International
The Chief Builder: Trump and his remodeling of the White House
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has become – during his current administration – the “chief builder” of a renovated White House, with multiple renovation plans ranging from replacing bathrooms that he does not like or planning an Arc de Triomphe in Washington to building a giant ballroom financed by tycoons who have contributed to his campaigns.
Since his return to power last January, Trump has dedicated himself to remodeling the headquarters of the US Executive. A parade of gold-plated objects on each ledge, on the chimneys, on the door handles and on the lamps – almost identical to those of his private club in Florida, in Mar-a-Lago – are visible at every public event.
“I have always been a builder and now I am building a nation that is respected again,” Trump said this week during a dinner he sponsored for two dozen tycoons who have decided to finance, with two hundred million dollars, a ballroom for nine hundred people that the president offered as part of the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding.
Trump said that “they had always wanted a ballroom” and joked that “they didn’t have a real estate agent,” referring to himself as a project manager.
Regarding the expensive construction, Trump said that “it is the price of having access to the president,” in front of donors he described as “legends,” including the oil company Harold Hamm, a prominent financier of the Republican’s campaigns.
At that dinner, Trump showed his guests three scale models of the new monument he plans to build, the “Trump Arc”, an arch inspired by that of Paris, located at the end of the Memorial Bridge that connects downtown Washington with Arlington.
In addition, the head of state suggested that the project could be financed with the surplus funds from the renovation of the ballroom.
However, this is a project that still needs to be approved by various state agencies and it is not clear whether the applications have been submitted.
In the quest to leave his mark on the residence of US presidents, last August, Trump premiered the new Rose Garden, a historic space on the west wing of the White House, built in 1913 and renovated by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962.
The Republican removed the lawn from the garden and placed stone, turning it into a courtyard similar to the Mar-a Lago club, where Trump spends his breaks and holds his business events.
The new Garden has been used for dinners with allies and recently to deliver recognitions such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which Trump posthumously awarded to the ultra-conservative activist, Charlie Kirk, murdered in September.
But the renovations have not been limited to common areas, Trump described the design of the Kennedy bathroom of the presidential suite as “not adequate”, complained about the green tones of the space and changed the Art Deco style tile for statuary marble, which – according to the president – now “better reflects the aesthetics of the civil war era.”
The renovations headed by Trump have been the subject of public scrutiny and questions about the legality of his actions in the White House, as well as his method of raising private funds for his plans, although the president and his Administration have defended themselves with a 1964 law that allows him to make aesthetic and structural changes.
The American Institute of Architects published in August its concern about Trump’s renovations, especially for the ballroom, and urged the National Capital Planning Commission to carry out rigorous controls to ensure that the project does not deviate or alter the neoclassical design of the White House.
International
Costa Rica hails appointment of Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Takaichi Sanae
The Government of Costa Rica on Tuesday congratulated Japan on the appointment of Takaichi Sanae as the country’s first female prime minister and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations in multiple areas.
“The Government of Costa Rica extends its warmest congratulations to the Government and people of Japan on the election of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. Costa Rica celebrates this decision, made by the Japanese Parliament, which for the first time places a woman in such a high office,” the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said in an official statement.
Costa Rica also reiterated its “strong commitment to further strengthening the traditional bonds of friendship and cooperation between both nations,” and to promoting joint initiatives “based on mutual respect, multilateralism, and shared democratic values.”
The statement also conveyed Costa Rica’s “best wishes for success” to Prime Minister Takaichi and expressed its “hopes for the well-being and prosperity of the Japanese people.”
Takaichi officially became Japan’s first female head of government on Tuesday after winning a parliamentary vote to succeed Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned in September following poor electoral results during his little more than a year in office.
International
Colombian court overturns ex-president Uribe’s conviction for witness tampering
Colombia’s judiciary overturned on Tuesday a conviction against former President Álvaro Uribe for witness tamperingin a case linked to his alleged ties with anti-guerrilla paramilitary groups.
The 73-year-old right-wing leader had become in August the first Colombian ex-president to be criminally convictedand sentenced to 12 years of house arrest for bribery and procedural fraud, following a first-instance ruling that his defense immediately appealed.
However, a judge from the Bogotá Superior Court annulled the conviction, ruling that there was insufficient evidenceto incriminate Uribe. The court also deemed the wiretaps used as evidence illegal and pointed to methodological flaws in the original ruling.
Leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, who filed the complaint against Uribe, announced he will file an appeal in cassation before the Supreme Court of Justice. Speaking at a press conference, Cepeda said he received the decision with “calm and respect,” though he disagreed with it.
After a six-hour reading of the verdict, the hearing concluded with Uribe attending virtually.
Uribe, who governed from 2002 to 2010, spent about 20 days under house arrest before being released on a previous court decision—the same court that has now overturned his conviction.
International
Venezuela accuses U.S. of using anti-drug operations as pretext to target Maduro
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino criticized on Tuesday what he described as the greater lethality of U.S. anti-drug operations in the Caribbean compared to those in the Pacific, where most drug trafficking routes are concentrated.
Venezuela maintains that the real goal of the U.S. military deployment in the region is to oust President Nicolás Maduro, rather than to combat drug trafficking as claimed by the White House.
Since September, the United States has reported seven attacks in the Caribbean against vessels allegedly linked to Venezuelan drug trafficking. President Donald Trump himself has shared videos of airstrikes on speedboats, with at least 32 people killed in these operations.
“The interdictions carried out in the Pacific do not receive the same treatment as those here in the Caribbean Sea,” Padrino said during a state television broadcast. “What is the real purpose behind this U.S. air and naval deployment in the Caribbean? Is it really about drug trafficking?” he asked.
Venezuelan authorities argue that only 5% of the drugs produced in Colombia leave through Venezuelan territorytoward the Caribbean, claiming that most shipments travel through the Pacific on their way to the United States.
The government also reports an increase in domestic anti-drug operations, showcased by state media, involving the destruction of clandestine airstrips and laboratories, and the seizure of boats, vehicles, and weapons, as well as the shooting down of aircraft allegedly used by traffickers.
On Tuesday, Padrino presented a report on several of these operations alongside the military commanders who led them.
Costa Rica hails appointment of Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Takaichi Sanae
Colombian court overturns ex-president Uribe’s conviction for witness tampering
Venezuela accuses U.S. of using anti-drug operations as pretext to target Maduro
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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