27 h. ago East Wing ballroom donations by corporate owners create awkward moments for news outlets

President Donald Trump's razing of the White House's East Wing to build a ballroom has meant for some awkward moments for news outlets

Events

30 h. ago The luxury gap: Trump builds his palace as Americans face going hungry

Schmoozing the super-rich to fund a $300m ballroom while cutting food aid for those on low incomes threw the president’s architectural folly into sharp reliefIt was a feast fit for a king – and any billionaire willing to be his subject. From gold-rimmed plates on gold-patterned tablecloths decorated with gold candlestick holders, they gorged on heirloom tomato panzanella salad, beef wellington and a dessert of roasted Anjou pears, cinnamon crumble and butterscotch ice-cream.On 15 October, Donald Trump welcomed nearly 130 deep-pocketed donors, allies and representatives of major companies for a dinner at the White House to reward them for their pledged contributions to a vast new ballroom now expected to cost $300m. That the federal government had shut down two weeks earlier scarcely seemed to matter. Continue reading...

Politics

53 h. ago Trump’s military pressure on Maduro evokes Latin America’s coup

US forces and CIA actions target Venezuela’s leader, recalling coups and assassinations across the regionThe ghosts of sometimes deadly Latin American coups of the past are being evoked by Donald Trump’s relentless military buildup targeting Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s autocratic socialist leader, whom Washington has branded a narco-terrorist.Salvador Allende, the democratically elected Marxist president of Chile toppled in a military coup in 1973, and Rafael Trujillo, the longstanding dictator of the Dominican Republic who was assassinated in 1961 in an ambush organized by political opponents, are just two regional leaders whose fates serve as a warning to Maduro. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago 'I helped make Fortnite – now I'm gearing up for World Darts Championship after career change'

Alex Spellman made his World Darts Championship debut in 2023, losing in the first round to Ryan Joyce, but the American will get another crack at the Alexandra Palace event this year

Sport

4 d. ago South Korea to build nuclear submarine after Trump says US will share tech

Lee says if South Korea is equipped with nuclear submarines, it could help US activities in region

Politics

9 d. ago What is the White House East Wing and why has it been torn down in Trump’s renovation plans?

President Donald Trump is adding a $300m ballroom to the White House – but that plan has come at the cost of the historic East WingEast Wing of White House reduced to rubble as part of Trump’s ballroom constructionIt was confirmed on Friday that the East Wing of the White House has now been completely destroyed, days after construction started on the planned $300m (£225m) ballroom that Donald Trump is adding to the historic building.The demolition marked a reversal of Trump’s earlier promise in July that none of the White House’s existing infrastructure would be torn down during construction of the ballroom. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Her Majesty in the saddle: Queen Elizabeth poses on wooden horse at Buckingham Palace for American artist Arnold Friberg in previously unpublished behind

Published here for the first time, a series of 'behind the scenes' pictures show the late monarch posing on a wooden 'sawhorse' for American artist Arnold Friberg at Buckingham Palace

Politics

1 week ago East Wing of White House reduced to rubble as part of Trump’s ballroom construction

Despite president’s promise to preserve it, the eastern section of the building is now completely destroyedThe East Wing of the White House has now been completely destroyed to pave way for Donald Trump’s $300m planned gilded ballroom, just days after the administration announced it would happen and contradicting Trump’s earlier promise that the existing building would not be touched.Satellite images on Friday showed the historic building’s eastern section reduced to rubble, to the outrage of historians, former White House officials and much of the public. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago If Trump’s East Wing demolition shocks you, check out what he did to priceless works meant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art

A young Trump took on development of a historic Art Deco building on Fifth Avenue in the late 1970s

Politics

1 week ago Don’t be fooled. The US is regulating AI – just not the way you think

Beneath the free-market rhetoric, Washington actually intervenes to control the building blocks of AI systemsAt first glance, today’s artificial intelligence policy landscape suggests a strategic retreat from regulation. As of late, AI leaders such as the US have doubled down on this messaging. JD Vance champions AI policy with a “deregulatory flavor”. Congress considered a 10-year ban on state AI legislation. On cue, the Trump administration’s “AI action plan” warns against smothering the technology “in bureaucracy at this early stage”.But the deregulatory narrative is a critical misconception. Though the US federal government takes a hands-off approach to AI applications such as chatbots and image generators, it is heavily involved in the building blocks of AI. For example, both the Trump and the Biden administrations have been hands-on when it comes to AI chips – a crucial component of powerful AI systems. Biden restricted chip access to competing nations such as China as a matte...

