wing

WASHINGTON — Stewart McLaurin knew it was coming.

An entire wing of the White House, a building he calls “the most special, important building on the planet,” was going to be replaced to make way for a ballroom that President Trump wants to add to the building.

But when McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Assn., saw the first images of backhoes tearing into the East Wing, it still came as a bit of a shock.

“When the reality of things happen, they strike us a little bit differently than the theory of things happening, so it was a bit of a jarring moment,” McLaurin told the Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.

McLaurin, who has led the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for more than a decade, did not take a position on the changes. It’s not his job. “Ours is not to make happen, or to keep from happening — but to document what does happen, what happens in this great home that we call the White House,” he said.

But he said he sees a silver lining from the “jarring” images: They have piqued public interest in White House history.

“What has happened since then is so amazing in that in the past two weeks, more people have been talking about White House history, focused on White House history, learning what is an East Wing, what is the West Wing … what are these spaces in this building that we simply call the White House,” McLaurin said.

Trump demolishes the East Wing

The general public became aware of the demolition work on Oct. 20 after photos of construction equipment ripping into the building began to circulate online, prompting an outcry from Democrats, preservationists and others.

In a matter of days, the entire two-story East Wing — the traditional base of operations for first ladies and their staffs — was gone. The demolition included a covered walkway between the White House, the family movie theater and a garden dedicated to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Trump had talked about building a ballroom for years and pushed ahead with his vision when he returned to office in January. His proposal calls for a 90,000-square-foot structure, almost twice the size of the 55,000-square-foot White House itself and able to accommodate 1,000 people. The plan also includes building a more modern East Wing, officials said.

The president ordered the demolition despite not yet having sign-off for the ballroom construction from the National Capital Planning Commission, one of several entities with a role in approving additions to federal buildings and property. The White House has yet to submit the ballroom plans for the commission’s review because it is closed during the government shutdown.

Trump appointed loyalists to the planning commission in July. On Tuesday he also fired the six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, a group of architectural experts that advises the federal government on historic preservation and public buildings. A new slate of members who are more aligned with Trump’s policies will be named, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on personnel decisions. The Washington Post was first to report the firings.

East Wing art and furnishings preserved

It was the job of the White House curator and their staff to carefully remove, catalog and store the art, the official portraits of former first ladies, and furnishings from the East Wing, McLaurin said.

The White House Historical Assn. does not have a decision-making role in the construction. But it has been working with the White House to prepare for the changes.

“We had known since late summer that the staff of the East Wing had moved out. I actually made my last visit on the last day of tours on August the 28th,” McLaurin said.

Working with the curator and chief usher, the association used 3D scanning technology “so that every room, space, nook and cranny of the East Wing, whether it was molding or hinges or door knobs or whatever it was, was captured to the nth degree” to be digitally recreated as an exhibit or to teach the history of that space, McLaurin said.

A photographer also documented the building as it was being taken apart. It will be a while before any images are available, but McLaurin said items were found when flooring was pulled up and when wall coverings were pulled back that “no living person remembered were there. So those will be lessons in history.”

White House has grown over the years

Trump’s aides have responded to criticism of the demolition by arguing that other presidents have made changes to the White House too. Trump said the White House needs a bigger entertaining space.

McLaurin said the building continues to evolve from what it looked like when it was built in 1792.

“There is a need to modernize and to grow,” he said, noting that White House social secretaries for generations chafed at the space limitations for entertaining. “But how it’s done and how it’s accomplished and what results is really the vision of the president who undertakes that project.”

What the White House Historical Assn. does

Jacqueline Kennedy created the historical association in 1961 to help preserve the museum quality of the interior of the White House and educate the public. It receives no government funding and raises money mostly through private donations and sales of retail merchandise.

