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White House says East Wing demolition was necessary due to structural issues
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The White House said Thursday that it was not feasible to save the East Wing due to severe structural problems, as officials defended its demolition while unveiling details of President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million ballroom.
Josh Fisher, the director of the White House Office of Administration, cited an unstable colonnade, water leakage and mold contamination, saying it was more economical to tear down the historic East Wing rather than renovate it.
«Because of this and other factors, the cost analysis proved that demolition and reconstruction provided the lowest total cost ownership and most effective long-term strategy,» Fisher said during a meeting with the National Capital Planning Commission, which is charged with approving the project.
The commission’s chairman, Will Scharf, who is also a White House official, told reporters he believes the project will ultimately be approved.
WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS TRUMP NAMED NEW BALLROOM AFTER HIMSELF
Architect Shalom Baranes points at a rendering on a board during a National Capitol Planning Commission meeting discussing the White House ballroom project on Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Scharf argued during the meeting that the White House needed a large, elegant space for major functions. He said that when the president hosts distinguished guests like King Charles III of Great Britain, «more likely than not, he will be hosted in a tent on the South Lawn with porta-potties.»
In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt construction of the ballroom, accusing the Trump administration of skipping mandatory reviews and failing to seek congressional approval before demolishing the East Wing.
Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the Trust, said that Thursday’s presentation by the White House was a «good and necessary first step,» while urging the administration to comply with all legally required review and approval processes before commencing construction.
BILL MAHER SAYS HE DOESN’T ‘GIVE A S—‘ ABOUT TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE REMODEL, SLAMS PRESS COVERAGE
An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
A more formal review of the project, including public testimony and votes, is expected after the White House submits a more detailed proposal.
The project’s architect, Shalom Baranes, who was tapped by Trump in December to lead the next phase of the ballroom project, gave the commission a detailed presentation, including renderings of the ballroom and views of the White House complex with the addition.
Baranes suggested that the design could include adding a second story to the West Wing colonnade to help make the White House more uniform with the new ballroom on the east side, but he cautioned that it would dramatically impact the space outside the Oval Office.
MICHELLE OBAMA TAKES SWIPE AT TRUMP’S DEMOLITION OF WHITE HOUSE EAST WING
Construction of the ballroom at the White House continued on Dec. 17. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In addition to the planned ballroom, officials say the project will also streamline visitor access to the White House and involve improvements across the street at Lafayette Park.
Phil Mendelson, a Democrat on the commission and chairman of the D.C. Council, asked if the ballroom’s size and location were solidified, saying that the planned ceiling height of 38 to 40 feet would be «overwhelming» for the existing building.
Baranes replied that «anything’s possible,» but noted the plans had already been thoroughly reviewed.
Mendelson also asked why the idea wasn’t presented to the commission before the East Wing was demolished in October.
In response, Fisher said that some aspects of the project were of a «top secret nature» and had to be handled accordingly.
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The White House is seen in Washington, D.C., as officials defend the demolition of the East Wing and outline plans for President Donald Trump’s privately funded $400 million ballroom. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The White House announced in July that a 90,000-square-foot space would be built at a then-estimated cost of $200 million. Trump has said the project is being privately funded.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
Descubren que el centro de la hipófisis, la glándula bajo el cerebro, sería la vía más segura para cirugías
Un grupo de científicos de México, Chile y Argentina descubrió una zona con pocos vasos sanguíneos en el centro de la glándula pituitaria de las personas. La hipófisis, también llamada glándula pituitaria, se encuentra en la base del cerebro y regula funciones hormonales esenciales.
“Nuestro trabajo aporta una región hipovascular en la hipófisis a la cual denominamos zona de entrada pituitaria. Abordar esta lesión quirúrgicamente para remover tumores en la región disminuye la probabilidad de sangrado y, por ende, las complicaciones postoperatorias”, resaltó en diálogo con Infobae Gerardo Marín, el primer autor del estudio.
Marín integra el Departamento de Neurocirugía del Hospital Regional 1° de Octubre, que depende del Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado en México. El experto también forma parte de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).
Según el estudio que los investigadores publicaron en la revista World Neurosurgery, la región central de la hipófisis tiene menos vasos sanguíneos que sus bordes.
La investigación también fue realizada por expertos de la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán y la Universidad de Buenos Aires de la Argentina, y la Universidad de Valparaíso de Chile.
La glándula pituitaria controla el funcionamiento de otras glándulas del cuerpo. Se divide en dos partes: la adenohipófisis (lóbulo anterior) y la neurohipófisis (lóbulo posterior), que tienen funciones y estructuras distintas.
En medicina, la vascularización significa la cantidad y disposición de vasos sanguíneos en un tejido. Aunque la hipófisis recibe mucha sangre, las incisiones en su línea media suelen no alterar la función hormonal.
