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Lawyers representing the federal government argued that a court could not stop construction of a White House ballroom because it was already underway and because of the sensitive security concerns they say the structure is meant to address. Attorney Yaakov Roth, speaking during an exchange with U.S. Appeals Court Judge Patricia Millett, said only Congress could halt the $400 million project. The administration has been asking the court to allow it to press on with the ballroom without congressional approval. At issue is an April 16 order from US District Judge Richard Leon for Trump's Republican administration to halt aboveground work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, allowed for construction to continue on belowground work on a bunker and other "national security facilities" at the site. The hearing Friday centered on who has standing to challenge government steps once they have already been taken and ..
Donald Trump's physician says the president is in "excellent health" and is "fully fit" to serve as commander in chief after a medical exam Tuesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. A report from Dr Sean Barbabella, released late Friday, says Trump underwent a CT scan and other heart imaging along with cancer screenings and other preventative assessments carried out by 22 specialists. Trump, 79, said after the visit Tuesday that everything checked out "PERFECTLY." The president weighed in at 238 pounds (108 kilograms), up 14 pounds (6 kg) from a medical exam in April 2025. His doctors gave him guidance on his diet, physical activity and weight loss, but concluded his "cognitive and physical performance are excellent.
A person who approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at officers has died, according to federal officials. The US Secret Service said in a statement late Saturday that, according to a preliminary investigation, the person approached a checkpoint shortly after 6 pm ET, "removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers". Officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, according to the Secret Service. A bystander was struck, but a law enforcement official said it wasn't clear whether that person was struck by the suspect's initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers. Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that President Donald Trump -- who was at the White House at the time -- was not "impacted." Journalists working at the White House on Saturday reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to seek shelter inside the press briefing room. On X, the S
The US and China have agreed to set up boards on trade and investment and build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on fairness and reciprocity, according to a fact sheet by the White House on President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing. The fact sheet, issued on Sunday, said China will address the United States' concerns regarding supply chain shortages related to rare earths and other critical minerals, including yttrium, scandium, neodymium, and indium. It also said that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon, called to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and agreed that no country or organisation can be allowed to charge tolls. The fact sheet also mentioned that Trump will welcome Xi for a visit to Washington this fall, and both countries will support each other as hosts of the G20 and APEC summits later this year. "President Trump and President Xi confirmed their shared goal to denuclearise North Korea," the fact she
A proposal to fund USD 1 billion in security additions for the White House campus and the president's new ballroom fails to meet procedural rules, according to the Senate parliamentarian, dealing a blow to Republican plans to include it as part of a bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies for the next three years. The parliamentarian's ruling, described late Saturday by Senate Democrats, said that a project as large and complex as President Donald Trump's massive East Wing renovation is too broad to be included in the budget bill, which only needs a simple majority - and no Democratic votes - to pass. It's unclear if Republicans will be able to salvage any part of the billion-dollar Secret Service proposal, which would have funded security for Trump's ballroom along with other parts of the White House, including a new visitor screening centre, training for agents and extra reinforcements for large events. Republicans said Saturday night that they are revising the legislation ..
A man charged with attacking the White House Correspondents' Association dinner is seeking to disqualify top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the April 25 event at the Washington Hilton when Cole Tomas Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer. In a court filing late Thursday, Allen's attorneys argued that it creates at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case. "As this case proceeds closer to trial, the country and the world will continue to wonder - how can the American justice system permit a victim to prosecute a criminal defendant in a case involving them?" defense attorneys Eugene Ohm and Tezira Abe wrote. Ohm and
The White House asserted to Congress in a letter Friday that hostilities with Iran have "terminated" despite the continued presence of U.S. armed forces in the region. The message from President Donald Trump effectively skirts a May 1 legal deadline to gain approval from members of Congress to continue the war with Iran. That deadline was already set to pass without action from Republican lawmakers who are deferring to the president. The letter brings into stark relief the bold but legally questionable assertion of presidential power at the heart of Trump's war, which he began without congressional approval two months ago. "The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated," Trump wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the Senate president pro tempore. He also made it clear in the letter that the war may be far from over. "Despite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a .
The White House is warning Congress that funding to pay Department of Homeland Security personnel will "soon run out," sparking new threats of airport disruptions and national security concerns as the House slow-walks legislation to end what has been the longest-ever lapse in agency funding. In a memo late Tuesday to lawmakers, the Office of Management and Budget said money that President Donald Trump tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other workers through executive actions will be exhausted by May. It called on the House to quickly approve the budget resolution senators approved in an all-night session last week that would pave the way for full funding for the department. "DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk," the memo said. The pressure from the Trump administration could help House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose narrow Republican majority has been stalled out, tangled in internal party disputes
A top White House official has convened a meeting of the US Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security later this week to review security for President Donald Trump after the shooting incident at the annual journalists' dinner on Saturday. The foiled attack at the Washington Hilton hotel, the venue of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, has also brought into focus the presidential line of succession as several cabinet secretaries were present at the event. Susan Wiles, the White House chief of staff, has called a meeting of the Secret Service and the DHS leadership to discuss protocol and practices as Trump is set to participate in several public events in the run-up to the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said officials had discussed having a designated survivor and the line of succession prior to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. "But there were several members of the ..