Gulf of America

[Ron in Regina]

…with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other lawmakers arguing that Trump’s priorities and preferences were not aligned with average Americans.

Only days after the toppling of the Maduro regime in Venezuela, news broke Monday morning that President Donald Trump had led a Navy SEAL team to capture rogue dictator Gavin Newsom.

Reports came in in the early morning hours that loud explosions had been heard near the governor's mansion, with multiple witnesses saying they saw Black Hawk helicopters flying low over the city. A statement from the White House later confirmed that communist despot Gavin Newsom had been apprehended by Navy SEALs under the command of President Trump.

"The people of California are now free," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "President Trump personally led the mission to take Gavin Newsom into U.S. custody, ending years of suffering and oppression for the people under his rule.
We are pleased to announce that no lives were lost in the mission and that Governor Newsom is currently in transit to a secret location for questioning following a brief stop the SEAL team made at McDonald's."

"Californians can now live in peace with the United States," Commando Trump said. "For too long, Greasy Gavin Newscum has run a corrupt totalitarian government in the once-beautiful state of California. I am pleased to confirm that the amazing Navy SEALs, with me leading the mission, have captured Newscum. He will now answer for his horrible crimes and for his hair. Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Trump Leads SEAL Team To Capture Rogue Dictator Gavin Newsom

SACRAMENTO, CA — Only days after the toppling of the Maduro regime in Venezuela, news broke Monday morning that President Donald Trump had led a Navy SEAL team to capture rogue dictator Gavin Newsom.

babylonbee.com

At publishing time, the White House had also confirmed that the United States had seized control of the millions of barrels of crude oil Newsom had stockpiled for use as his hair product.

 

[Ron in Regina]

The Group of 7 summit, hosted by France in the Alpine resort town of Evian-les-Bains, was originally scheduled for 14 to 16 June, a date that coincides with US Flag Day and US president Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. It will now run from 15 to 17 June, a change that has been reflected on the G7’s official website.

Asked about the change in dates, the office of French president Emmanuel Macron declined to confirm whether it was linked to the UFC event, saying instead that the revised schedule was “the result of our consultations with G7 partners”. The possibility that the summit could be moved because of Trump’s birthday celebrations was first reported by the French regional outlet Le Messager.

The rescheduling underscores the tightly knit relationship between Trump and White, which dates back more than two decades. In 2001, when the UFC was struggling for mainstream acceptance and was barred from hosting events in many US states, Trump allowed the promotion to stage fights at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, providing it with early exposure and a foothold in regulated markets.

France taps out as G7 summit moved to avoid clash with White House UFC event — Guardian US

France has delayed the G7 summit by a day to avoid a clash with a UFC fight card planned at the White House on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday

apple.news

For France and its G7 partners, the decision to shift the summit by a day avoids a “diplomatic collision” with a highly publicized event at the White House and reflects how Trump’s presidency has increasingly merged governance with political branding and entertainment.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Demolition crews on Monday began tearing down part of the White House to build President Donald Trump’s long-desired ballroom despite his pledge that construction of the $250 million addition wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing building.

Remember when way back seven months ago when Trumps ballroom was only gonna cost 1/4 billion dollars and of that the taxpayers wouldn’t have to pay anything? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

Construction teams were demolishing a portion of the East Wing, with a backhoe ripping through the structure, and the absolute irony would be if the track-hoe operator is British (or of British descent).

Since returning to the White House for a second term last year, Trump has added gold details to the Oval Office, paved over the rose garden to install a patio space, refurbished the bathroom attached to the Lincoln bedroom and demolished the East Wing to make room for a new ballroom. It’s like a Joni Mitchell song.

Officials declined to provide an explanation for Trump’s earlier comments that the new construction would not interfere with the existing building. Officials have separately said that the ballroom would replace the East Wing, noting the many changes made to that structure long before Trump’s presidency.

Trump recently trumped, "We're building something in front of the White House that's quite attractive to a lot of people. And I'm looking at it and maybe we'll never, ever take it down."

Construction has started, with workers assembling domed arches over a staging area which will become the octagon. Trump says he may choose to leave the arena standing because it is "attractive to a lot of people", like when Paris decided to keep the Eiffel Tower.

Trump says Eiffel Tower-like UFC structure may stay — BBC News

President Donald Trump says he may choose to leave a purpose-built UFC arena standing at the White House because it is "attractive to a lot of people".

apple.news

This is neither from the Beaverton nor the Babylon Bee.

