Page 2 - White House

Trump names staff secretary Will Scharf as new White House counsel

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his new White House counsel will be Will Scharf, the staff secretary who as the Trump-appointed head of the National Capital Planning Commission helped secure approval for the USD 400 million ballroom project. Trump said that, beginning September 1, Scharf will be replacing David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Trump noted that Scharf previously served as a federal prosecutor and represented him in a number of cases, including at the Supreme Court. "Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!" The shakeup in the White House counsel's office comes at a critical juncture - just months ahead of the midterm elections, where Trump's Republican Party will be fighting to hold on to control of Congress. Democrats have vowed to pursue investigations into Trump and his ...

Trump calls court ruling on WH ballroom a 'national security threat'

US president says his administration will challenge the ruling before the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court said the project requires congressional approval

US Court rules Trump must get Congress' approval for ballroom construction

An appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress to build his proposed White House ballroom, saying construction must stop. The US Court of Appeals sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The court said it would stay its own ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI to meet Trump officials about AI safety testing

Anthropic and OpenAI disclosed in recent days that their AI tools breached the systems of other companies, stirring concerns among US ‌lawmakers

Trump's teleprompter operator on unpaid leave over possible insider trading

President Donald Trump's teleprompter operator is on unpaid leave after reports that he used his inside knowledge to make bets about the president's speeches on the online prediction market Kalshi, the White House said Thursday. The firm's enforcement chief said Kalshi contacted federal regulators about bets allegedly made about what the president would say in public addresses. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president is aware of the situation, which she described as "unfortunate" and "a disgrace." "The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this," Leavitt told reporters, saying the aide is on unpaid leave. ABC News reported Thursday that Gabriel Perez, who has been operating Trump's teleprompter since 2016, used his inside knowledge to win more than USD 100,000 betting on what the president would say in big speeches, including the State of the Union address earlier this year. Robert Denault, Kalshi's lawyer and head

Hormuz open for ships not travelling to or from Iranian ports: White House

The White House said the Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial vessels not travelling to or from Iranian ports, with the US Navy deployed to secure maritime traffic

Building White House helipad for new, more powerful Marine One: Trump

President Donald Trump said Monday that he's building a granite helipad on the White House lawn, insisting that the landing area is needed to accommodate new, more powerful presidential choppers. Confirmation of the project came as construction crews had already begun working on the helipad on the South Lawn, where the president had UFC build a temporary arena for a cage fight celebrating his 80th birthday. He said the project would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to USD 6 million. "It's got the seal of the White House on it in granite, in carved granite," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's really a beautiful thing." The president did not offer details on how long the work would take. It is the latest major construction project he has overseen in an effort to increasingly mold the White House in his own image. The helipad can handle new choppers, Trump says ------------------------------------------------------ Some of Trump's major White House ...

White House asks OpenAI to limit early release of GPT 5.6 to small group

The request was made by the White House's Office of the National Cyber Director and the Office of Science and Technology Policy

US' doors are closed to asylum seekers: White House Dy Chief of Staff

The comments come as the US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that government officials can turn away asylum seekers at the southern border with Mexico if they have not yet set foot on US soil

White House seeks $87.6 bn for Iran war, farmers' aid and Ebola response

The White House has formally requested USD 87.6 billion mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the US war against Iran, submitting the request to Congress at a politically difficult time as a majority of lawmakers have objected to any further military action. The Office of Management and Budget sent the supplemental spending request Wednesday. It arrived just hours after President Donald Trump assailed Republican senators during a private lunch -- engaging in a shouting match with one -- over their votes to approve a war powers resolution that would halt further hostilities. The request is mostly for Operation Epic Fury, but it also includes a range of other items including aid to American farmers, help for the Ebola crisis in Africa and other needs closer to home, including restoration projects in Washington, D.C. "I urge the Congress to take action on these important and urgent requests as soon as possible," said OMB Director Russ Vought in a letter to House Speaker Mike ...

A revealing chronicle of Trump's imperial presidency and its contradictions

Regime Change chronicles Donald Trump's turbulent second term, portraying a presidency shaped by power, spectacle, loyalists and mounting political challenges

Trump celebrates 80th birthday with Iran deal ahead of UFC cage fight at WH

President Donald Trump marked turning 80 on Sunday by hailing an agreement to end the war in Iran hours before a birthday celebration that once would have seemed unfathomable: a cage-fighting show on the storied South Lawn of the White House. He had been touting the emerging deal for weeks, and last-minute strikes in the conflict had threatened to overshadow the ostentatious UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza - where combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission. Hour before the fights began, the president said an agreement to end the conflict "is now complete" and declared that the US will end its blockade of Iran and that Strait of Hormuz would reopen, potentially easing high oil prices and skittish global markets. But the crucial details are still to be negotiated. Word of the deal will allow the president to be especially jubilant as he walks out of the White House for the fights. Cabinet leaders, Republican lawmaker

Inside the White House panic over Epstein files and growing MAGA backlash

The president's top advisers gathered in a series of Situation Room meetings as they struggled to contain a scandal engulfing Donald Trump himself

Court cannot halt Trump's White House ballroom construction: Govt lawyer

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 ..

Jill Biden's new memoir shows off a sharp eye, if not a sharp elbow

Beyond a few pointed digs at her husband's successor, 'View From the East Wing' largely sticks to the head-spinning details of first lady-hood

Trump in 'excellent health' and fully fit to serve, says physician

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.

Gunman killed after firing at officers near White House: US Secret Service

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

Who was Nasire Best, White House shooter who claimed he was 'Jesus'?

Nasire Best, 21, had earlier encounters with the Secret Service and had reportedly claimed he was Jesus Christ before Saturday's firing near the White House

US Secy of State Rubio invites PM Modi to White House on Trump's behalf

US Ambassador Sergio Gor said Secy Rubio and PM Narendra Modi held discussions on expanding cooperation across strategic sectors

Stephen Colbert's final 'Late Show' will mark the end of an era

Stephen Colbert leaves behind a late-night legacy shaped by political satire, media criticism and America's changing cultural landscape