Who’s paying for White House ballroom?
As the demolition of the East Wing of the White House continues, and is expected to be finished in two or three days, the Trump White House has released a list of companies and people who it says are paying for the $300 million project that includes the demolition and construction of a new ballroom that Donald Trump wants. The White House did not disclose how much each is paying. Some receive government contracts or have business pending before the government. Named are: Altria Group, Inc.; Amazon; Apple; Booz Allen Hamilton; Caterpillar, Inc.; Coinbase; Comcast Corporation; J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul; Hard Rock International; Google; HP Inc.; Lockheed Martin; Meta Platforms; Micron Technology; Microsoft; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Palantir Technologies Inc.; Ripple; Reynolds American; T-Mobile; Tether America; Union Pacific Railroad; Adelson Family Foundation; Stefan E. Brodie; Betty Wold Johnson Foundation; Charles and Marissa Cascarilla; Edward and Shari Glazer; Harold Hamm; Benjamin Leon Jr.; The Lutnick Family; The Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation; Stephen A. Schwarzman; Konstantin Sokolov; Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher; Paolo Tiramani; Cameron Winklevoss; Tyler Winklevoss.
Melania Trump silent on demolition of East Wing; Clinton speaks out
Melania Trump’s office declined to comment when asked by CNN if she had a reaction to the gutting of the historic East Wing of the White House, where the offices of first ladies have been located. Asked if the first lady is supportive of the project to demolish part of the White House and build a new ballroom her office would not say. Melania Trump has spent minimal time in the East Wing, which has long served as the entry point for grand White House events like state dinners and receptions and is where visitors to the White House have entered. Spokespeople for America’s living former first ladies — Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden — did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment on their reaction to the demolition. But Clinton weighed in on social media linking to reports of the demolition: “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” Hillary Clinton said.
Lethal boat strikes
The U.S. military conducted more strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Pacific, killing all people on board the vessels, Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced. The two new strikes appear to mark an expansion of the U.S. military campaign, following seven previous strikes that targeted vessels in the Caribbean Sea. Since the start of September, at least 37 people in total have been killed in the nine strikes on suspected drug boats. No evidence was produced to prove the people killed were drug smugglers. Donald Trump said he believes the U.S. has the legal authority to launch strikes in international waters when targeting drug cartels, although he has indicated he may seek congressional approval for any operations on land. He didn’t explain the basis for his belief.
Arizona files suit to force swearing in of congresswoman
Arizona has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington against the U.S. House of Representatives in an attempt to force House Speaker Mike Johnson to swear in Adelita Grijalva to the House seat she won in a special election about a month ago. Johnson has kept the House shut down and also has refused to swear her in using a procedure that does not require the House to be in session. Grijalva has said that when she is sworn in she will sign a petition that will force Johnson to hold a vote on release of the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein files. She will be the 218th House member signing the petition, thereby forcing a vote to take place. Johnson has opposed release of the Epstein files as has Donald Trump even though Trump said numerous times during the campaign that if elected he would release everything the government had dealing with Epstein.
Fate of jewels stolen in Louvre heist
Experts warn that the $100 million worth of jewelry taken from the Louvre in a brazen daytime heist is likely to be dismantled for its precious gems and metals, destroying artifacts dating back to the Napoleonic era. As investigators search for the jewels and the thieves, the museum’s director has revealed that no security cameras were monitoring the second-floor balcony where the suspects entered the museum. The ease with which thieves gained access to the building — during opening hours via a truck-mounted ladder — has shocked French officials and raised questions about the vulnerability of the country’s museums to criminals deploying new tactics.
Russia sanctions
The Trump administration said it is imposing sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies as it called on Moscow to agree to an immediate ceasefire in the war with Ukraine. The announcement came as President Trump claimed it was he who canceled an anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump in the past has threatened severe penalties against Russia for its continuation of the war but had not taken major punitive measures. The U.S. sanctions target Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil and almost three dozen of their subsidiaries. Meanwhile, Ukraine is being pounded by a barrage of Russian strikes across the country, including a drone strike on a kindergarten in its second-largest city, Kharkiv.