It is not the mission of the association to take a position on construction, McLaurin said. Its primary mandate is preserving the State Floor and some of the historic bedrooms upstairs in the private living quarters, and teaching the history of the White House, which is an accredited museum. The State Floor is made up of the Green, Blue and Red Rooms, the East Room and State Dining Room, the Cross Hall and Grand Foyer.

“Ours is not to support — or to not support,” McLaurin said. “Ours is to understand, to get the details.”

Since the demolition, McLaurin said he has seen attendance spike at a free educational center the association opened in September 2024 a block from the White House. “The People’s House: A White House Experience” is open seven days a week — including during the shutdown.

The educational center had its busiest days the weekend of Oct. 17-19, with about 1,500 daily visitors, up from a previous average of 900, he said.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

What is there left to know about Paul McCartney in 2025? Actually, quite a bit. The octogenarian megastar is seemingly ever-present, popping up on social media feeds with his affable avuncularity, his relentlessly sunny, two thumbs up ‘tude. Yet despite the steady trickle of Beatles scholarship that continues to be published, including Ian Leslie’s insightful book, “John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs,” earlier this year, McCartney is a cipher, a blank page. He has masterfully created the illusion of transparency, yet his life remains stubbornly opaque. Does the man ever lose his temper? Has he ever cheated on his taxes? If there is a chink in McCartney’s armor, we are still looking for it.

Denny Laine, Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney and Denny Seiwell in Osterley Park, London, in 1971.

(Barry Lategan / MPL Communications )

Yet according to this new book, an oral history of McCartney’s band Wings, there is still much to be excavated from what is the most examined life in pop music history, especially when it comes from the horse’s mouth. The book is ostensibly “authored” by McCartney even though it is an oral history that has been edited by Ted Widmer, an estimable historian and a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton. Widmer has also written third-person interstitial information to guide the reader through the story.

Stitching together interviews with McCartney, his wife Linda, erstwhile Beatles, and the various musicians and other key players who found themselves pulled into the Wings orbit across the nearly decadelong tenure of the band, “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” is a smooth, frictionless ride across the arc of McCartney’s ’70s career, when he continued to mint more hits, and secured a lock on a massive career that is presently in its 55th year.

Joe English, Jimmy McCulloch, Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney and Denny Laine in 1976.

(Clive Arrowsmith / MPL Communications)

Hard as it is to fathom, McCartney has had pangs of doubt concerning his art and career, never more so than in the immediate aftermath of the Beatles’ breakup in 1970, when he found himself at loose ends, unsure of how to follow up the most spectacular first act in show business history. In the immediate aftermath of that epochal event, McCartney retreated to a 183-acre sheep farm on the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyllshire, Scotland, with his wife Linda and their young family. According to the book, there was uncertainty about his ability to write songs that could stand alongside his Beatles work. Hence, his first solo offering, “McCartney,” was mostly tentative, half-baked notions for songs, interlaced with a few fully realized compositions like “Maybe I’m Amazed,” all recorded by McCartney in his home studio.

Home recording sessions for the McCartney album in London, 1970.

( Linda McCartney / © 1970 Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP)

But the gentleman farmer couldn’t stay down on the farm for long. Eventually, the old impulse to be in a band and to perform became McCartney’s new imperative, but he would go about it in an entirely different way. No more camping out in Abbey Road studios, the Beatles’ favorite laboratory, hiring out string sections and horn sections, ruminating over tracks for as long as it took. McCartney would instead take an incremental DIY approach, starting modestly and progressing accordingly. Instead of meticulously recording tracks, records would be dashed off spontaneously. Bob Dylan became a kind of North Star for how to approach a record: “Bob Dylan had done an album in a week,” says McCartney in the book. “I thought, ‘That’s a good idea.’’’

Paul McCartney, Wings Over the World tour, Philadelphia, 1976.