Politics

1 week ago Don’t be fooled. The US is regulating AI – just not the way you think | Sacha Alanoca and Maroussia Lévesque

Beneath the free-market rhetoric, Washington actually intervenes to control the building blocks of AI systemsAt first glance, today’s artificial intelligence policy landscape suggests a strategic retreat from regulation. As of late, AI leaders such as the US have doubled down on this messaging. JD Vance champions AI policy with a “deregulatory flavor”. Congress considered a 10-year ban on state AI legislation. On cue, the Trump administration’s “AI action plan” warns against smothering the technology “in bureaucracy at this early stage”.But the deregulatory narrative is a critical misconception. Though the US federal government takes a hands-off approach to AI applications such as chatbots and image generators, it is heavily involved in the building blocks of AI. For example, both the Trump and the Biden administrations have been hands-on when it comes to AI chips – a crucial component of powerful AI systems. Biden restricted chip access to competing nations such as China as a matte...

Politics

1 week ago Trump facing outrage as new poll shows majority of Americans don’t want East Wing to be demolished: Latest

President Donald Trump promised that he would ‘not interfere with the current building’ despite the fact that he is currently tearing down the East Wing

Politics

1 week ago Trump to demolish entire East Wing of White House to make space for $300M ballroom: Latest

President Donald Trump promised that he would ‘not interfere with the current building’ despite the fact that he is currently tearing down the East Wing

Politics

1 week ago White House East Wing will be torn down ‘within days’ even as no plans filed for Trump’s new ballroom

Demolition has drawn fierce backlash, with National Trust for Historic Preservation saying plans are ‘legally required’Trump takes a wrecking ball to White House in on-the-nose metaphorTrump administration officials confirmed to various outlets on Wednesday that the White House’s East Wing will be demolished “within days”, a revelation given the administration has not submitted plans for the new ballroom to the federal agency that oversees construction of federal buildings.In discussion with reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Donald Trump was asked by Jeff Mason of Reuters to respond to the widespread surprise that the entire East Wing is being torn down. Trump said that the wing he described as a separate building “was never thought of as being much; it was a very small building”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump knocks down White House wing for $250m 'Versailles meets Vegas' ballroom

A portion of the White House building is being demolished by Donald Trump for a huge new ballroom

Politics

1 week ago Trump starts DEMOLISHING White House East Wing to build new $250 million ballroom

DONALD Trump has started tearing down the White House's East Wing to make way for a fresh $250 million ballroom. The lavish renovation plans involve building a 25,000 square feet space to host state dinners and other black-tie events. Reports suggest it will house crystal chandeliers, gilded columns and gold inlays. The opulent designs, reminiscent...

Politics

1 week ago Donald Trump literally tearing down White House to build new ballroom

The US President has begun his 'ballroom blitz' plans for the White House, costing hundreds of millions of dollars – he claims it is privately funded by 'generous' donors and 'your truly'

Politics

1 week ago The White House starts demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump's ballroom

The White House has started tearing down part of the East Wing to build the ballroom President Donald Trump wants added to the building

Politics

2 w. ago Trump and Zelensky laugh off calls to build tunnel linking Alaska to RUSSIA

Asked about the suggestion in his sit-down with the Ukrainian leader on Friday, Trump chuckled while Zelensky said bluntly: 'I'm not happy with this idea'

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine 'will use Tomahawks to destroy huge Russian drone factory where 20,000 North Koreans build weapons once Trump gives the green light'

Ukraine will use long range Tomahawk missiles to destroy a vast Russian drone manufacturing plant employing tens of thousands of North Korean slave labourers.

Events