No court has authority to block Trump’s White House ballroom, DoJ lawyer says
Center Left
Trump administration has asked DC circuit court of appeals to reverse lower court decision which blocked construction of $400m ballroomNo court has the authority to halt construction of Donald Trump’s White House ballroom and a secure underground facility, a Department of Justice lawyer has argued, suggesting only US Congress had the power to stop the project.The Trump administration has asked the Washington DC circuit court of appeals to reverse a lower court decision which blocked construction of a $400m ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing. Construction of a secure bunker for staff underground at the site was allowed to proceed while the dispute between Washington DC preservationists and the White House continues. Continue reading...
A federal appeals court appeared skeptical Friday of the Trump administration’s bid to build the proposed White House ballroom, but it also sharply questioned whether a preservationist group can even sue to stop the project. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments from both the Department of […]
President Donald Trump is desperate to maintain his hold on the Republican-dominated House, so he’s personally fighting for plenty of embattled seats. But some seats are going to be a much harder sell for him and his Republican Party."The Republicans are just in absolutely huge trouble in Wisconsin. I think that more so than any of the polls would say … the fact that all those Republicans are leaving the state Legislature, they're sort of telling us with their actions what they expect," said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan political newsletter at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.Trump is making his first trip to the Badger State since he won here nearly two years ago, visiting one of the nation's few battleground congressional districts, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says he’s coming at a time “when his approval among Wisconsin voters is at an all-time low.“The visit comes at a time when the president's tariffs and recent attacks on Iran have produced gale-force headwinds for Republicans in their effort to preserve their power in Congress and in state government in Wisconsin, an effort made more complicated by the retirements of the Legislature's two GOP leaders and key members of both houses,” reports the Journal.Nevertheless, Trump is planning to discuss agricultural issues during a Friday roundtable event at a farm in Chippewa Falls, which lies in the 3rd Congressional District − a swing district held by Republican incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Van Orden's district is one of just 18 congressional districts considered a toss-up in the upcoming midterm election, and the Trump administration heavily focused upon it. The paper reports Trump's visit comes days after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held an earlier event with Van Orden.Van Orden won the district twice, but he defeated his opponent by about 3 points two years ago. Now one of those opponents, Democrats Rebecca Cooke, will be on his heels again this year, if she surpasses Democrat Emily Berge in the primaries.“But the political environment this year favors Democrats, who have won governor races and special elections in other parts of the country since Trump took office,” reports the Sentinel. “In Wisconsin, liberals won a seat on the state Supreme Court in April by a stunning 20-point margin. Republicans did not even bother to field a candidate in another election for a court that the GOP dominated just a handful of years ago.This is a hard fall for a state that voted for Trump in 2024.The Sentinel reports Trump's influence “remains strong among Republican voters – 71 percent said they would vote for a 2026 primary candidate endorsed by Trump. However, it also notes that a nationwide Marquette University Law School poll released two days before Trump's visit to western Wisconsin found his approval rating dropped to 38 percent, the lowest point so far in his second term.
President Trump, a native New Yorker and self-described Knicks fan, said he was invited to attend a Knicks playoff game by the team's owner James Dolan, who has donated to his political campaigns.
A disturbing discovery was made by police at a Minnesota home after a 14-year-old girl was reported missing from her school on May 26.The parents of the girl called the Maplewood Police Department to report her missing, and the girl's father told police the girl might have been at her friend's home in Oakdale. 'Her whole top half is out, and I'm like, "Whoa, what's going on here? Why are you naked in front of a child?"'Police said they investigated the home and spoke to a woman named Angeline Olson. She told them the girl was not at the home but that she would take the girl home if she showed up there.Police then said they returned to the home after a disturbing report from a neighbor at about 1:30 a.m."I came outside to smoke, and I'm minding my own business, and all of a sudden this little girl comes running past out her house, right in front of me, half naked," said Teaira Vennes, the woman who called police. "Next thing you know, Angel's out the bushes, and Angel comes out naked. Like, her whole top half is out, and I'm like, 'Whoa, what's going on here? Why are you naked in front of a child?'" she added. Police said the Olsons were argumentative and defied orders, so they were detained. When police searched the home, they found the girl in a cardboard box that was under a pile of clothes in the Olson couple's bedroom.Police then obtained warrants to search the couple's digital devices and found sexually explicit videos with the Olsons and the victim. The couple was arrested, and 47-year-old Angeline Olson was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Andrew Olson, 49, was charged with three counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.Their neighbors, who were outraged and terrified by the incident, told KARE-TV that Child Protective Services had taken away their teenage children prior to the incident. "It's not just another story; it's another f**king victim. It's another little girl," Vennes said. "After going through this, I couldn't never imagine that happening to my daughter."RELATED: Indiana teen targeted victims across several states for child sex abuse through social media, cops say "My client is presumed innocent and looks forward to clearing his name where it counts: in court," said John Chitwood, the lawyer for Andrew Olson. Andrew Olson faces up to 18 years in prison if convicted, while Angeline Olson faces up to 30 years if convicted. "They need to be locked up. I hope that they are locked up for a very, very long time," Vennes added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
The ballroom has been the source of much debate since Trump had the East Wing of the White House demolished last year to make room for the grandiose design.
Federal judge rules policies unlawfully barred applicants from receiving decisions on asylum, green cards and more The Trump administration unlawfully barred applicants from 39 travel-ban countries from receiving decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenship applications, a US federal judge ruled on Friday.The decision came on the same day that the US Senate voted to pass legislation to fund Donald Trump’s controversial immigration crackdown Continue reading...
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent endorses Mark Lynch, a candidate challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham in the South Carolina GOP U.S. Senate primary.