Trump hosts GOP senators in Rose Garden amid White House construction work
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news over the next few hours.
We start with the news that president Donald Trump will host Senate Republicans for lunch in the White House’s Rose Garden later today as ongoing demolition work takes place on the building’s east wing.
A GOP source confirmed the plan for the White House visit to Rollcall, as the president bulldozes on with plans for a new $250m ballroom. The visit also comes amid the partial government shutdown that shows no signs of abating.
Construction crews started demolishing part of the East Wing of the White House to make way for Trump’s planned ballroom, prompting widespread criticism on social media and beyond. One former lawmaker even called the renovation an “utter desecration”.
The Washington Post, which obtained and published photos of the demolition activity and cited two eyewitnesses, reported on Monday that demolition was under way, and shared an image showing construction in progress and parts of the exterior ripped down.
Other images, including ones seen in the New York Post, also show demolition of parts of the East Wing. The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
On his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump said “ground has been broken on the White House” to build the new ballroom.
Read our full story here:
In other developments:
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President Donald Trump claimed a key victory in a US appeals court Monday as a divided three-judge panel decided he is allowed to deploy federal troops to the city of Portland, Oregon. Trump had claimed the right to send the national guard to the liberal stronghold for the purported purpose of protecting federal property and agents. The ruling marks an important legal victory for Trump as he continues to send military forces to Democratic-led cities.
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Oregon governor Tina Kotek, has called on a federal appeals court to review and overturn a decision made by a three-judge panel on Monday that would permit Trump to deploy federalized national guard troops to the streets of Portland against the wishes of state and local officials. Kotek said she hoped the full ninth circuit court of appeals vacates the panel’s 2-1 decision, as the dissenting judge, Portland-based Susan Graber, urged her colleagues to do.
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Former FBI director James Comey formally asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges against him, arguing he was the victim of a selective prosecution and that the US attorney who filed the charges was unlawfully appointed.
-
The US government shutdown extended into its 21st day on Tuesday with no resolution in sight, as a prominent Republican lawmaker publicly broke ranks with party leadership over the decision of Mike Johnson, the House speaker, to keep Congress shuttered for weeks.
-
Donald Trump reposted an AI-generated video of him flying a fighter plane emblazoned with the words “King Trump” and dumping brown sludge onto protestors, in what appears to be a retort to the widespread No Kings protests that took place Saturday against his second presidency.
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Donald Trump welcomed PM Anthony Albanese to the White House, signing a rare earth minerals deal. It came amid rising trade tensions with China, which tightened its rare earth exports and is facing a 100% tariff threat from the US.
Key events
President Donald Trump’s hopes for a quick summit in Budapest with Russian president Vladimir Putin stalled after a preparatory session between the leaders’ top foreign-policy aides this week was put on hold, CNN reported on Monday.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNN said the reason for postponing the meeting between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was unclear. One source cited differing expectations about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, CNN said.
Rubio and Lavrov may talk on the phone again this week, CNN reported, after the two held a call on Monday that Moscow called “constructive.”
Russia’s foreign ministry could not immediately be contacted outside business hours.
The anticipated meeting between Rubio and Lavrov was considered to be the key preparatory step for the second summit this year between Trump and Putin. The two leaders agreed in a phone call last Thursday to meet soon in Budapest, Hungary.
Trump hosts GOP senators in Rose Garden amid White House construction work
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news over the next few hours.
We start with the news that president Donald Trump will host Senate Republicans for lunch in the White House’s Rose Garden later today as ongoing demolition work takes place on the building’s east wing.
A GOP source confirmed the plan for the White House visit to Rollcall, as the president bulldozes on with plans for a new $250m ballroom. The visit also comes amid the partial government shutdown that shows no signs of abating.
Construction crews started demolishing part of the East Wing of the White House to make way for Trump’s planned ballroom, prompting widespread criticism on social media and beyond. One former lawmaker even called the renovation an “utter desecration”.
The Washington Post, which obtained and published photos of the demolition activity and cited two eyewitnesses, reported on Monday that demolition was under way, and shared an image showing construction in progress and parts of the exterior ripped down.
Other images, including ones seen in the New York Post, also show demolition of parts of the East Wing. The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
On his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump said “ground has been broken on the White House” to build the new ballroom.
Read our full story here:
In other developments:
-
President Donald Trump claimed a key victory in a US appeals court Monday as a divided three-judge panel decided he is allowed to deploy federal troops to the city of Portland, Oregon. Trump had claimed the right to send the national guard to the liberal stronghold for the purported purpose of protecting federal property and agents. The ruling marks an important legal victory for Trump as he continues to send military forces to Democratic-led cities.
-
Oregon governor Tina Kotek, has called on a federal appeals court to review and overturn a decision made by a three-judge panel on Monday that would permit Trump to deploy federalized national guard troops to the streets of Portland against the wishes of state and local officials. Kotek said she hoped the full ninth circuit court of appeals vacates the panel’s 2-1 decision, as the dissenting judge, Portland-based Susan Graber, urged her colleagues to do.
-
Former FBI director James Comey formally asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges against him, arguing he was the victim of a selective prosecution and that the US attorney who filed the charges was unlawfully appointed.
-
The US government shutdown extended into its 21st day on Tuesday with no resolution in sight, as a prominent Republican lawmaker publicly broke ranks with party leadership over the decision of Mike Johnson, the House speaker, to keep Congress shuttered for weeks.
-
Donald Trump reposted an AI-generated video of him flying a fighter plane emblazoned with the words “King Trump” and dumping brown sludge onto protestors, in what appears to be a retort to the widespread No Kings protests that took place Saturday against his second presidency.
-
Donald Trump welcomed PM Anthony Albanese to the White House, signing a rare earth minerals deal. It came amid rising trade tensions with China, which tightened its rare earth exports and is facing a 100% tariff threat from the US.
