A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily put on hold a lower court’s order directing National Guard troops to leave the US capital next week.District Court Judge Jia Cobb ruled last month that President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in Washington was unlawful.Cobb ordered an end to the deployment by December 11 but stayed her order for 21 days to allow the Trump administration time to file an appeal.A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit granted a Trump administration request for a stay of the district judge’s order to give it time to consider the case.In a brief order, the panel stressed that the move “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits.”Trump has sent National Guard troops to Democratic-run Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis to combat crime and help enforce his crackdown on undocumented migrants.Authorities in Los Angeles and Memphis have resisted those efforts, saying the deployment of troops is unnecessary. The mayor of Washington, which has limited autonomy under US law, has largely worked with the White House on its crackdown.Federal judges have temporarily blocked the deployment of troops in two other Democratic-controlled cities — Chicago and Portland — and the Supreme Court is expected to deliver the final word soon on whether the actions are lawful.Trump ordered more than 2,000 National Guard to patrol Washington in August, claiming the city was a “filthy and crime ridden embarrassment.”Brian Schwalb, attorney general for the US capital, filed a lawsuit in September seeking to end the deployment of the National Guard in the city.Cobb, in her opinion, said the Trump administration had “acted contrary to law” by deploying the National Guard for “for non-military, crime-deterrence missions in the absence of a request from the city’s civil authorities.”Trump’s extraordinary domestic use of the National Guard was also challenged by California this year after the president sent troops to Los Angeles to quell protests sparked by the rounding up of undocumented migrants.A district court judge ruled it unlawful but an appeals court panel allowed the Los Angeles deployment to proceed.Trump has denied charges he is strictly targeting cities run by his political opponents for his anti-crime campaign and immigration crackdown.This week, he said he would send troops to New Orleans — another Democratic-run city in a state controlled by Republicans.Trump has also ordered additional troops to the US capital after two National Guard members were shot in downtown Washington last week.

A policeman testified Thursday that officers questioned the man suspected of murdering a US insurance executive, even after he had indicated he did not want to answer, as the defense seeks to exclude potentially incriminating evidence from trial.Luigi Mangione’s attorneys are attempting to prevent jurors hearing responses he gave officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, before he was read his rights. US suspects have a legal right to silence and to not self-incriminate, with the conduct of arresting officers under the microscope at pre-trial evidence hearings in New York state court this week.Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthCare, was gunned down in Manhattan on December 4, 2024 in a crime that sent shockwaves through corporate America and exposed anger with the profit-driven private healthcare system.An officer who encountered and helped detain Mangione, Tyler Frye, recounted asking Mangione “what brings you up here from New Jersey?” after he produced a driving license from the state.Mangione, 27, indicated in an exchange captured by Frye’s body-worn camera he did not want to talk.”I don’t know what you guys are up to I’m just going to wait,” he said as he continued to eat and Christmas music played. Frye said in cross-examination Thursday that he had been trained to lie to suspects and use ruses to secure information, and that he thought the man he encountered in a McDonald’s restaurant — Mangione — was the New York shooter.The court was shown officers questioning Mangione about why he was in Altoona, 300 miles from Manhattan, and if he had been in New York.Mangione is charged in both state and federal court in the shooting of Thompson and faces life imprisonment with no parole in the state case, and the death penalty in the federal process.Mangione’s defense team are also seeking to have evidence recovered from his bag, including a gun and a notebook with comments about the health system, kept from jurors because officers did not have a search warrant.Frye said that neither he nor his partner Joseph Detwiler told Mangione he was under arrest or not free to leave while they were initially asking questions.Frye testified McDonald’s staff had raised the alarm about Mangione.Officers were shown approaching a man in a medical mask sitting surrounded by McDonald’s food before subsequently producing an allegedly fake New Jersey driving license with the name “Mark Rosario.”Mangione appeared in court Thursday wearing a white shirt and a grey jacket, stroking his chin as Frye was questioned. No schedule has been set for any jury trial.Mangione’s supporters, mostly young women, were in court to see the hearing, with one wearing a “New Yorkers for Luigi” shirt.The court was shown video of Mangione accompanied by police entering the Altoona police station, where officers strip-searched him and went through property that included a handgun, a suppressor and a jar of Skippy peanut butter.A checklist also found on Mangione contained entries including “intel check in” and reminders to purchase a camera from Best Buy.

US President Donald Trump has hired a new architect for his $300-million White House ballroom, a spokesman said Thursday, after reported disagreements with the project’s original designer.Trump had differences with James McCrery, a specialist in classical architecture, including over the billionaire president’s wishes to increase the size of the ballroom, US media reported.The Republican had now picked architect Shalom Baranes, who has “shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades,” to come on board, said White House spokesman Davis Ingle.”As we begin to transition into the next stage of development on the White House ballroom, the administration is excited to share that the highly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision,” Ingle said in a statement to AFP.The firm has previously worked on projects including the modernization of the US Treasury building near the White House, and renovating the Pentagon after the September 11, 2001 attacks.Trump has demolished the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom that he says will have a capacity of 1,000 people.His plans have sparked concerns that the new building could overshadow the main presidential mansion itself, one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.The project, which Trump says will be fully privately funded, has yet to undergo any public review.US media reported that in addition to disagreements over the size of the ballroom, property magnate Trump had concerns that McCrery’s small firm would be able to meet deadlines.A person familiar with the project however said that McCrery would remain a “valuable consultant” on the ballroom, adding that it was “not a replacement but rather a passing of the baton as the project develops into new phases.”