 

[petros]

Remember when way back seven months ago when Trumps ballroom was only gonna cost 1/4 billion dollars and of that the taxpayers wouldn’t have to pay anything? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

View attachment 34627
Since returning to the White House for a second term last year, Trump has added gold details to the Oval Office, paved over the rose garden to install a patio space, refurbished the bathroom attached to the Lincoln bedroom and demolished the East Wing to make room for a new ballroom. It’s like a Joni Mitchell song.

Trump recently trumped, "We're building something in front of the White House that's quite attractive to a lot of people. And I'm looking at it and maybe we'll never, ever take it down."

Construction has started, with workers assembling domed arches over a staging area which will become the octagon. Trump says he may choose to leave the arena standing because it is "attractive to a lot of people", like when Paris decided to keep the Eiffel Tower.

Trump says Eiffel Tower-like UFC structure may stay — BBC News

President Donald Trump says he may choose to leave a purpose-built UFC arena standing at the White House because it is "attractive to a lot of people".

apple.news

This is neither from the Beaverton nor the Babylon Bee.

Apparently he has diverted $73M from National Parks to upgrade fountains and shit in DC.

The Trump administration diverted at least $73 million in National Park Service (NPS) entry fee revenues to fund beautification projects in Washington, D.C. This included roughly $67 million directed to repairs for nine ornamental fountains and $7 million for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

$7 point fucking 4 Million per fountain?

Chocolate and champagne fountains?

 

[Taxslave2]

$7 point fucking 4 Million per fountain?

Lots of bureaucraps need their bonuses.

 

[petros]

Lots of bureaucraps need their bonuses.

Beaureaucraps don't do parging and plumbing. I'd like to bid on those.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Remember when way back seven months ago when Trumps ballroom was only gonna cost 1/4 billion dollars and of that the taxpayers wouldn’t have to pay anything? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

Lots of bureaucraps need their bonuses.

Beaureaucraps don't do parging and plumbing. I'd like to bid on those.

Donors of Trump's politically toxic White House ballroom have reportedly received federal contracts worth billions of dollars.

'You got us there!': Nicolle ROASTS Trump's ballroom defense after donors won $50B in contracts — MS NOW

Donors of Trump's politically toxic White House ballroom have reportedly received federal contracts worth billions of dollars. Nicolle is joined by Robert Weissman and David Frum for analysis on Deadline White House.

apple.news

• The Contracts: More than half (14 out of 27) of the publicly identified corporate donors have secured new or expanded federal contracts since the project's demolition phase began.
• Top Recipients: Defense and tech giants lead the recipients. Lockheed Martin received roughly $43.8 billion in new or expanded funding. Other donors receiving increased contracts include Booz Allen Hamilton, Palantir, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
• Broader Context: According to the same group, many of these corporate donors facing federal enforcement actions or regulatory scrutiny have seen those cases eased or suspended by the Trump administration.

You can read more about the watchdog's analysis on ⁠Public Citizen or review the coverage on ⁠The Washington Post.

A federal appeals court panel expressed skepticism Friday about the Trump administration’s view that courts are powerless to stop the construction of the White House ballroom now that the East Wing had been demolished.

Two members of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit repeatedly pressed administration lawyers about its argument that President Donald Trump’s pet project — now well underway — could not be stopped by the courts even if it was found to be illegal, because it was too far along and involved significant national security interests?

“If the government decides, very quickly, to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty — the people whose ancestors that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the government moved too fast — nothing can be done?” the judge asked.

“I think that’s right, yes,” Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department attorney responded.

Trump could also tear down the Statue of Liberty, DOJ argues in defense of White House ballroom — POLITICO

Justice Department lawyers said the courts are powerless to intervene in the dispute over the former East Wing.

apple.news

 

[Taxslave2]

Beaureaucraps don't do parging and plumbing. I'd like to bid on those.

Be a bureaucrap, and get a huge bonus for giving the parging contract to your brother's company.

 

[petros]

Be a bureaucrap, and get a huge bonus for giving the parging contract to your brother's company.

Why? I don't want to work.

 

[Ron in Regina]

The Group of 7 summit, hosted by France in the Alpine resort town of Evian-les-Bains, was originally scheduled for 14 to 16 June, a date that coincides with US Flag Day and US president Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. It will now run from 15 to 17 June, a change that has been reflected on the G7’s official website.

