WASHINGTON: The White House on Monday started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Donald Trump’s ballroom.
The Washington Post shared dramatic photos of the demolition work on its website showing a backhoe tearing through the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next door to the East Wing.
The clearing of trees and other site preparation work started in September.
The White House insists it does not need approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for the demolition work, only for new construction. The commission is responsible for approving construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area. Its chairman is Will Scharf, who also is the White House staff secretary and a top aide to Trump.
The commission has not approved the construction and it was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans to the agency. The commission’s offices are closed because of the government shutdown.
The Republican president has said he’s adding a massive a 90,000-square-foot ballroom because the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small and he does not like the idea of hosting events in pavilions on the South Lawn.
The ballroom will fit 999 people, Trump said last week.
The White House has said it will be completed before his term ends in January 2029.
The White House starts demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump’s ballroom
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The White House starts demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump’s ballroom
- The White House insists it does not need approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for the demolition work, only for new construction
Cuba says a 5th person died after people on a Florida-flagged speedboat opened fire on soldiers
- Authorities in Cuba said that on Feb. 26 Cuban soldiers confronted a speedboat carrying 10 people as the vessel approached the island and opened fire on the troops
- The shooting threatened to increase tensions between US President Donald Trump and Cuban authorities
HAVANA: Cuba said a fifth person has died as a consequence of a fatal shootout last month involving a Florida-flagged speedboat that allegedly opened fire on soldiers in waters off the island nation’s north coast.
The island’s interior ministry said late Thursday in a statement that Roberto Álvarez Ávila died on March 4 as a result of his injuries. It added that the remaining injured detainees “continue to receive specialized medical care according to their health status.”
Authorities in Cuba said that on Feb. 26 Cuban soldiers confronted a speedboat carrying 10 people as the vessel approached the island and opened fire on the troops. They said the passengers were armed Cubans living in the US who were trying to infiltrate the island and “unleash terrorism”. Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others.
“The statements made by the detainees themselves, together with a series of investigative procedures, reinforce the evidence against them,” the Cuban interior ministry said in its statement, adding that “new elements are being obtained that establish the involvement of other individuals based in the US”
Earlier this week, Cuba said it had filed terrorism charges against six suspects that were on the speedboat. The government unveiled items said to have been found on the boat, including a dozen high-powered weapons, more than 12,800 pieces of ammunition and 11 pistols.
Cuban authorities have provided few details about the shooting, but said the boat was roughly 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) northeast of Cayo Falcones, off the country’s north coast. They also provided the boat’s registration number, but The Associated Press was unable to readily verify the details because boat registrations are not public in the state of Florida.
The shooting threatened to increase tensions between US President Donald Trump and Cuban authorities. The island’s economy was until recently largely kept economically afloat by Venezuela’s oil, which is now in doubt after a US military operation deposed then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
