Trump did flush ripped-up papers down the toilets, photos in upcoming book reveal
Former President Donald Trump appears to have flushed ripped-up government documents down the toilet after all, new photos revealed on Monday. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman obtained the photos for "Confidence Man," her forthcoming book on the Trump White House.
“Some (Trump) aides were aware of the habit, which he engaged in repeatedly,” Haberman told Axios, which published the photos. “It was an extension of Trump’s term-long habit of ripping up documents that were supposed to be preserved.”
One of the photos is of a toilet in the White House while another is from a foreign trip, according to the report. It’s impossible to tell the subject of the destroyed documents. But the name “Stefanik,” apparently a reference to upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is legible on one piece of paper.
Trump derided the new report through his spokesman, Tyler Budowich.
—New York Daily News
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House will soon reopen to the public
LOS ANGELES — More than a century after its completion and three years after being recognized as a cultural world treasure, Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House will soon reopen to the public.
The landmark home in East Hollywood's Barnsdall Art Park was closed for more than two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs used the hiatus to complete a series of restoration and improvement projects at the home, which was commissioned in 1918 by oil heiress Aline Barnsdall.
Hollyhock House will reopen Aug. 18 and show off a series of "significant transformations,'' said Daniel Tarica, interim general manager of the cultural affairs agency.
The home's monumental fireplace, which brings together the four classical elements of earth, air, fire and water, has been restored, as have the art-glass balcony doors in the master bedroom.
—Los Angeles Times
Texas church criticized for its take on ‘Hamilton’
DALLAS — A McAllen, Texas, church is facing controversy for its rendition of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s popular musical "Hamilton" that had several scenes edited to incorporate biblical themes — and which was followed by a sermon that compared being gay with having an addiction.
Much of the criticism about the show, which is produced by RGV Productions and The Door McAllen church, centers on the idea that the edited performance and sermon are the antithesis of what "Hamilton" and Miranda, who is known for his support of LGBT causes, represent.
The Dallas Morning News obtained video of the performance, which ran for about two hours, and a brief sermon that followed. The show incorporates several biblical messages and references not included in Miranda’s original musical. Theater-centric OnStage Blog first reported on the controversy.
During the 15-minute sermon, one of the church’s pastors talked about redemption: “Maybe you struggle with alcohol, with drugs — with homosexuality — maybe you struggle with other things in life, your finances, whatever, God can help you tonight. He wants to forgive you for your sins.”
Questions were also raised about whether the church had legal permission to adapt the play.
—The Dallas Morning News
Russia invites nuclear monitors to visit shelled Ukrainian plant
Russia told diplomats it’s ready to welcome international monitors into Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, whose safety is in doubt after coming under attack last week.
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have said there’s a “very real risk of a nuclear disaster” at Europe’s biggest atomic power plant amid fighting in the area. The Zaporizhzhia site, with six reactors worth tens of billions of dollars, has been occupied by Russian forces since March.
The Kremlin’s envoy to the IAEA has invited an international mission to Zaporizhzhia to conduct “activities within the framework of the implementation of safeguards, as well as monitoring the state of nuclear safety and security,” according to a note circulated among diplomats in Vienna.
The Russian move is just one of a series of steps required for the IAEA to send inspectors. Speaking at the United Nations last week, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he needs permission from Ukraine’s government, as well as security guarantees and a safe passage through the war zone.
—Bloomberg News
