## Donors for Trump’s $300m White House ballroom include Google, Apple and Palantir

Authored by theguardian.com

The White House has revealed that major companies in the tech, defense and crypto industries are helping Donald Trump fund his $300m ballroom at the White House, where work is under way to demolish the entire East Wing.

Some donors last week were invited to a White House dinner celebrating their contribution to the ballroom project, including representatives from Google, Amazon and Lockheed Martin.

“Chief executives throughout history have contributed to making the White House special, and nothing of this magnitude has been done,” Trump told the donors at the start of the dinner, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said the ballroom “is being paid for 100% by me and some friends of mine”.

While the president initially said the 90,000 sq ft ballroom would cost $200m, he upped the figure to $300m on Wednesday.

In a letter to the White House on Thursday, House Democrats deplored the demolition and the lack of transparency around the new ballroom.

“This project represents one of the most substantial alterations to the White House in modern history,” the letter said. »

### Trump won’t go to Congress over war with drug cartels: ‘They’re gonna be, like, dead’

Authored by independent.co.uk

“I don’t think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war.

The president had said one day earlier that he would seek permission from Congress if “they come in by land.”.

The power to declare war belongs solely to Congress, as established under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. »

### Melania Trump’s meme coin architects accused of pump-and-dump fraud in lawsuit

Authored by theguardian.com

The $MELANIA coins were released for just a few cents each on 19 January, the day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as US president.

However, it then collapsed almost as quickly, and is now only worth about 10 cents – less than 1% of its peak price.

$TRUMP traded at a peak of $45.47 and now goes for $5.79, according to Coin Market Cap. »

### Jack Smith asks Congress and the Justice Department to allow him to testify publicly

Authored by cnn.com

Former special counsel Jack Smith is requesting that Congress and the Justice Department allow him to testify publicly, according to a new letter he sent Thursday to the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.

The letter, obtained by CNN, reflects a bubbling inquiry from Republicans in Congress who have accused Smith of wrongdoing in overseeing the prosecutors’ office.

Smith has maintained he followed all court and Justice Department protocols. »

### DC man who played Darth Vader theme at national guard troops sues over arrest

Authored by theguardian.com

A Washington DC resident who was detained last month for following a national guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme from the Star Wars films has filed a lawsuit alleging that his constitutional rights were violated.

O’Hara was protesting against the Trump administration’s deployment of national guard troops by walking behind them and playing The Imperial March, the song used in Star Wars as a theme for Darth Vader and other figures of the hated Galactic Empire.

The national guard and Washington DC police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. »

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