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Straits Times
01-08-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
White House unveils plan for $259 million East Wing ballroom
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The White House plans to start works in September on a new ballroom estimated to cost some S$259 million. WASHINGTON – The White House intends to begin construction in September on a new ballroom estimated to cost US$200 million (S$259 million), following through on President Donald Trump's plans for a larger space to host formal events. 'It'll be a great legacy project, and I think it'll be special,' Mr Trump told reporters at a White House event on July 31 , adding that the project would be paid for by himself and possibly donors as well. 'It's a private thing. I'll do it and we'll probably have some donors or whatever.' Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the plans earlier on July 31 , saying that the ballroom would be located in the East Wing of the building. The plan outlines the construction of a 8,361 sq m space with a seating capacity of 650 people. The lead architect for the project will be DC-based McCrery Architects, while Clark Construction will head the construction team and AECOM will lead the engineering team, according to the White House. The US Secret Service will handle necessary security enhancements. Currently the first lady's office is located in the East Wing. Ms Leavitt said the East Wing would be 'modernised' and that the offices located there – which also include the White House military office and visitors office – would be temporarily relocated during construction. Mr Trump has repeatedly said he wants a larger ballroom at the official presidential residence for formal entertaining. The president said that the work 'won't interfere with the current building' and pays 'total respect' to the existing structure's architectural style. The plans were announced as Mr Trump and allies have assailed the Federal Reserve and its chair, Mr Jerome Powell, over construction work at the central bank's building. Mr Trump last week visited the Fed site to view the construction work alongside Mr Powell. The president and his allies have seized on cost overruns for the Fed work, now estimated at US$2.5 billion, with Mr Trump in a social-media post earlier on July 31 accusing Mr Powell of overseeing 'one of the most incompetent, or corrupt, renovations of a building(s) in the history of construction!' Mr Powell has said security concerns and the need to carry out underground construction have added to the cost and has cast media reports about the work as inaccurate. BLOOMBERG
New York Post
30-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Mattel slaps political podcast 'Coffee with Ken' with bizarre lawsuit
Mattel has filed a lawsuit against a Washington, DC-based political podcaster – claiming bizarrely that audiences might mistakenly associate his show with its Barbie franchise, The Post has learned. The toy giant has lodged a complaint with the US Patent and Trademark Office over 'Coffee with Ken,' a YouTube show hosted by Ken Biberaj, a DC-based real estate executive and former chair of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. The bi-monthly podcast – which features guests like Sen. Joe Manchin, billionaire David Rubenstein, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and 'Hamilton' star Leslie Odom Jr. – was granted preliminary approval for a trademark in 2023. Advertisement 6 Ken Biberaj launched his podcast 'Coffee with Ken' five years ago. Youtube 'We strive to focus our topics at the intersection of the public, private and social impact sectors,' said Biberaj, noting that the show now boasts 20,000 viewers per episode and hosts live events that can draw upwards of 200 attendees. 'I don't think anyone expected a doll to interview a governor,' Biberaj told The Post. Advertisement Nevertheless, Mattel insists that 'Coffee with Ken' could create confusion about whether it's associated with Barbie's squeaky-clean, beach-loving boyfriend, according to court papers. In particular, the El Segundo, Calif.-based company points to its Ken Barista doll — a hipster with a man bun and an apron who pulls perfect espresso shots — as proof of potential confusion. 6 The Ken Barista doll was discontinued. Mattel/Walmart 6 Nevertheless, Mattel insists that 'Coffee with Ken' could create confusion about whether it's associated with Barbie's squeaky-clean, beach-loving boyfriend, according to court papers. Advertisement It's 'highly likely that a consumer will believe that [Coffee with Ken] could be the name of or related to a Ken line' of dolls, Mattel claimed in its filing. The Ken Barista doll is listed as discontinued on the official Barbie site, although it is still available at Mattel — still riding high on the blockbuster 'Barbie' movie where Ryan Gosling played a singing, rollerblading version of its beloved Ken — filed its objection in May, insisting 'Coffee with Ken' would 'damage' the brand. 6 Biberaj ran for New York City Council in 2013 and his family owns the iconic Russian Tea Room in Midtown Manhattan. Getty Images Advertisement Meanwhile Biberaj, who ran for New York City Council in 2013 and whose family owns the iconic Russian Tea Room in Midtown Manhattan, claims Barbie's big, deep-pocketed corporate parent is simply trying to push him around. 'My actual name is Ken,' Biberaj told The Post. 'Mattel shouldn't be able to block my trademark because of a doll.' Legal experts say Mattel might be overreaching. 6 Ryan Gosling as Ken in the 2023 Barbie movie. Jaap Buitendijk 'Mattel could have difficulty sustaining its opposition,' said trademark attorney Brad Rose of Pryor Cashman LLP. 'These are vastly different types of goods and audiences.' Biberaj's attorney, Angela Gasperini Shin, called Mattel's suit a classic case of 'trademark bullying.' 'They can't own the name Ken outside of dolls and toys,' she said. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Advertisement Mattel is a fierce protector of its trademarks. The company previously battled a Bronx entertainer over his 'Blac Ken' moniker and famously tried to sue the band Aqua over their raunchy '90s hit Barbie Girl — a case the Supreme Court refused to hear in 2003. 6 Mattel has been a fierce protector of its Barbie trademark. ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection More recently, Mattel squared off against Burberry, claiming its BRBY trademark sounded too close to Barbie. Burberry eventually caved and dropped the application. Advertisement The 'Coffee with Ken' case is in discovery and will eventually go before a trademark appeals court unless its settled. Mattel declined to comment on the 'Coffee with Ken' fight, citing 'pending litigation.'
