House Republicans vote to rename the Kennedy Center Opera House
The House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment proposing the change by a vote of 33-25.
Representative Mike Simpson introduced the measure, stating it would recognize Melania Trump's support for the arts.
The Opera House, which hosts the annual Kennedy Center Honors, can accommodate over 2,300 attendees.
Democrats, including Representative Chellie Pingree, have criticized the amendment as 'divisive'.
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Reuters
7 minutes ago
- Reuters
German finance minister to push for steel quotas on Washington trip
BERLIN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil will advocate for a quota system on steel exports to be included in the EU's trade deal with the United States at a meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Scott Bessent, later on Monday, he told a radio broadcaster. "There is talk of a quota system for steel, and it would be good if there were one," Klingbeil told Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday before his planned meeting in Washington. There are a number of chapters that have not yet been finalised in the trade deal struck, said Klingbeil, and steel is a particularly important issue for the German economy and jobs. "I will test out what steps the American government is prepared to take and what the solution might look like," said Klingbeil, even though the EU is responsible for negotiations. The EU's trade deal with Trump in July was greeted with a mix of relief and anger, with tariffs set at 15% for most products but negotiations continuing for certain sectors, including steel and aluminium, which carry tariffs of 50%. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had said on Friday the EU will negotiate with the United States on steel, with a focus on quotas that can be exported without too high tariffs. Klingbeil also urged quick clarification of other outstanding details in the trade dispute, including the investments promised by the EU and in the energy sector. "It should happen in the next few days," he said.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Boost to socialist NYC mayor hopeful as the Big Apple's most conservative borough swings his way
Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has received a huge boost as Democratic leaders in even the city's most conservative borough publicly backed the controversial nominee. Staten Island Democrats announced this week they are supporting the 33-year-old in the general election after previously backing his moderate rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during the primary in June. The former governor is now running in the general election on an independent along with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, while Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa runs on the Republican line. Explaining why the Staten Island Democratic Party has swung for Mamdani, Chairwoman Laura LoBianco told the New York Post: 'Zohran is the Democratic nominee. The voters have spoken.' 'We want to work together. I want to make sure Staten Island has a seat at the table,' she added. The announcement comes weeks after Brooklyn Democrat chairwoman Rodneyse Bichotte, who also endorsed Cuomo during the primary election, shared her support for the '100 percent communist' following his primary victory. Mamdani has also been in contact with party leaders in Queens, particularly those who represent black neighborhoods that largely went for Cuomo during the primary. 'While Zohran builds real support across all five boroughs, Cuomo's campaign is withering as New Yorkers learn he stands for absolutely nothing but his own ambition, dogged by scandal, corruption and a record of sexual harassment and humiliation,' a spokesperson for Mamdani's campaign has said. Mamdani has campaigned on a series of woke policies that would drastically reshape the City that Never Sleeps. He has said he wants to raise taxes on millionaires and corporations by $9 billion to subsidize his plans for fare-free buses, free child care and housing. Mamdani, who is currently serving in the New York State Legislature, also wants to spend $65 million on transgender care and has pushed populist ideas including grocery stores that would be owned by the city. Additionally, the controversial figure has advocated for defunding the city's police department - but vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to set foot in the Big Apple. Mamdani seemed to double down on those remarks by expressing his support to 'globalize the intifada' - and defending the controversial phrase, which many see as a call for violence against Israeli and Jewish people around the world. Yet LoBianco Sword said Mamdani's messaging is clearly getting through to the public as she praised the socialist candidate for bringing new voters into the Democratic Party. She then went on to argue that Mamdani has correctly identified the problems plaguing the city, claiming that whether or not voters agree with his plan for government-run grocery stores it is evident that there are 'food deserts' in the city. When she was then asked about Mamdani's plans to raise taxes, LoBianco Sword said she agreed that the wealthy 'should pay their fair share.' In an effort to further his base, Mamdani is now planning a large general election campaign launch on August 17 on Staten Island. He is apparently hoping to close the gap between him and the former governor, who narrowly beat Mamdani in the primary - with 46.5 percent of the vote compared to 37.5 percent during the initial round of ranked-choice voting. But Staten Island Republican Chairman Michael Tannousis said he still does not see the island going for Mamdani in the general as he blasted the Democrat's support for the socialist candidate as a 'shotgun wedding.' Instead, Tannousis said he believes many moderate Democrats will vote for Sliwa, who won 65 percent of the vote in the borough against Adams in 2021, when Adams ran as a Democrat. 'There is no appetite for socialism and the socialist agenda,' he argued. 'Curtis will win Staten Island,' the state assemblyman added. 'He may get a bigger vote than four years ago.' 'Staten Islanders will have a choice: either the Mamdani socialist Democrats or the Republican ticket.' Sliwa also told the Post: 'If I lose Staten Island, shame on me. It's a real battleground but I've been there forever.' He then went on to suggest Staten Islanders would never forgive current Mayor Eric Adams for bringing migrant shelters into the borough and argued that Cuomo is running on his legacy - making him the only viable rival to Mamdani. Meanwhile, a representative for the Cuomo campaign called Mamdan the second coming of former Mayor Bill de Blasio - and not in a good way. Spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the socialist 'reeks of insecurity' and has a 'history of anti-cop, anti-capitalist rhetoric that will go over as well on Staten Island as Bill de Blasio eating pizza with a fork and a knife. 