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The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Photos from a street festival of circus performers in the Russian town of Staritsa
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump made a major change to the White House and people are furious
During his first Presidency, Trump was reported to have complained that the White House is not to his taste - allegedly branding it "a real dump". Now he's decided to make some changes People are venting their fury at a major change Donald Trump has made to the White House. During his first Presidency, Trump was reported to have complained that the White House is not to his taste - allegedly branding it "a real dump". So this time around he's decided to make some changes. The first and most obvious change was the lashings of gold he applied to the Oval Office. He also added a pair of enormous mirrors to the walls of the most famous office in the world. But he's long threatened to make more permanent changes to the 'People's House'. And the first step of that renovation has been unveiled. He's paved over the world famous White House Rose Garden. The garden has remained more or less the same since 1961 when it was redesigned by Rachel Lambert Mellon during John F Kennedy's administration. Melania Trump made some tweaks to it in 2020, but nothing huge. But this time round it's a different story. Trump has replaced the entire lawn with a long, grey patio of paving stones. The corners of the patio are decorated with the Seal of the President. And someone thought it would be appropriate to make the drain holes in the shape of the American flag. It's fair to say the change has not been warmly received. Four Seasons Total Landscaping - where Rudy Giuliani held a deeply weird press conference by mistake the day Trump lost the 2020 election - is particularly unimpressed. The Republicans Against Trump Twitter account was similarly fuming. But Trump isn't going to stop there. New images have emerged of his plan to tack an enormous, gaudy ballroom onto the East Wing. And it looks remarkably like the one in his Mar A Lago club in Florida. Funny thing, Mar A Lago also has a patio, where Trump is very fond of holding court with guests and hangers on. Trump for months has been promising to build a ballroom, saying the White House doesn't have space big enough for large events and scoffing at the notion of hosting heads of state and other guests in tents on the lawn as past administrations have done for state dinners attended by hundreds of guests. The East Room, the largest room in the White House, can accommodate about 200 people. Trump said he's been planning the construction for some time. "They've wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years but there's never been a president that was good at ballrooms," Trump told reporters Thursday. "I'm good at building things and we're going to build quickly and on time. It'll be beautiful, top, top of the line." He said the new ballroom would not interfere with the mansion itself. "It'll be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of," he said of the White House. "It's my favorite. It's my favorite place. I love it." Trump said the ballroom will serve administrations to come. "It'll be a great legacy project," he said. "I think it will be really beautiful." The 90,000-square-foot ballroom will be built where the East Wing sits with a seated capacity of 650 people. The East Wing houses several offices, including the first lady's. Those offices will be temporarily relocated during construction and that wing of the building will be modernized and renovated, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. "Nothing will be torn down," she said. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said the president and his White House are "fully committed" to working with the appropriate organizations to preserve the mansion's "special history." "President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail," Wiles said in a statement. Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Leavitt said at her briefing Thursday that Trump and other donors have committed to raising the approximately $200 million in construction costs. She did not name any of the other donors. The president chose McCrery Architects, based in Washington, as lead architect on the project. The construction team will be led by Clark Construction. Engineering will be provided by AECOM. Trump also has another project in mind. He told NBC News in an interview that he intends to replace what he said was a "terribly" remodelled bathroom in the famous Lincoln Bedroom with one that is closer in style to the 19th century.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
John Swinney brands Gaza crisis 'genocide' after Fringe show disrupted
Scottish First Minister John Swinney has described the ongoing crisis in Gaza as a "genocide" after a Fringe show he appeared at was repeatedly disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Police were called to the Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh after the First Minister was interrupted seven times by six different groups of protesters during a conversation with comedian Susan Morrison . The protesters urged the First Minister to describe the crisis as a genocide and stop state funding for arms companies. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Speaking to journalists after the event, the First Minister said: "It's quite clear that there is a genocide in Palestine - it can't be disputed. "I have seen reports of terrible atrocities which have the character of being genocide. "I've expressed that and obviously it's not reached all those individuals, but that's my feeling." First Minister John Swinney appearing with comedian Susan Morrison at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Craig Paton/PA Wire Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Government has also been criticised for - while not funding directly the manufacturing of munitions - providing money for apprenticeships at firms which build weapons. But the First Minister said the Government's commercial arm Scottish Enterprise has the "strictest assessments imaginable about the purpose and the use of public expenditure in companies who may be related to defence industries". Pushed on providing money for staff who could potentially build munitions, the First Minister added: "We're trying to enable companies to diversify their activities, that's the purpose. "That's why the due diligence checks are applied and they are applied unreservedly." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Throughout the show, groups of attendees stood up, holding signs which spelled the word "genocide", and heckled the First Minister. As the event continued, the interruptions became more forceful, before two groups stood at the same time, angrily shouting at the First Minister and chanting slogans such as "call it genocide". Members of his security team stood in front of the stage, stopping protesters from approaching the First Minister, before three uniformed police officers arrived at the venue to usher the protesters out. During the tense exchange, which lasted several minutes, a number of the crowd - who were not protesting - appeared to be in tears. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A final disruption came from one woman in the crowd, who asked the First Minister why he had not responded to her letter about heavy metal band Disturbed playing at the Hydro in Glasgow . The band's lead singer David Draiman has been criticised after being pictured signing an Israeli bomb. The woman asked the First Minister why he did not speak out on Disturbed playing at the city's biggest venue, when he said it would be inappropriate for Irish band Kneecap to play the TRNSMT festival after comments members of the band had made about Tory MPs. The First Minister said his comments on Kneecap had come due to questions from the media and he "didn't particularly" want to speak about the band earlier this year, adding that he did not want to choose what art people do and do not consume. The woman became increasingly angry with the First Minister's response and was eventually dragged from the venue by a police officer, whom she branded a "thug".