New York Post
28-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
How Trump is bursting the bureaucrats' DC bubble, one agency at a time
A hallmark of President Donald Trump's second term is that he's not just promoting his own policies — he's looking to shake up the American power structure from top to bottom. Step by step, he is undermining or destroying the left's decades-old program to achieve total dominance of government and politics through its control of money and institutions. That's what Trump is up to with his plan to move much of the federal bureaucracy out of the Washington, DC, area and into the rest of the country. Advertisement In doing so, he's infuriating federal bureaucrats leading cushy lives in DC and its suburbs, close to the centers of power — and close to the various contractors and lobby groups that can be expected to offer them well-padded post-retirement jobs. And, as with the other things Trump is doing, this effort is both good politics and good for the country, regardless of the bureaucrats' howls. 'Agencies,' Trump wrote in an April executive order, 'must be where the people are.' Advertisement Thus, the administration is moving much of the Department of Agriculture out to farming areas. About 2,600 out of 4,600 DC-based employees will be relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah; Fort Collins, Colo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Kansas City, Mo., and Raleigh, NC, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced last week. 'This administration [isn't] interested in supporting staff or even really in the jobs we do,' one underling whined to Politico. 'They are concentrating power and want fewer witnesses to what they are doing,' another charged. Advertisement This is great news for the Republican Party, because the accumulation of federal employees in and around our nation's capital has turned the District of Columbia and its surrounding counties into a one-party state for the Democrats. That has pulled the entire state of Virginia into the Democratic orbit, simply because of the many federal employees and hangers-on voting in its northern counties. Sending them elsewhere will break up that power center, dispersing their votes in state and local elections while letting some air out of the DC bubble. When Trump moved some USDA workers to Kansas City in his first term, it triggered a 'mass exodus' from the department. Advertisement Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Many federal agriculture specialists apparently concluded that quitting their jobs was preferable to living in America. This move is bigger, and if it triggers more departures it will help Trump slash federal payrolls that much faster. If not, though, bureaucrats in their new locations will presumably show more sensitivity to farmers, and shed some of their poisonous inside-the-beltway mentality. The Agriculture Department is just the start: Last week an angry mass letter from National Science Foundation employees railed against the NSF's impending move from Alexandria, Va., to an unknown new location. Overall, Trump wants to move 100,000 federal workers from various agencies out of the DC area. That will do much to solve one of the most widespread complaints about the federal government: It's run by people who live in a bubble. Advertisement Surrounded by upper-middle-class (and richer) professionals, federal workers share similar backgrounds and similar values — including an ugly sense of superiority over those know-nothing rubes out in flyover country. Except, you know, those flyover people do understand things that folks in the bubble don't. Farmers in Kansas know more about farming than DC bureaucrats do, and small-business owners in North Carolina or Nevada know more about their industries than do the bureaucrats at the EPA or the Labor Department. And I suspect that bureaucrats living side by side with those they regulate in North Carolina, or Nevada, or Kansas — sending their kids to local schools, shopping in local markets, eating in local restaurants — won't feel as insulated or superior. Advertisement And that will benefit us all. One of the problems with America's ruling class — beyond its corruption, narrow-mindedness and sheer general incompetence — is its disconnect from, and even contempt for, ordinary Americans. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Columnist James Taranto calls it 'oikophobia,' a Greek term meaning fear or hatred of one's own countrymen. Advertisement Breaking down the insularity is likely to ease that. Consider, too, a federal government with agencies scattered all across the nation is harder to influence. A lobbyist can't just take an Uber from one agency office to another when they're in different time zones, or invite people from multiple offices to the same cocktail party. Dispersing their targets makes life more difficult for the special interests, which can only be a plus. Advertisement Skyrocketing federal spending and unimpressive federal performance is all the proof we need that concentrating the bureaucracy in one metropolitan area hasn't done much for the rest of us. Let's try another approach: Make them live in the country they want to govern. Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a professor of law at the University of Tennessee and founder of the blog.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How tariffs will be a weapon for countries to put the squeeze back on Trump and his red-state allies