(Robert Ellis / MPL Communications)

It was around this time that McCartney hired Denny Laine, who became (aside from wife Linda) the only full-time member of Wings for the duration of the band’s life. The two had met years earlier, when the Beatles were partying in Birmingham with Laine and his band the Diplomats. “Truth be told, I needed a John,” McCartney admits in the book. The first Wings album, “Wild Life,” recorded in a barn on McCartney’s Scotland farm, was critically savaged, but listening to it now, it retains a certain homespun charm, the amiable slumming of a master musician tinkering with various approaches because he can and because it’s fun. A short tour of universities around the U.K. further contributed to the low-key vibe that McCartney was intent on maintaining; he was waiting for the right time to pounce on the American market, specifically, and reclaim his mantle as the King of Pop.

1973’s “Band on the Run” would be the album that cracked it wide open again for McCartney, but he was still in a rambling mood, this time eager to try one of EMI’s studios in Lagos, Nigeria. “It wasn’t the sort of paradise we thought it would be,” McCartney is quoted in the book, “but it didn’t matter, because we were basically spending a lot of time in the studio.” Once in Africa, Paul, Linda and Denny Laine were mugged, their tapes stolen. Another night, they were guests of the master afrobeat musician Fela Kuti, who invited the three to his Afrika Shrine club for an indelible performance: “It hit me so hard,” says Paul. “It was like boom, and I’ve never heard anything as good, ever, before or since.”

McCartney II recording sessions, Lower Gate Farm, Sussex, 1979.

(Linda McCartney / © 1979 Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive)

“Band on the Run” became an international smash and McCartney once again found himself playing arenas and stadiums with yet another iteration of Wings. It is also at this point that the story of Wings settles into a more of an “album-tour-album” narrative, save for a harrowing drug bust for pot in Japan on the eve of a Wings tour in January 1980, when McCartney spent nine days in jail. “I had all this really good grass, excellent stuff,” explains McCartney, who had cavalierly packed it in his suitcase. Once in jail he had to “share a bath with a bloke who was in for murder,” organizing “singsongs with other prisoners” until his lawyers arranged for his release. The bust would presage the dissolution of Wings; McCartney would release a solo album, “McCartney II,” in May.

Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Seiwell and Denny Laine. Promotional photo shoot for “Wild Life,” 1971.

(Barry Lategan / © 1971 MPL Communications)

How you feel about the albums that Wings made after 1975’s excellent “Venus and Mars” will perhaps affect your judgment of the back half of “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.” But even a charitable fan will have a hard time making a strong claim for the albums that followed 1975’s “Venus and Mars,” which includes “London Town,” “At the Speed of Sound” and “Back to the Egg.” The book’s best stuff is to be found at the start, when the superstar was making his first baby steps toward renewed relevance, and then found it.

Weingarten is the author of “Thirsty: William Mulholland, California Water, and the Real Chinatown.”

How many fans that will be there to watch Wales this autumn remains to be seen with the current discontent surrounding the Welsh game.

There has been very little success on the field and disarray off the pitch in the past couple of years, with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) now preparing to cut a men’s professional side.

The Principality Stadium capacity is 74,500 meaning the four matches could attract 298,000 supporters in November.

A WRU statement read: “With more than 200,000 supporters expected to visit Cardiff over the four-match series, to match average attendances over the last 10 years, ticket sales are tracking well against targets for the Quilter Nations Series.

“Fans are keen to see Wales take on Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa on home turf.

“As you would expect, the All Blacks game is the best seller and Principality Stadium’s best chance of a sell-out this autumn.”

WASHINGTON — Betty Ford reportedly said that if the White House West Wing is the “mind” of the nation, then the East Wing — the traditional power center for first ladies — is the “heart.”

That “heart” beat for more than 100 years as first ladies and their teams worked from their East Wing offices on everything from stopping drug abuse and boosting literacy to beautifying and preserving the White House itself. It’s where they planned White House state dinners and brainstormed the elaborate themes that are a feature of the U.S. holiday season.