Los neurocirujanos habían notado que operaciones como las realizadas para la enfermedad de Cushing o hemi-hipofisectomías (extracción parcial de la hipófisis) suelen proteger la producción hormonal cuando se hacen por el centro.
Sospecharon que eso ocurría porque el centro de la hipófisis tenía menos vasos sanguíneos que los bordes.
Quisieron estudiar esa diferencia y entender si explicaba la “resiliencia” de la hipófisis tras cortes centrales.
El análisis se hizo en el Laboratorio de Neuroanatomía Microquirúrgica de la Universidad de Buenos Aires. Para el estudio, se usaron glándulas de tres adultos fallecidos sin enfermedades previas en esa zona.
Las muestras se prepararon con técnicas histológicas, que consisten en cortar el tejido en partes finísimas y teñirlas para ver sus detalles.
Para identificar los vasos sanguíneos se utilizó el marcador CD34, una proteína que aparece en las células de las paredes de los vasos. Así, se pudo contar cuántos vasos había en cada zona. Se hicieron cortes en dos planos: el plano sagital, que divide el cuerpo de adelante hacia atrás, y el plano coronal, que lo divide de lado a lado.
De esta forma, los investigadores compararon la cantidad de vasos en el centro y los bordes de la hipófisis.
Los resultados fueron contundentes: en el plano sagital, la densidad microvascular fue significativamente menor en la región de la línea media en comparación con la región periférica.
En el plano coronal, la diferencia no se observó. Los investigadores explicaron que eso se debe a que los vasos del centro están alineados de arriba hacia abajo, y el corte coronal los atraviesa, lo que hace que parezcan más numerosos.
La zona identificada es un corredor anatómico donde los vasos se alinean de forma vertical, lo que permite hacer cortes quirúrgicos más seguros por el centro.
El análisis detalló que la parte anterosuperior de la hipófisis tiene la mayor densidad de vasos, mientras que la posteroinferior tiene la menor.
“Esta información resulta clave para planificar operaciones sin poner en riesgo funciones hormonales”, aclaró Marín a Infobae.
“Necesitamos continuar diseccionando esta zona de entrada pituitaria con un mayor número de personas para saber qué tanto disminuyen los riesgos de las complicaciones neuroquirurgicas”, reconoció el doctor Marín en la entrevista con Infobae.
Además, “es fundamental confirmar que este hallazgo no sea exclusivo de pacientes con patología tumoral, sino que esté presente también en personas sin enfermedad hipofisaria, lo que garantizaría su aplicabilidad clínica general”, afirmó.
Aclaró que “los próximos estudios estarán dirigidos a revelar esas preguntas”.
Los investigadores sugirieron que los neurocirujanos tengan en cuenta la zona de entrada hipofisaria al planificar cirugías del centro de la glándula, sobre todo en operaciones para la enfermedad de Cushing y hemi-hipofisectomías.
“Si bien está limitado por un tamaño de muestra pequeño, estos resultados resaltan un aspecto previamente poco caracterizado de la angioarquitectura hipofisaria que puede representar un corredor más seguro para la intervención quirúrgica”, señalaron.
El equipo quiere ampliar el estudio con más muestras y sumar técnicas de imagen en pacientes vivos para confirmar la importancia clínica de la zona identificada.
Además, propusieron analizar otros aspectos, como la actividad metabólica de la hipófisis, para comprender mejor su funcionamiento.
El hallazgo de la zona hipovascular central en la glándula pituitaria redefine el mapa de la cirugía cerebral y abre nuevas rutas para proteger la función endocrina.
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Rand Paul says GOP colleagues ‘don’t give a s‑‑t about these people in the boats’: They ‘say they’re pro-life’
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., accused his «pro-life» Republican colleagues of not caring about the people killed in boat strikes near Venezuela who the Trump administration, without providing evidence, claims were trafficking fentanyl.
During an appearance on «The Joe Rogan Experience» released on Tuesday. Paul said GOP lawmakers «don’t give a s‑‑-» about the people who died on the vessels, blasting his colleagues for not granting the presumption of innocence.
«I look at my colleagues who say they’re pro-life, and they value God’s inspiration in life, but they don’t give a s‑‑- about these people in the boats,» Paul said. «Are they terrible people in the boats? I don’t know. They’re probably poor people in Venezuela and Colombia.»
«I guess what I don’t feel connected to my Republican colleagues is that those lives don’t matter at all, and we just blow them up. And against all justice, and against all laws of war, all laws of just war, we have never blown up people who were shipwrecked,» he added, referring to the administration’s reported targeting and killing of survivors of initial strikes who were clinging to wreckage.