'Ladies and gentlemen: Bill de Blasio 2.0,' he argued. But late night host Bill Maher has seemed to suggest Mamdani may be worse, as he warned that the Democratic Party is headed for collapse if it continues to appease radical leftists like the New York City mayoral hopeful. Speaking during the Overtime segment of his show Real Time with Bill Maher on YouTube, the comedian said Democrats are gripped by an 'identity crisis' and running out of time to choose a side. 'The world is a complicated place and it's not just about oppressor and oppressed,' Maher argued. 'They have a thought in their head that white people did some very bad things and white people did some very bad things, BUT so did everybody else in the world. 'But they don't know that, they see the world through this one prism. And until they do, I don't think you're going to get them off this issue and I don't think the Democratic Party is going to go forward until they make a decision: whose side are you on here? 'Are you on the side of Western civilization and Western values or are you on the side of the terrorists?' He then pointed to Mamdani as an example of how extreme the party's fringe has become. 'There's a lot of opposition [to Mamdani] because we've never had someone this radical,' Maher said. 'Some of the things he says, you know he quotes Marxists, "each according to their need." I mean, that's straight up communism.' Maher was backed in his argument by his guest, Secret City author and columnist James Kirchick, who accused Democratic leaders of showing 'cowardice and spinelessness' by failing to denounce Mamdani. He likened their silence to how Republicans failed to stop Donald Trump's rise.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
We don't want ‘disgusting' sex traffickers in our prison, say Ghislaine Maxwell's fellow inmates
Ghislaine's Maxwell's arrival at a minimum-security prison in Texas has provoked anger among her fellow inmates. A prisoner at Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan told The Telegraph she was 'disgusted' by Maxwell's transfer and that her feelings were widely shared by other inmates at the facility. Maxwell, the British socialite and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, was quietly moved to the prison camp 100 miles outside Houston, Texas, this week from a stricter low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida. Her new prison mostly houses inmates convicted of 'white-collar' crimes and low-level offences, and they are said to be angry that Maxwell is being held among them. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for procuring underage girls for the late financier and convicted paedophile, who took his own life in prison in 2019. Julie Howell, 44, who is serving a one-year sentence for theft, told The Telegraph that 'every inmate I've heard from is upset she's here'. 'This facility is supposed to house non-violent offenders,' she added. 'Human trafficking is a violent crime.' Inmates at minimum-security institutions, also known as FPCs, benefit from low prison guard-to-inmate ratio and limited-to-no perimeter fencing. It is the same prison facility where Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, a fraudulent blood-testing company, is serving an 11-year sentence. It also allows inmates to play with puppies as part of a scheme to train dogs to become service animals. Upon Maxwell's arrival at the facility, prisoners were allegedly locked down and had the blinds shut in an apparent effort to shield her from view. The transfer comes a week after she was interviewed by Todd Blanche, Donald Trump 's deputy attorney general, leading to intense speculation that some sort of deal has been cut. Mr Trump has come under pressure in recent weeks to release all information related to Epstein, after the Department of Justice and FBI concluded that he died by suicide and did not possess a 'client list'. During a nine-hour interrogation with Mr Blanche, Maxwell was allegedly grilled about Epstein's connections to Bill Clinton, the Duke of York and Bill Gates, as well several other billionaires, according to the Daily Mail. Maxwell's legal team have said she is willing to testify before Congress in exchange for a presidential pardon or having her sentence commuted – a possibility Mr Trump has not ruled out. Inmates at FPC Bryan are worried about their own safety, given the widespread threats against Maxwell and lack of tight security on the prison grounds. Howell said: 'We have heard there are threats against her life and many of us are worried about our own safety because she's here.' Her comments will only fuel concern that could be targeted at the facility, preventing her testimony about Epstein from ever seeing the light of day. Maxwell was allegedly moved under the cover of darkness because she had been 'bombarded' with death threats from rapists who accused her of being a 'snitch', according to the Mail on Sunday. A source told the newspaper: 'As soon as Ghislaine spoke to the government she was considered a snitch by other inmates at Tallahassee. There were very real and very credible threats on her life. 'There were real fears inside Tallahassee that they could not guarantee her safety, which is why she was moved.' Maxwell 'could be a flight risk' Howell, who self-surrendered in July to serve her sentence at FPC Bryan, has a daughter who was trafficked as a teenager. In an email sent from prison about Maxwell's transfer, she wrote: 'I am honestly shocked she was moved to a federal prison camp with her history and charges.' The married mother-of-four said that her daughter was repeatedly trafficked from the age of 17, leading to her being 'beaten, choked and eventually shot'. Her daughter also allegedly became pregnant as a result and Howell said she has since adopted the child. The former professor, who worked in children's education for 22 years, said she helped the FBI and local law enforcement agencies track down the perpetrators, who are now serving federal prison sentences of more than 20 years. 'That incident changed the trajectory of my daughter's life, as well as mine,' she said. Howell said that the circumstances surrounding her daughter being shot provoked her mental health spiral and addiction to gambling, which she funded by resorting to theft. In January, she pleaded guilty to stealing almost $1m from Tarleton State University, her former employer, between 2022 and 2024. She was sentenced to one year in prison in June. Howell said: 'I don't blame anyone else for the actions that brought me to FPC Bryan, but I can definitely say that the circumstances that surrounded my daughter being shot were what sparked my spiral and addiction to gambling to escape my reality. 'Having Ms Maxwell here triggered all of those feelings.' Howell also warned that Maxwell could be a flight risk, given her previous efforts to avoid detection prior to her arrest. She said: 'This is a camp you can literally walk out of. I don't care how many people she turns in, it doesn't take away from her actions. 'As a mother of a sex-trafficking victim, I'm absolutely disgusted she's in this facility. Regardless of her reasoning, I don't think she belongs here.'