That history came to an end after wrecking crews tore down the wing’s two stories of offices and reception rooms this month. Gone is an in-house movie theater, as well as a covered walkway to the White House captured in so many photos over the years. An East Wing garden that was dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy was uprooted, photographs show.

President Trump ordered the demolition as part of his still-to-be approved plan to build a $300-million ballroom.

The Republican former real estate developer has long been fixated on building a big White House ballroom. In 2010, he called a top advisor to then-President Obama and offered to build one. Trump made no secret of his distaste for the practice of hosting elegant White House state dinners underneath tents on the South Lawn. The Obama White House did not follow up on his request.

Now Trump, in his second term, is moving quickly to see his wish for what he calls a “great legacy project” become reality. He has tried to justify the East Wing tear-down and his ballroom plans by noting that some of his predecessors also added to the White House over the years.

First ladies and their staffs witnessed history in the East Wing, a “place of purpose and service,” said Anita McBride, who worked there as chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush.

“Tearing down those walls doesn’t diminish the significance of the work we accomplished there,” McBride told the Associated Press.

McBride said she supports a ballroom addition because the “large and expensive tent option” that has been used when guest lists stretched longer than could be comfortably accommodated inside the White House “was not sustainable.” Tents damage the lawn and require additional infrastructure to be brought in, such as outdoor bathrooms and trolleys to move people around, especially in bad weather, she said.

Others feel differently.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, who was policy director for First Lady Michelle Obama, said the demolition was a “symbolic blow” to the East Wing’s legacy as a place where women made history.

“The East Wing was this physical space that had seen the role of the first lady evolve from a social hostess into a powerful advocate on a range of issues,” she said in an interview.

Here’s a look at some of the history that came out of the East Wing and the first ladies who spent time there:

Rosalynn Carter

She was the first first lady to have her own office in the East Wing. Most first ladies before Carter had worked out of the private living quarters on the second or third floor of the residence. Carter wanted a place where she could separate work and home.

“I always need a place to go that is private, where I don’t have to dress and don’t have to put on makeup,” she wrote in her memoir. “The offices of the staff of the first lady were always in the East Wing, and it seemed a perfect place for my office too.”

In her memoir, Carter wrote about her favorite route to her office in winter months. She walked through the basement, past laundry rooms and workshops and the bomb shelter kept for the president and his staff. The thermostats in the residence above had been turned down low because of President Carter’s energy conservation program, making the East Wing so cold that she was forced to wear long underwear.

The subterranean passageway shown to her by a residence staffer provided some relief. “With Jimmy’s energy conservation program, it was the only really warm place in the White House, with large steam pipes running overhead,” the first lady wrote.

Nancy Reagan

Photos from the East Wing in the early 1980s show the first lady meeting with staff, including her press secretary, Sheila Tate. For a generation of Americans, Nancy Reagan was most closely associated with a single phrase, “Just Say No,” for the anti-drug abuse program she made a hallmark of her White House tenure.

As Reagan once recalled, the idea for the campaign emerged during a 1982 visit with schoolchildren in Oakland. “A little girl raised her hand and said, ‘Mrs. Reagan, what do you do if somebody offers you drugs?’ And I said, ‘Well, you just say no.’ And there it was born.”

Hillary Clinton

Clinton bucked history by becoming the first first lady to insist that her office be in the West Wing, not the East Wing. In her memoir, Clinton wrote that she wanted her staff to be “integrated physically” with the president’s team. The first lady’s office relocated to what is now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building while Clinton was assigned an office on the second floor of the West Wing.

“This was another unprecedented event in White House history and quickly became fodder for late-night comedians and political pundits,” Clinton later wrote.

Laura Bush

Bush wrote in her memoir about what it was like at the White House after the Sept. 11 attacks. Most of her staff members, in their 20s, “kicked off their high heels and fled from the East Wing” after they were told to “run for their lives” when reports suggested the White House was a target, she wrote.

“Now they were being asked to come back to work in a building that everyone considered a target and for a presidency and a country that would be at war.”