RAND PAUL SAYS TRUMP’S THREAT TO BOMB IRAN ‘IS NOT THE ANSWER’: NOT THE ‘JOB OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT’
Sen. Rand Paul accused his Republican colleagues of not caring about the people killed in boat strikes near Venezuela. (Getty Images)
The liberty-minded Republican said it is «against the military code of justice to do that.»
«We’re doing it and everybody just says, ‘Oh, well, they’re drug dealers,’» he said.
Paul criticized his fellow GOP lawmakers who have repeated the administration’s claims about the boats carrying fentanyl. He also took issue with colleagues who hold the position of, «Well, we’re at war with them. They’re committing war by bringing drugs into America.»
«They’re not even coming here,» Paul explained. «They’re going to these islands in the south part of the Caribbean. The cocaine — and it’s not fentanyl at all — the cocaine’s going to Europe.»
He emphasized that «those little boats can’t get here.»
«No one’s even asked this common question: Those boats have these four engines on them. They’re outboard boats. You can probably go about 100 miles before you have to refuel. Two thousand miles from us, they’d have to refuel 20 times to get here,» Paul said.
Sen. Rand Paul said GOP lawmakers «don’t give a s‑‑t» about the people who died on the vessels. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc )
The senator accused the administration of conducting the boat strikes to create «a pretense and a false argument» ahead of the operation to attack Venezuela and arrest its president, Nicolás Maduro.
«It’s all been a pretense for arresting Maduro,» he said. «So, we have to set up the predicate. We got to show you we care about drugs.»
Paul helped the Senate advance a resolution last week that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela after the U.S. military’s recent move to strike the country and capture Maduro, which the Kentucky Republican said amounts to war. The Upper Chamber could pass the measure later this week, although it faces an uphill battle in the House despite some support from Republicans.
«I think bombing a capital and removing the head of state is, by all definitions, war,» Paul told reporters before the procedural vote last week. «Does this mean we have carte blanche that the president can make the decision any time, anywhere, to invade a foreign country and remove people that we’ve accused of a crime?»
SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK SCHIFF EFFORT TO FORCE RELEASE OF CARIBBEAN STRIKE FOOTAGE
Sen. Rand Paul accused the Trump administration of conducting the boat strikes to create «a pretense and a false argument» ahead of the move to attack Venezuela and arrest its president. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)
The lawmaker has repeatedly criticized the administration’s boat strikes on alleged narco-terrorists in recent months, often raising concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people. The senator previously cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded on suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.
Paul said on «The Joe Rogan Experience» that he believes the administration might attack Mexico next, which Trump has signaled could be a future target.
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«They want to do that next. They want to bomb Mexico,» Paul said.
Trump has said cartels are «running Mexico» and that «something’s going to have to be done» because Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is «very frightened» of the cartels.
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Passengers baffled and confused after screams burst from beneath taxiing Air Canada plane
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Passengers aboard a taxiing aircraft were reportedly left horrified last month when chilling screams suddenly echoed from beneath the cabin just moments before takeoff.
According to the officials, a ground crew member became trapped inside the plane’s cargo hold when doors «inadvertently closed» behind him, according to local station CBC.
The incident happened on Dec. 13 when Air Canada Flight 1502 was preparing to depart Toronto Pearson Airport for Moncton, New Brunswick, the outlet said.
The Airbus flight, which was carrying 184 passengers, was ultimately canceled following the incident.
ALL 8 TIRES BURST IN HARROWING ATLANTA LANDING FAILURE INVOLVING PASSENGER JET
An Air Canada plane is seen at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, on Aug. 14, 2025. (Arrush Chopra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Passengers told CBC that distressing sounds of muffled banging and desperate screams quickly filled the rear of the aircraft as it began taxiing toward the runway, prompting flight attendants to sprint down the aisle in alarm.
«Some of the people that were sitting towards the back of the plane heard the person screaming and banging, trying to get their attention,» passenger Gabrielle Caron said.
«We could see the crew gathering around the plane, so we knew something was happening,» she added. «Then, the pilot tells us that there is someone from the crew in the luggage hold.»
PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY OPENS EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR ON TAXIING PLANE, DEPLOYS SLIDE AT ATLANTA AIRPORT: POLICE
An employee loads suitcases onto an aircraft. (Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The aircraft reportedly halted before reaching the runway. Moments later, the trapped ground crew member emerged safely from the cargo and entered the cabin, reassuring shaken passengers that he was unharmed, Caron reported.
Air Canada confirmed to CBC that no injuries were reported in the incident.
Caron added that the crew member involved was reportedly assisting ground staff by loading items as an extra set of hands and may have been left unaccounted for when the doors closed.
Air Canada flights are stationed outside Toronto Pearson Airport. (Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
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The plane eventually returned to the terminal, where passengers were asked to disembark while the flight crew completed necessary paperwork, CBC reported.
The flight was ultimately canceled after several delays, the outlet said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Air Canada for more information.
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