Will the return of Donald Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs mean the resumption of full-scale trade wars with U.S. economic partners? That remains to be seen, but some are already showing signs of flinching. The president said on Tuesday that his administration would not implement any further 'delays' in the resumption of his planned tariffs of as high as 50 percent on some countries. As the supposedly final deadline returns, several countries that have lingering unresolved disputes with the U.S. could return to a tested and familiar practice: putting the squeeze on red states and GOP-held districts. With duties set to resume on Aug. 1, numerous foreign governments are now rushing to finalize deals with the White House. That includes the European Union (EU), of which Trump spoke favorably on Tuesday as he claimed that a framework agreement with the bloc was near. Should foreign governments try and play hardball with the tariff rates, however, U.S. industries based in districts represented by Trump's loyalists on Capitol Hill could be the hardest hit. 'You know when products like Kentucky bourbon are in the headlines, you know something's going on,' said Geralyn Ritter, president and CEO of the DC-based Crowell Global Advisors. Crowell and other similar firms advise clients on trade issues including antidumping measures and countervailing duties — measures aimed at correcting practices deemed unfair that are carried out by foreign nations. 'It is far more common than not that countries will target politically sensitive sectors,' Ritter continued. 'It is really a long standing practice that governments choose … their products for retaliation very specifically and in a very focused way.' That was the case earlier this year, when Trump's first rollout of tariffs was met with attempts at retaliatory measures by Canada, China and some other countries. Originally announced in April on what the White House dubbed 'Liberation Day,' the tariffs were set at individual rates for various countries and trading blocs, including one group of uninhabited islands near Australia. (The Sydney Morning Herald reported this week that the penguins roosting on the Heard and McDonald Islands were 'on standby' as the tariffs snapped back into place.) Agricultural imports were a top target: America's northern neighbor took aim at dairy products, poultry, and a wide range of foodstuffs. China did the same with a particular focus on U.S. soybean exports. The selection of U.S. goods targeted by tariffs is never random. The political implications of some import and export duties are obvious on the face: China's restrictions on semiconductors and various countries' tariffs aimed at hurting U.S. automakers being prime examples. Some are less obvious, but similarly impactful. China's soybean duties will have the greatest impact in Illinois, a blue state — and the only solidly-Democratic state in the top 10 soybean producers in the country. The remaining nine lean Republican with the exception of Minnesota, a battleground state that typically votes Democratic in presidential elections. But here's the thing: if the White House and U.S. trading partners return to the bluff and bluster dynamic that defined the first round of tariff announcements, these retaliatory measures can (and likely will) become a lot more grassroots. Especially as the congressional midterm elections near, and Republicans shift their attention to defending thin majorities in each chamber. During Trump's first term in Washington he attempted a similar reorientation of the global trade order, though on a much smaller scale. Yet his efforts were met with outright threats of tariffs microtargeted to states from which GOP congressional leaders hailed as well as the reddening swing state of Florida. 'We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans — Levis,' then-European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared in March of 2018. But the U.S. has one key advantage: the sheer size of its economy. Even impactful measures against sectors of the U.S. economy are not as effective as U.S. retaliatory tariffs often can be. That was a lesson Canada learned earlier this year. While Liberal Party candidate Mark Carney ran for prime minister and won on a platform of standing up to U.S. trade bullying, the actual effectiveness of Canadian import duties was negligible. As Canadian economist Trevor Tombe wrote in April: 'These early signs suggest the impact on the U.S. economy is minimal.' Ritter also questioned the potential effectiveness of such blatantly politicized measures at a time when Trump's team was engaging in reasoned dialogues with trading partners but the risk of angering or provoking the president personally remained a risk. 'I am very skeptical that this administration, especially right now, at this point in time, given recent developments, is going to be bullied, if you will, into making a concession because of a targeted threat against the particular industry,' said Ritter. 'I think especially if those kind of threats are made, and they're made very publicly, it's not going to be constructive right now.' While the administration seems to be making progress behind the scenes in coaxing trading partners towards framework agreements aimed at averting tariff hikes, outliers exist such as Brazil, which was slapped with a 50 percent 'reciprocal' tariff on Wednesday. Brazil's government was already in talks about retaliatory measures before the announcement. So is the government of India, which is proposing retaliatory duties against the U.S. over steel and auto tariffs. Ritter and other experts said they expected to see more tariff hikes in the short term as the president continues his unique form of 'dealmaking'. Over the weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that some of the tariff rates imposed on U.S. trading partners were in fact all that would constitute the 'deals' Trump's top trade adviser said the president would be striking left and right. And there's still no signs yet of the kind of major onshoring of manufacturing or supply chains which top administration officials have presented as the end goal of the new U.S. tariff regime. Hesitance about the overall stability of the economy and the volatility caused by tariffs is scaring some off from making greater investments in the U.S., while others are unable to center production entirely in domestic facilities, making import charges unavoidable. Experts fear that some industries, like pharmaceuticals, may experience players leaving the market entirely rather than attempt to reorient production — leading to possible product shortages. The White House claims it is pushing forward, given that Trump backtracking now would only introduce more of that volatility and lead to more insistences of him 'chickening out', a refrain that was picked up by some Wall Street traders after the delay of his reciprocal tariffs. Those same financial analysts aren't necessarily buying the bluster any more, though. 