Michelle Obama

Obama was the first Black woman to serve as first lady, becoming a global role model and style icon who advocated for improved child nutrition through her “Let’s Move” initiative. She and her staff in the East Wing also worked to support military families and promote higher education for girls in developing countries.

Photos from the time show Obama typing on a laptop during an online chat about school nutrition and the White House garden she created.

Melania Trump

Trump pushed the boundaries of serving as first lady by not living at the White House during the opening months of President Trump’s first term. She stayed in New York with their then-school-age son, Barron, so he wouldn’t have to switch schools midyear. When she eventually moved to the White House, she and her East Wing aides launched an initiative called “Be Best,” focused on child well-being, opioid abuse and online safety.

Jill Biden

Biden was the first first lady to continue a career outside the White House. The longtime community college English professor taught twice a week while serving as first lady. But in her East Wing work, she was an advocate for military families; her late father and her late son Beau served in the military. Biden also advocated for research into a cure for cancer and secured millions of dollars in federal funding for research into women’s health.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON — The entire White House East Wing has been demolished as President Trump moves forward with a ballroom construction, Associated Press photos on Thursday showed.

The East Wing, where first ladies created history, planned state dinners and promoted causes, is now history itself. The two-story structure of drawing rooms and offices, including workspace for first ladies and their staffs, has been turned into rubble, demolished as part of the Republican president’s plan to build what he said is now a $300-million ballroom nearly twice the size of the White House.

Trump said Wednesday that keeping the East Wing would have “hurt a very, very expensive, beautiful building” that he said presidents have wanted for years.

He said “me and some friends of mine” will pay for the ballroom at no cost to taxpayers.

Trump allowed the demolition to begin this week despite not yet having approval from the relevant government agencies with jurisdiction over construction on federal property.

Preservationists have also urged the Trump administration to halt the demolition until plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom can go through the required public review process.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

“For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House,” wrote no one ever until Donald J. Trump posted the proclamation on his Truth Social platform Monday.

The president’s plans to build the kind of venue that most Americans associate with Disney princesses, Von Trapp family soirees and let-them-eat-cake dynasties became a reality this week as construction crews began tearing down the White House East Wing to build Trump’s 90,000-square-foot, $300-million ballroom (up $100 million from estimates it cited earlier in the week). When completed, the venue will dwarf the main White House, boasting nearly twice the square footage of the executive residence.

The first photos and footage of heavy machinery knocking down parts of the East Wing on Monday triggered strong reactions from historians, preservationists, politicians and regular folk — all of whom took umbrage with the administration’s unilateral decision to alter the 224-year-old official residence of presidents dating back to John Adams.

Demolition was underway on the East Wing of the White House before construction of a ballroom.

(Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation has asked the administration to delay further demolition until plans for the ballroom undergo a public review process, arguing the massive addition “will overwhelm the White House itself.” Late-night host Stephen Colbert used the opportunity to call out another instance of institutional destruction: “We’re just nine months into Trump’s term, and he’s already going ‘Hulk Smash!’ on the White House. Last time, it took at least four years to bring a demo crew to the Capitol,” he said, referring to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In an official statement posted on its website, the White House blamed the outcry over Trump’s East Wing demolition on a Democratic overreaction. “In the latest instance of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House — a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence.”

As if anyone but the Trumps — or the billionaires donating to his project — can afford pearls at this point. Trump says his ballroom is being privately funded by “many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly,” and that the burden of constructing his opulent project won’t fall on taxpayers. Good thing, because the bottom 90% is pretty tapped out.

Americans are struggling to keep up financially. Wage growth has slowed as prices for essentials continue to climb despite Trump’s 2024 campaign promises to beat back inflation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, from August 2024 to August 2025, the price of meat, poultry, fish and eggs rose 5.6%, nonalcoholic beverages increased 4.6%, and prices for fruits and vegetables increased 1.9%. Though gasoline prices dropped, the cost of electricity increased 6.2%, and the price of natural gas rose 13.8%. Other notable price increases include medical care (3.4%) and auto insurance (4.7%). But who needs lighting, heat or their health when there are ballrooms to build?