“It’s like hosting Thanksgiving dinner with some awkward relatives and a few awkward moments,” said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “There’s a different definition of success. Getting the president and getting the United States to just be, in some ways, normal and having this come across as a relatively routine summit — that’s the win.”

Asked about the change in dates, the office of French president Emmanuel Macron declined to confirm whether it was linked to the UFC event, saying instead that the revised schedule was “the result of our consultations with G7 partners”. The possibility that the summit could be moved because of Trump’s birthday celebrations was first reported by the French regional outlet Le Messager.

Trump spent most of the week, and especially his closing news conference, touting his own success in bringing the Iran war to an end after more than 100 days. The Iran war started Feb.28th when America and Israel attacked Iran.

Trump spent a good portion of the week soaking up praise from other leaders. Among the glowing words, a leaders’ statement on geopolitics mentioned Trump three times, hailing the “historic” agreement between the United States and Iran as having been secured under his “strong leadership.” French President Emmanuel Macron, this year’s G-7 host, praised “the excellent agreement concluded between the United States and Iran, obtained by President Trump.”

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Trump declared the G-7 summit a success, in no small part because of the deal he had struck with Iran, bolstering economies across the globe that have been thrown into economic turmoil due to tariff increases and the Iran war. For many of the G-7 leaders gathered in Évian, avoiding a new crisis was enough, observers said.

G-7 ends without rupture as allies praise Trump for ending Iran war — The Washington Post

Group of Seven leaders ended their summit praising Trump’s role in securing an Iran agreement. Yet the gathering also underscored how allies continue to adapt to the uncertainty his presidency has injected into global politics and economics.

apple.news

 

[Ron in Regina]

Donors of Trump's politically toxic White House ballroom have reportedly received federal contracts worth billions of dollars.

From the outside, looking in just because it’s so obvious and blatant, I wonder what this helipad is gonna cost if Sikorsky, a subsidiary of the Lockheed ⁠Martin Corp, was gonna pony up the 5-6 million dollars for a helipad at the White House?

“"They didn't tell us how powerful these helicopters were and they felt a little bit guilty," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The president said after he learned ‌Sikorsky ⁠was paying, he asked for the helipad to have a carved seal of the White House.

Lockheed did not immediately respond to a request for comment ⁠on the president's comments.”

Trump says Sikorsky to fund White House helicopter landing pad — Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Monday that Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) subsidiary that ‌builds Marine One helicopters, will fund a new White House landing pad intended for the next-generation aircraft.

apple.news

 

[Ron in Regina]

Demolition crews on Monday began tearing down part of the White House to build President Donald Trump’s long-desired ballroom despite his pledge that construction of the $250 million addition wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing building.

Construction teams were demolishing a portion of the East Wing, with a backhoe ripping through the structure, and the absolute irony would be if the track-hoe operator is British (or of British descent).

Remember when way back seven months ago when Trumps ballroom was only gonna cost 1/4 billion dollars and of that the taxpayers wouldn’t have to pay anything? Pepperidge Farms remembers.

Apparently he has diverted $73M from National Parks to upgrade fountains and shit in DC.

The Trump administration diverted at least $73 million in National Park Service (NPS) entry fee revenues to fund beautification projects in Washington, D.C. This included roughly $67 million directed to repairs for nine ornamental fountains and $7 million for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

$7 point fucking 4 Million per fountain?

Chocolate and champagne fountains?

He’s batshit-crazy but at least it keeps some preoccupied at times…

Since returning to the White House for a second term last year, Trump has added gold details to the Oval Office, paved over the rose garden to install a patio space, refurbished the bathroom attached to the Lincoln bedroom and demolished the East Wing to make room for a new ballroom. It’s like a Joni Mitchell song.

"Each ‌President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House," and cannot fundamentally reshape it without congressional approval, the Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in a 2-1 opinion.

A U.S. federal appeals court ordered Donald Trump's administration on Friday to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority.

The order upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued last year after the administration tore down the East Wing and began building a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom without seeking authorization from Congress.

"Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the panel's majority wrote.

