Category: World

Donald Trump’s administration is asking the Supreme Court for permission to build a massive ballroom to replace the demolished East Wing of the White House after a federal appeals court rejected the president’s attempts to construct the sprawling facility without approval from Congress.
Federal courts have allowed the president to continue construction on what officials have described as an expansive underground bunker while questioning the legality of the entire project after destroying the East Wing to make way for a 90,000 square foot facility that the administration argues is vital to national security and the president’s safety.
In a 2-to-1 ruling last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. said the Constitution gives Congress — not the president — authority to make substantial changes to the White House. That decision upheld an exclamation point-filled injunction by District Judge Richard Leon, who called the president the “steward” of the White House but not “the ow..

The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is defending a $1.7 billion plan to install barriers and other infrastructure in a national park on the Mexican border — despite opponents who say it would needlessly transform the far West Texas landscape.
Commissioner Rodney Scott said the barriers were needed to keep Big Bend National Park “safe, secure, and pristine so American families can enjoy the beauty of our country, free from fear of cartel activity, for generations to come.”
Scott also reiterated that the project had been scaled back from an earlier plan to erect a controversial border wall, saying, “We are NOT building a 30-foot wall or stadium lighting through Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, or the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.”
“What people are seeing right now is survey and design work — NOT construction of a wall through the park,” he said in a statement posted on the CBP website. “We are working to preserve the landscape and protect the access vis..

A pair of recent foodborne illness outbreaks have exposed a critical failure at the heart of North America's food system: the United States is increasingly relying on Mexico's produce industry while regulators are straining to oversee it to keep consumers safe.
Taylor Farms, a $7 billion company supplying fast-food chains, major distributors and grocers, recalled prepared products containing jalapenos this week after U.S. authorities linked a salmonella outbreak that has sickened several hundred people to peppers imported from Mexico. It followed a major cyclosporiasis outbreak, traced to iceberg lettuce Taylor Farms imported from Mexico, that made more than 6,300 people sick and caused two deaths.
The back-to-back incidents have revived concerns over the FDA's ability to oversee imported food, experts say. U.S. Food and Drug Administration employment fell by 22% in 2026 compared to 2024, according to agency data, in part due to workforce cuts since Donald Trump returned..

One person has been killed and several others injured after an explosion at a petroleum product storage facility in the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Thursday.
Officials confirmed the cause of the blast remains unknown. The incident happened at approximately 11.30am (0930 GMT).
A spokesperson for energy trading giant Gunvor explained that an “incident” occurred during maintenance on a storage tank, adding the firm is fully cooperating with local authorities. Police reported no initial evidence of sabotage, though all potential causes are currently being investigated.
Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, houses oil refineries, liquefied natural gas terminals and multiple petrochemical plants.
Major energy firms operating there include Shell, ExxonMobil, BP and Gunvor Energy.
open image in galleryThe explosion occurred at the Gunvor Energy oil refinery (Gunvor Energy)Shell stated its site operations were unaffected, while a Rotterdam Port spokesperson confirmed LNG terminals were also undist..