Renderings of the site released by the White House look suspiciously like the gilded ballroom at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private home and club in Palm Beach, Fla., with its gilded ceilings, imposing columns and ornate chandeliers.

The Oval Office and Cabinet Room have already been remade in Trump’s image, with the addition of numerous portraits, busts and gleaming gold flourishes. The bathroom off the Lincoln Bedroom has also reportedly been redone, but how does one top the now-infamous Mar-a-Lago restroom, with its crystal lighting fixtures, marble floors and stacks of classified-document boxes?

Addressing Republican Party senators at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction in the back. … When I hear that sound, it reminds me of money.” At least he was honest.

The White House declined to give details on just who is funding the ballroom, and the opaque response raised concerns that the project may serve as a pay-to-play opportunity for those who wish to curry favor with the administration. The only known donor to date was revealed in court documents. YouTube is slated to pay $22 million toward the project as part of a settlement with Trump over his account being suspended following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump expects the ballroom to be completed before his term is up, he says. But will he leave a glass slipper behind?

WASHINGTON — The White House started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Trump’s $250-million ballroom despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees such projects.

Dramatic photos of the demolition work that began Monday showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next to the East Wing.

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the plan now called for the demolition of the entire East Wing and that the tear-down should be completed by Sunday. Citing a source, The Times said it marks an escalation over earlier plans for the ballroom.

Trump announced the start of construction in a social media post and referenced the work while hosting 2025 college baseball champs Louisiana State University and LSU-Shreveport in the East Room. He noted the work was happening “right behind us.”

“We have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically,” he said, adding, “It just started today.”

The White House has moved ahead with the massive construction project despite not yet having sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area.

Its chairman, Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff secretary and one of Trump’s top aides, said at the commission’s September meeting that the agency does not have jurisdiction over demolition or site preparation work for buildings on federal property.

“What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build,” Scharf said last month.

It was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans for the agency’s review and approval. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and the commission’s offices are closed because of the government shutdown.

The Republican president had said in July when the project was announced that the ballroom would not interfere with the mansion itself.

“It’ll be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he said of the White House.

The East Wing houses several offices, including those of the first lady. It was built in 1902 and and has been renovated over the years, with a second story added in 1942, according to the White House.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said those East Wing offices will be temporarily relocated during construction and that wing of the building will be modernized and renovated.

“Nothing will be torn down,” Leavitt said when she announced the project in July.

Trump insists that presidents have desired such a ballroom for 150 years and that he’s adding the massive 90,000-square-foot, glass-walled space because the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small. He also has said he does not like the idea of hosting kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers in pavilions on the South Lawn.

Trump said in the social media announcement that the project would be completed “with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”

The ballroom will be the biggest structural change to the Executive Mansion since the addition in 1948 of the Truman Balcony overlooking the South Lawn, even dwarfing the residence itself.

At a dinner he hosted last week for some of the wealthy business executives who are donating money toward the construction cost, Trump said the project had grown in size and now will accommodate 999 people. The capacity was 650 seated people at the July announcement.

The White House has said it will disclose information on who has contributed money to build the ballroom, but has yet to do so.

Trump also said at last week’s event that the head of Carrier Global Corp., a leading manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, had offered to donate the air-conditioning system for the ballroom.

Carrier confirmed to the Associated Press on Monday that it had done so. A cost estimate was not immediately available.

“Carrier is honored to provide the new iconic ballroom at the White House with a world-class, energy-efficient HVAC system, bringing comfort to distinguished guests and dignitaries in this historic setting for years to come,” the company said in an emailed statement.

