the Kennedy Center.It’s all part of a rehabilitation tour for Prince Mohammed, years after US intelligence agencies concluded that he had ordered the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident. In October 2018, Khashoggi was ambushed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a 15-member hit team, who dismembered his body with a bone saw. For a time, the killing turned Prince Mohammed into an international pariah. But Trump never wavered in his support of the Saudi leader, and during his first term protected the prince from US sanctions and pressure from Congress.Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor, at New York University Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump can't stop laughing as he describes 'crazy' American concepts he claims Saudis do not comprehend

The president laughed boisterously from the stage at the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday.

Politics

3 w. ago The Kennedy Center is reeling from Trump’s takeover. Now FIFA is using it for the World Cup draw, free of charge

The alleged deal to use the Kennedy Center complex comes as ticket sales are reportedly declining after Trump’s takeover

Politics

3 w. ago Trump signs funding bill to end longest US government shutdown

President signs legislation to restart federal operations after House passes measure in 222-209 voteThe longest US government shutdown in history ended on Wednesday after more than 42 days, following the House of Representative’s passage of a bill negotiated by Republicans and a splinter group of Democrat-aligned senators.The compromise sets the stage for government operations to return to normal through January, while leaving unresolved the issue of expiring tax credits for Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare health plans, which most Democrats demanded be extended in any deal to reopen the government. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Washington National Opera may move out of Kennedy Center due to Trump ‘takeover’

Ticket sales at about 40% unsold compared with before president made himself chair of US performing arts centerThe Washington National Opera (WNO) is considering moving out of the Kennedy Center, the company’s home since the US’s national performing arts center opened in 1971.The possibility has been forced on the company as a result of the “takeover” of the center by Donald Trump, according to WNO’s artistic director, Francesca Zambello. The president declared himself chair of the institution in February, sacking and replacing its board and leadership. Continue reading...

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