The appeals court placed its ruling on hold for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme ⁠Court. Trump, who has increasingly claimed that the ballroom project is a security necessity, referred to the structure as a "military center" in a post on Truth Social on Friday and said the administration would appeal to the Supreme Court. He called the decision "horrendous" and politically motivated and said it left him, other White House officials and visitors exposed to attack.

"This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety," Trump wrote. He said the ballroom plan includes bomb shelters, medical facilities, shielding from drones and missiles and other security features that are "all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit."

Is he still talking about his Ballroom or lack there of?

In the ballroom case, Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth said during D.C. Circuit arguments on June 5 that the courts have no role in weighing the “privately funded” project? More than $300 million is allocated from public coffers—including $155 million from the Secret Service and $149 million from the White House Military Office—officially categorized under security infrastructure, underground bunker systems, and related facility upgrades. Taxpayers are projected to cover over $300 million (roughly half) of the actual combined construction and security costs.

The Democratic-appointed judges in ⁠the appeals court’s majority — Circuit Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia — said their order does not permanently bar construction of a ballroom, but halts above-ground work during the lawsuit and until the White House secures approval from Congress. National security arguments “are not an automatic get-out-of-law-free card,” the opinion said.

“The bold assertion that the Executive can act with utter lawlessness, destroying treasured national landmarks and harming the interests of individuals, and that no ⁠court can stop it flouts our constitutional order,” the judges wrote.

US appeals court blocks Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project — Reuters

A U.S. federal appeals court ordered Donald Trump's administration on Friday to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority.

apple.news

Trump has defended his ballroom's price tag, which has doubled from initial projections. Trump said in a post on Truth Social in May that the cost rose because "it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal" and promised "it will be magnificent, safe, and secure!"

 

[petros]

He’s batshit-crazy but at least it keeps some preoccupied at times…

"Each ‌President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House," and cannot fundamentally reshape it without congressional approval, the Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in a 2-1 opinion.

A U.S. federal appeals court ordered Donald Trump's administration on Friday to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority.

The order upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued last year after the administration tore down the East Wing and began building a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom without seeking authorization from Congress.
View attachment 35277
"Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the panel's majority wrote.

The appeals court placed its ruling on hold for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme ⁠Court. Trump, who has increasingly claimed that the ballroom project is a security necessity, referred to the structure as a "military center" in a post on Truth Social on Friday and said the administration would appeal to the Supreme Court. He called the decision "horrendous" and politically motivated and said it left him, other White House officials and visitors exposed to attack.

"This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety," Trump wrote. He said the ballroom plan includes bomb shelters, medical facilities, shielding from drones and missiles and other security features that are "all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit."

Is he still talking about his Ballroom or lack there of?

In the ballroom case, Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth said during D.C. Circuit arguments on June 5 that the courts have no role in weighing the “privately funded” project? More than $300 million is allocated from public coffers—including $155 million from the Secret Service and $149 million from the White House Military Office—officially categorized under security infrastructure, underground bunker systems, and related facility upgrades. Taxpayers are projected to cover over $300 million (roughly half) of the actual combined construction and security costs.

The Democratic-appointed judges in ⁠the appeals court’s majority — Circuit Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia — said their order does not permanently bar construction of a ballroom, but halts above-ground work during the lawsuit and until the White House secures approval from Congress. National security arguments “are not an automatic get-out-of-law-free card,” the opinion said.

“The bold assertion that the Executive can act with utter lawlessness, destroying treasured national landmarks and harming the interests of individuals, and that no ⁠court can stop it flouts our constitutional order,” the judges wrote.

US appeals court blocks Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project — Reuters

A U.S. federal appeals court ordered Donald Trump's administration on Friday to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority.

apple.news

Trump has defended his ballroom's price tag, which has doubled from initial projections. Trump said in a post on Truth Social in May that the cost rose because "it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal" and promised "it will be magnificent, safe, and secure!"

Construction was halted today.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Construction was halted today.

Temporarily. They’re hoping that he’s going to try and get approval from Congress, and I’m thinking that’s gonna happen about when hell freezes over. Anywho…this ruling gives Trump two weeks to appeal as opposed to actually…getting approval from Congress.

 

[petros]

Temporarily. They’re hoping that he’s going to try and get approval from Congress, and I’m thinking that’s gonna happen about when hell freezes over. Anywho…this ruling gives Trump two weeks to appeal as opposed to actually…getting approval from Congress.

Congress just had some new faces added, it may be awhile before the newbies get their poop in a group.