It may not make up for missing out on the Nobel Prize, but President Donald Trump still looked thrilled to arrive at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.”It’s a great honor,” said Trump, gazing admiringly at the ceiling as he hosted the signing on Thursday of a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.The billionaire Republican then effusively thanked the leaders of the two African countries for attending the ceremony at the “spectacular” institute in the US capital Washington.”It means maybe more because we are here together for the first time ever in this building — brand new beautiful building,” Trump added.In fact, the building formerly known as the United States Institute of Peace was built in 2011, five years before Trump won the US presidency for the first time. But its current incarnation is new — and the latest in a series of moves by the administration aimed at bolstering Trump’s image as a global peacemaker.The State Department announced on the eve of the peace deal signing ceremony that the institute had been renamed in honor of the Republican president to “reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history”.It also shared a picture of the building with Trump’s name added on a wall above the engraved name of the organization.Trump has made no secret of his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize and claims to have resolved eight global conflicts since returning to office in January, including the war in the eastern DRC.Nor is it just Trump’s administration seeking to flatter the former reality TV star.Trump is widely regarded as the frontrunner to win a new peace prize that football’s governing body FIFA is set to award at the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday.That will take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington — which Trump jokingly, or perhaps mischievously, referred to on Thursday as the “Trump-Kennedy Center”, before adding: “whoops, excuse me.”- Next stop Mount Rushmore? -The 79-year-old Trump has not been shy about stamping his own image on Washington during his second term.The US Institute of Peace itself was subject to a Trump takeover earlier this year.Created in 1984 by former president Ronald Reagan as a non-profit organization to prevent conflicts, and funded by the taxpayer, Trump ordered its dismantlement in February. In March, former ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) seized control of the center while the organization’s president was removed from its headquarters by law enforcement.And it is far from the last institution to get a makeover from Trump — who before he became president was famed partly for the skyscrapers and casinos bearing his name that stood astride several US cities.In the White House, the heart of the US presidency, Trump has covered the Oval Office with gold decor and turned the Rose Garden into a patio.Most notoriously he has demolished the entire East Wing to build a giant $300-million ballroom that, US media reported, will eventually be known as the “Donald J. Trump” ballroom.There could be more Trump-branded landmarks to come.Proposals have been made for Trump’s image to feature on a $1 coin and for his name to feature on a new stadium for the Washington Commanders NFL team and the capital’s Dulles Airport.A bill by Republican lawmakers has even suggested adding Trump’s face to the rock-hewn pantheon of presidents in Mount Rushmore.

Wall Street stocks finished mixed at the end of a choppy session Thursday as markets digested varying labor market data and looked ahead to next week’s Federal Reserve decision.Strong gains by Facebook parent Meta and tech giant Salesforce helped lift the Nasdaq into positive territory, while the Dow finished slightly lower.Earlier, bourses in London, Paris and Frankfurt all pushed higher.A weekly report of initial US jobless claims showed a drop of 27,000. That upbeat figure came on the heels of data on Wednesday from private payroll firm ADP that showed a surprise decline in hiring last month.A separate report Thursday by the executive placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas showed a jump in job cuts in November, lifting the 2025 total to the highest level since 2020.”The market is trying to figure out how to interpret the jobs data today,” said Tom Cahill of Ventura Wealth Management. “There’s some confusion.”Cahill said widespread expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates next week is “putting a floor under equity prices and other risk assets.”Tokyo earlier rallied more than two percent in a positive Asian session which also saw Hong Kong, Sydney, Taipei and Bangkok finish higher.A healthy 30-year Japanese government bond sale provided some support as it slightly eased tensions about a possible rate hike by the central bank this month. The news compounded a strong response to a 10-year auction earlier in the week that settled some nerves.Elsewhere, oil prices advanced about one percent, with analysts pointing to uncertainty over the prospects for diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.Shares in Meta rose 3.4 percent after a report that the Facebook parent is significantly cutting back on virtual-reality investments in a pivot toward artificial intelligence.According to Bloomberg, Meta plans to cut its Metaverse costs by 30 percent — news that drove its share price up as much as four percent in Thursday trading on Wall Street.Salesforce jumped 3.7 percent as the tech giant raised its full-year sales forecast.- Key figures at around 2115 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.1 percent at 47,850.94 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,857.12 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 23,505.14 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 9,710.87 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 8,122.03 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.8 percent at 23,882.03 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.3 percent at 51,028.42 (close) Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.7 percent at 25,935.90 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,875.79 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1648 from $1.1671 on WednesdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3335 from $1.3353Dollar/yen: DOWN at 155.03 yen from 155.25 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.00 pence from 87.40 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.9 percent at $63.26 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.1 percent at $59.67 per barrel