Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC fight on White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday
A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
As the event approaches, a 92 ft tall, 600-ton fighting ring dubbed “The Claw” has been erected on the White House’s South Lawn.
The filing on Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the 14 June event was unlawful.
The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the erection of “The Claw” and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
It says that UFC CEO Dana White, a longtime Trump friend and ally, has denied that the event’s timing is a birthday celebration for Trump and has maintained the timing is a “coincidence”. But, the suit adds, White has acknowledged that the event was “Trump’s idea”.
The suit also argues that the fight is “private” and “for-profit”, and alleges that even though the UFC claims it is “eating” the whole cost of the event and is not selling tickets, “the event will likely be profitable for the UFC and its partners” as the organization is selling VIP and sponsorship packages.
It also claims, that while some preliminary fights will be broadcast on cable networks, the “main card” will be exclusively broadcast on streaming platform Paramount+, noting that Paramount Skydance is “run by two other Trump allies, Larry and David Ellison.”
The filing reads:
The UFC Freedom 250 event also is not being held ‘for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.’ Rather, UFC Freedom 250 is being held for the financial benefit of the UFC, Paramount, and their advertisers, and to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.
The White House said in a statement to the Associated Press that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
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Trump doesn’t rule out giving January 6 rioters who attacked police payouts from ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
In case you missed it yesterday, Donald Trump walked out of an explosive interview with NBC’s Meet the Press after he repeatedly made false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and faced questions about compensation for those charged in the January 6 insurrection. (You can watch the interview here.)
Trump falsely claimed that the California gubernatorial race was “rigged” while asserting untrue claims of cheating in the 2020 US presidential election.
“It’s four days and they aren’t even close to counting [ballots],” Trump argued, as NBC’s Kristen Welker argued that was standard for California’s election process. When Welker asked the president for any evidence on the gubernatorial race being fraudulent, he also accused the veteran reporter of being “crooked”.
When Welker later tried to ask additional questions, Trump continued to assert that NBC was “crooked” and ended the interview. “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough,” said Trump, taking off his microphone. “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
Earlier in the interview, Trump also became irritated as Welker asked if those who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the January 6 riots would be eligible for funding included in Trump’s controversial “anti-weaponization” fund.
Trump claimed – without evidence – that rioters were actually invited into the US Capitol by FBI agents and took plea deals due to fears of longer prison sentences.
“You know why they pleaded guilty? Because they were told they were going to jail for 15 years … because they were frightened. They were down. They were ushered into a building,” Trump said, refusing to answer if such individuals should receive taxpayer funding.
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Maine voters head to polls for closely watched primary election
Voters in Maine head to the polls today for one of the most closely watched primary elections in the country. The US Senate race has become a national fixation as Democrats try to unseat a longtime Republican with a political newcomer who has spent months under fire.
Graham Platner, 41, is set to advance as the Democratic nominee for the Senate, after his primary rival – the state’s two-term governor, Janet Mills – suspended her campaign in April. The primary result will probably set up a months-long contest between Platner, an oysterman and marine veteran with a groundswell of popularity and a mounting list of scandals, and Susan Collins, a 73-year-old GOP senator who has held the seat for nearly three decades.
Democrats see Maine as one of their few real pickup opportunities in the fight for Senate control. Platner’s barnstorming run has drawn big crowds in rural towns and fueled a surge of in‑ and out‑of‑state donations. His populist message has tapped into a base fed up with Washington’s machinations. “Our tax dollars can build schools and hospitals in America instead of bombs to drop on them in Gaza and Iran,” he told supporters in Portland recently. He often leans on his combat experience – and the healthcare he says he receives from being “blown up enough times” – for his push to overhaul the system.
For her part, Collins last appeared on the ballot in 2020, winning a fifth term even as Joe Biden carried the state. She beat Democrat Sara Gideon by nine points despite trailing in polls. But this year many Republicans are being pressed on Donald Trump’s unpopular policies.
Collins has long walked a tightrope with the US president. She has defied him directly by voting for his second impeachment conviction and opposing Pete Hegseth’s defense secretary nomination. Yet she has also anchored some of the president’s biggest priorities – most notably her vote for Brett Kavanaugh, a move that ultimately helped enable the overturning of Roe v Wade. This midterm cycle, Democrats are hoping to frame Collins’ moderation as outright complicity with the Trump administration.
Platner holds a narrow lead over Collins in recent polling, which has tightened from a once-comfortable margin after his latest controversies.
More on that here:
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Trump repeats claim that California election is rigged
Welcome to our coverage of US politics.
Donald Trump has repeated a claim made during an NBC interview on Sunday that he walked out of claiming that the California gubernatorial race is rigged.
On Monday, the US president posted a screenshot of congressman Abe Hamadeh’s post on X, who claimed that California is “incapable of running free and fair elections consistent with our constitution”.
Trump posted the screenshot on Truth Social, with the original post by Hamadeh referring to election data platform Decision Desk HQ that Nithya Raman is projected to win the second of two spots in the CA Los Angeles mayor non-partisan primary election.
In response, Trump wrote: “No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!”
This comes after he walked out of an NBC interview aired on Sunday, where he falsely claimed that the California gubernatorial race was “rigged” while asserting untrue claims of cheating in the 2020 US presidential elections.
“It’s four days and they aren’t even close to counting [ballots],” he said – as interviewer Kristen Welker argued that this was standard process in California. When he was asked about what his evidence was to suggest that the California election is “rigged”, Trump accused Welker of being “crooked” and later “stupid”.
When NBC tried to continue to pose questions to the president, he took off his microphone, and said: “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
Read the full story about Trump walking out of the NBC interview here:
In other developments:
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Later today Trump is expected to attend a campaign rally in New Jersey, before attending the Knicks game in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Trump’s appearance at the game means that there will be heightened security, a strict no-bag policy and airport-style screening for attenders of the game.
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This comes after a stabbing occurred in Penn Station directly below the arena, injuring six people. The suspect is in custody.
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The president also claimed that Iran’s military had been “virtually decapitated” as the war between the Middle Eastern country and the US reaches its 100th day. Earlier today, Trump urged Iran and Israel to “stop shooting” in a social media post. You can follow our Middle East liveblog coverage here:
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