'The pattern is familiar: dramatic declarations, walk-backs, and renewed threats. It's eroded his credibility and resembles the boy who cried wolf,' Carolyn Kissane, a professor at NYU's School of Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs, told The Independent. 'He believes this tactic gives him a unique leverage to negotiate, but it also weakens the threats.' Sign in to access your portfolio
CNN
24-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
The Fed just gave a rare look at its $2.5 billion renovation — right before Trump's tour
The Federal Reserve, one of the most notoriously tight-lipped institutions in Washington, has been suddenly thrust into an unusual situation: a high-stakes public relations battle with the White House. The central bank, under intense scrutiny from President Donald Trump and his allies, is quietly trying to mitigate any potentially inaccurate claims and attacks stemming from Trump's upcoming Thursday afternoon tour of the Fed's renovation site at its headquarters facing the National Mall. The White House has seized on the Fed's $2.5 billion construction project as a potential legal opening to oust Chair Jerome Powell, whom Trump has lambasted for months because the central bank has not lowered interest rates at all this year. The timing of the tour — amid mounting scrutiny over the president's past relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein — may be a public relations maneuver of its own, designed to distract from the growing political scandal. Trump is set to join some of his top advisers to visit the Fed as he continues to publicly tear into Powell on social media. But the Fed made a strategic play by hosting a tour for a handful of media outlets beforehand. It shows that the Fed is now embroiled in a crisis communications strategy battle with the White House. 'The Fed laid the groundwork behind the scenes with the media, and that's exactly its longstanding playbook,' said Anne Marie Malecha, chief executive of Dezenhall Resources, a reputation and crisis management firm. 'You're not going to see the Fed take to Truth Social or engage with influencers, so I think this is as far out on a limb as we're going to see an institution like the Fed go.' The Fed declined to comment. Notes from reporters who attended the morning tour detailed a noisy, active construction site with scaffolding, cement mixers and construction machines throughout. The notes said the Marriner S. Eccles building, one of the two being refurbished, now has some new upgrades for security purposes. That includes blast-resistant windows and shear walls, which are big drivers of the building's cost, according to Fed staff during the tour. These upgrades are meant to abide by the Department of Homeland Security's highest level of security for federal buildings. The account from reporters also noted that seating on the rooftop of the Eccles building was nixed in order to avoid the appearance of being an amenity, even though it would not have been expensive to include it, according to Fed staff. Staff also noted during the tour that tariffs and higher costs for materials were big reasons for the cost overruns compared to estimates from 2018 and 2019. The project is expected to be finished by the fall of 2027, with a DC-based workforce of about 3,000 moving in through March 2028. Despite the Fed's attempts at being transparent about the project, administration officials have still harshly criticized the Fed for it, and may continue to do so after the tour. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Trump's public gripes with Powell as 'working the refs' — a phrase in sports used when a player loudly protests a referee's call to force him to reconsider. 'I think the building is just a sideshow,' David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution, told CNN's Brian Todd. 'It's a way to get attention away from other problems that the president is facing.' 'They're 7 years into a 9-year building project,' Wessel added. 'It's hardly been a secret. (It's coming up now) because the president wants to make life miserable for Jay Powell.' Trump's attacks on Powell are nothing new: He levied the same gripes about the Fed chief — his own pick to helm the central bank — during his first term in office, too. But the attacks on Powell have grown in recent weeks, and Republicans have latched onto what was once a routine — albeit expensive — construction project for the Fed. The Fed renovation may be a convenient foil for Trump as the administration is dealing with its own crisis communications battle, some communications experts say. The Justice Department's handling of the so-called Epstein files has spurred outrage, even among some of Trump's die-hard supporters. CNN this week unveiled newly uncovered archived video footage and photos shedding more light on Trump's past relationship with Epstein. 'This administration is highly skilled at moving lawmakers, the media and the public to pay attention to issues and to take up causes that are beneficial to them. It's a 'look over there instead of here' strategy,' Malecha said. 'Whiplash is often an effective strategy,' she said. CNN's Brian Todd contributed reporting.
