LIVE German 2025 Election Results

US Supreme Court allows Trump to continue White House ballroom project for now

Get you up to speed: US Supreme Court allows Trump’s ballroom project to continue for now

What remains unclear — It is uncertain how the White House intends to reconcile the ongoing construction with the requirement for congressional approval as mandated by lower court rulings.

US Supreme Court allows Trump to continue White House ballroom project for now

News|Donald TrumpUS Supreme Court allows Trump’s ballroom project to continue for now

The Trump administration has argued the $400m White House ballroom is needed for national security purposes.

Published On 21 Aug 202621 Aug 2026

The United States Supreme Court will allow President Donald Trump to continue his $400m White House ballroom project for now, temporarily pausing a judicial order that would halt much of the development.

US Chief Justice John Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday allowing work to proceed while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration.

Lower courts had ordered a halt to the $400m project, finding that it must have congressional approval. That ruling was set to take effect on Friday. Roberts signed the order because he oversees appeals of cases based in the Washington, DC, area.

The case comes before the nation’s highest court as Trump, a Republican, seeks to expand presidential power and mould the capital in his own image.

The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the high court’s emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president’s signature policies after fuller review.

The court skews conservative, with six justices appointed by right-wing presidents, compared to three named by left-leaning leaders.

A long-sought goal

Trump’s ambitions to construct a White House ballroom predate even his first term in office.

The Republican leader reportedly approached the administration of former President Barack Obama about such a construction as far back as 2010.

But since returning to the presidency for a second term in 2025, Trump has taken a more aggressive approach to pursuing construction and renovation projects in Washington, DC.

His administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit.

In October, he demolished the century-old East Wing of the White House to make room for the ballroom, with no advance notice to the public.

While the Trump administration has argued in recent court filings that the ballroom must be completed due to national security concerns, his initial plans did not emphasise safety.

Rather, Trump had touted the need for additional space to hold state dinners and other events. The new ballroom structure is expected to measure roughly 8,400 square metres (90,000 square feet), dwarfing the White House’s main building.

Trump also said the project would be funded by private donations, though critics have pointed out that the administration has sought taxpayer funds, as well.

A lengthy legal fight

In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit to stop the ballroom’s construction, arguing that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work.

Lawyers for the preservation group accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction in recent months, despite injunctions to pause the work.

The Trump administration has argued that 65 percent of work has already been completed.

Crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week on the project, US Department of Justice lawyers said in court documents. About $200m in private donations have also been spent or committed to the project, they added.

In April, US district court judge Richard Leon, who was appointed under Republican President George W Bush, ordered a stop to aboveground construction on the ballroom.

He emphasised that the president is “not the owner” of the White House and that such dramatic change should require congressional approval.

Leon did, however, include a carve-out to allow necessary construction to proceed if it ensured “the safety and security of the White House”. Below the ballroom, work is under way to create a multi-storey bunker that would house a hospital and military facilities.

Earlier this month, a majority on a three-judge appeals court panel upheld Leon’s injunction.

“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” two judges, both appointed by Democrats, ruled.

A third judge, appointed by Trump, said that the National Trust for Historic Preservation had no legal right to sue and called the court’s injunction a “blatant abuse of discretion”.

The appeals court ruling, however, was paused for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to petition the Supreme Court. That two-week window would have come to a close on Friday.

Two Spanish waterparks close due to ‘brown challenge’ incidents

Get you up to speed: Two waterparks forced to close over disgusting ‘brown challenge’ spreading across Spain | News World

What remains unclear — It is not clear whether the individuals responsible for the recent incidents at Caribe Aquatic Park have been identified.

Two Spanish waterparks close due to ‘brown challenge’ incidents

More pools in Spain have been targeted by the ‘brown challenge’ (Picture: portaventuraworld.com)

It appears the revolting ‘brown challenge’ is still going strong, as it’s forced two Spanish pools to close due to connected incidents.

For those fortunate enough to still be blissfully unaware of this disgusting trend, never fear, as we can fill you in.

In recent years, Instagram and TikTok users have taken it upon themselves to try and get public pools to close by either pooing in the water or releasing it from a bag inside their swimwear.

It’s caused a serious public health crisis, with the so-called ‘prank’ already leading to the closure of more than 300 pools in Spain, which had to be cleaned thoroughly and remain closed to the public for 24 to 48 hours by law.

And now, two more pools at a Caribbean-themed waterpark can be added to the list of victims.

The closures affected an area for adults and another for children at the Caribe Aquatic Park inside the PortAventura World resort on the Costa Dorada in the east coast province of Tarragona.

Sign up for all of the latest stories

Popular with British and Irish holidaymakers, the waterpark attracts around 5.3 million visitors per year and was full of tourists who were ordered out after faeces were spotted.

Footage soon made its way to social media, and it left little to the imagination as the evacuation procedures got underway.

‘This isn’t AI – this is reality. If you’re at Caribe Aquatic Park, you’ll have seen it. We’re all out of the pool.’

Another swimmer affected by the closures described ‘moments of tension’, adding: ‘Both pools, the adult one and the children’s one, had to be completely evacuated after someone apparently carried out the famous “summer challenge.”

‘Luckily, the quick response of the lifeguards and all the park staff prevented the situation from getting worse.’

Holiday spots and tourist attractions in Spain are becoming public health hazards (Picture: Shutterstock/saiko3p)

Criticising whoever was responsible, they asked: ‘Do you really have to go this far to pull a prank?

‘The kinds of challenges can have very serious consequences.’

Theme park officials also told local media in a statement: ‘The safety and well-being of our visitors is our top priority, and our team is trained and prepared to manage this type of situation with the utmost diligence and efficiency.

‘We rigorously applied all the health protocols established by current regulations and the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT).

‘Specifically, in the event of any detection and presence of faeces, vomit or other visible organic waste in the water, swimming is immediately prohibited until the situation is normalised after the corresponding protocol has been applied.’

Thankfully, the situation has returned to normal following the incident on Tuesday afternoon, though there were unconfirmed claims on social media today that the grim stunt had since been repeated there.

Authorities are trying to crack down on the grim behaviour by handing out hefty fines (Picture: Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images)

One user of the pools at the Caribe Aquatic Park said: ‘The incident that was reported on happened on Tuesday, but on Wednesday it occurred again. I was there that afternoon.’

An enraged local declared: ‘I’d make those responsible clean the toilets with their tongues.’

It was not immediately clear this afternoon if those behind the disgusting prank had been identified.

However, authorities have not been messing around when it comes to consequences, as fines ranging from £1,000 to £5,000 have been brought in to punish offenders.

Those caught are, of course, banned from the pool as well, as you’d hope.

Pools have also been enforcing police surveillance, although catching the offenders can prove tricky, since pools cannot install cameras or demand ID on entry.

Currently, around 50 municipalities have issued public alerts in a bid to crack down on the behaviour.

Over the past couple of years, the nasty prank has caused major issues for public pools in Spain, many of which are either small-town pools used by families or tourist hotspots.

As well as having to legally remain closed for sometimes two days while cleaning and filtering takes place, pools must test the water several times to ensure it is safe before reopening.

Sometimes, the pools must be drained and refilled completely, which can prove extremely costly.

This is because faeces can transmit viruses that pool chlorine does not kill, including norovirus; bacteria such as Salmonella; and parasites such as Cryptosporidium.

If swimmers accidentally swallow or inhale the dirty water, it can cause problems like stomach pains, vomiting, fever, diarrhoea, and more.

Children are most vulnerable as they swallow more water while swimming.

Comment now

Comments

Add WTX as a Preferred Source on Google

Add as preferred source