Vue lecture

As Trump Throws a Midterm Party, Some Vulnerable Republicans Send Regrets

Many members of Congress in the most competitive re-election races are skipping the chance to share a pep rally stage with President Trump.

© Francis Chung/POLITICO, via Associated Press

Representative David Valadao of California said that President Trump had a part to play in the midterm elections, but that navigating around a deeply unpopular president and his policies was a challenge.
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Who Approves Trump’s Washington Makeover Projects?

The Supreme Court gave a green light to the new White House ballroom, but several of the president’s other Washington projects remain stalled.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that President Trump could continue his construction of a huge new ballroom for the White House where the East Wing used to be.
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Trump Mocks Data-Center Opponents as Wanting to Stay ‘Backwards and Poor’

The giant computing sites that power A.I. are increasingly opposed by communities across the country, a signal of voters’ concern about a changing economy.

© Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The New York Times

A 1,000-acre data center for Meta under construction in El Paso, Texas, in May. Polling shows most Americans oppose the proliferation of data centers in their communities.
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Teleprompter Operator Who Bet on Trump Speeches Is Ordered to Pay Fine

Gabriel Perez had access to the president’s speeches before they were delivered and was accused of placing unlawful wagers on words that would be spoken.

© Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Gabriel Perez, a former teleprompter operator for President Trump, before the start of a campaign rally in Iowa in 2024.
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Trump Creates a Space Academy and Honors the Artemis Astronauts

President Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew, which took a journey around the moon.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

President Trump referred to the astronauts, including Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, as “fearless explorers.”
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Trump Raises Money in Texas With Control of the Senate in the Balance

Many Republicans are hoping for financial support from President Trump, whose fund-raising power in the party remains unmatched despite his low poll numbers.

© Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

A cutout of President Trump in Cypress, Texas, during the Republican primary runoff for Senate between Attorney General Ken Paxton and Senator John Cornyn in May.
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Administration Lawyer Chosen to Lead Panel Considering Trump Construction Projects

Mark Paoletta, also a close associate of Justice Clarence Thomas’s, has been named by President Trump to lead the National Capital Planning Commission.

© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

As the chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, Mark Paoletta will be tasked with vetting President Trump’s planned arch and other construction projects.
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New White House Counsel Isn’t a Yes Man, but He Won’t Say No, Either

Will Scharf has proved his loyalty to President Trump, even filming a TV ad in which he blows away documents from the president’s legal cases. His new role will be to provide in-house legal advice.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Will Scharf in the Oval Office earlier this month.
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Gazebos From Uzbekistan: The Latest Foreign Gifts in Trump’s Washington

The structures will go up in West Potomac Park, the site of President Trump’s planned National Garden of American Heroes.

© Andrew Leyden for The New York Times

Workers moving materials for Uzbek gazebos at West Potomac Park on Tuesday. President Trump’s expansive plans for the area also include reflecting pools, dining facilities and an amphitheater.
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Trump’s Ballroom Is Rising at Breakneck Speed: 20 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

Although the fate of the ballroom is tied up in court, the Trump administration argues that the project is too far along to be stopped now.

© Andrew Leyden for The New York Times

Joshua Fisher, the director of White House management and administration, estimated that the construction of the White House ballroom was 65 percent complete.
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Trump Fired His Inspectors General. Their Replacements Have a Different Mission.

President Trump is installing his allies in the offices of inspector general, which are meant to provide independent government oversight.

© Al Drago for The New York Times

President Trump has inserted a conservative operative to take over the inspector general’s office in charge of any internal investigation into his botched repairs of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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As Iran Truce Expires and Options Shrivel, Trump Lashes Out

President Trump took aim at Oman, a U.S. ally that has been mediating the talks, as efforts to end a war he started have faltered.

© Al Drago for The New York Times

President Trump has claimed that Iran wants to “make a deal, but they’re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary.”
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