The clearing of trees on the south grounds and other site preparation work for the construction started in September. Plans call for the ballroom to be ready before Trump’s term ends in January 2029.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON — President Trump has begun demolition of the East Wing as he remakes the White House in his image, ignoring rules, breaking promises and taking a wrecking ball to the approval process in an echo of the strategies he deployed in Florida and New York as he built his real estate empire.

An excavator ripped off the facade and parts of the roof on Monday, exposing the stone shell below. Windows have been removed. A truck carried trees outside the White House gates and down Pennsylvania Avenue. A crowd gathered outside to witness the partial tear-down of the historic building — which Trump said just weeks ago would not be touched in his plans to build a new ballroom.

“Over the next few days, it’s going to be demolished,” Trump said at a White House dinner last week for donors to the 90,000-square-foot structure estimated to cost between $200 million and $250 million.

“Everything out there is coming down, and we’re replacing it with one of the most beautiful ballrooms that you’ve ever seen.”

He described the forthcoming structure as “four sides of beautiful glass.”

But similar to the rule-breaking tactics he used when pushing through changes to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach and building his Trump Tower in New York, Trump’s sudden and dramatic White House overhaul has been made possible by his disdain for the rules that have protected Washington’s cohesive design. To date, he hasn’t submitted plans for review to the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees renovation and additions to the federal buildings in the capital, including the president’s historic residence.

Not that the commission — now stacked with Trump’s allies — is complaining.

This summer, the president appointed his top aides — staff secretary Will Scharf, deputy chief of staff James Blair and Office of Management and Budget energy official Stuart Levenbach — to sit on the governing body.

Scharf, a longtime loyal Trump aide who hands him his executive orders to sign, was named chairman by the president. The appointments were so sudden that Scharf, at his first commission meeting on July 10, apologized for not connecting with any of his fellow commissioners ahead of time, noting his appointment had happened the night before.

At the commission’s next meeting, on Sept. 4, Scharf launched into a defense of Trump’s building project, arguing the commission does not have jurisdiction over demolition and site preparation work for federal property; that it just deals with construction.

“I think any assertion that this commission should have been consulted earlier than it has been, or it will be, is simply false,” he said.

The commission will just “play a role in the ballroom project when the time is appropriate for us to do so,” he said.

Not so fast, say past commissioners.

Preston Bryant, a former chairman of the commission, told the Miami Herald in an email that in his nine years on the job “the Commission always works on proposed capital projects in three stages — Conceptual, Preliminary Approval, and Final Approval. Even before conceptual, there’s early consultation.”

Trump is familiar with the process. When he and his Trump Organization were remodeling the Old Post Office Pavilion into a Trump Hotel in 2014, they had to get their plans approved by the commission, which was strict in its adherence to preserving the historical structure of the building.

His team submitted a 52-page proposal showing the design changes, drawings of the new interior and exterior, and detailed the effect the changes would have on local traffic.

But now Trump has plowed on, bulldozing any opposition.

“We’ll have the most beautiful ballroom in the country,” he said Monday at an event in the East Room of the White House, apologizing for any construction noise the guests may hear. “It just started today so that’s good luck.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the new ballroom will be “completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!”

As photos and videos of the destruction went viral on social media, his top administration aides took to their accounts to defend the project, pointing out that the ballroom was being paid for with private donations and noting other presidents have made changes to the White House.

Past presidents, however, consulted advisers and architects, along with groups like the White House Historical Association and the Committee for the Preservation of the White House in addition to working with the commission, which is currently closed as part of the government shutdown.

One former commissioner noted that Washington, D.C., is a carefully planned city and that the commission strives to keep to the original vision of Pierre L’Enfant, who designed the layout of the capitol.

“If you don’t have a review process you’re basically saying one individual can say what the capital looks like. Washington doesn’t look this way by accident,” the commissioner, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, said.

Trump’s history of flouting the rules

Brushing aside red tape has long been a Trump strategy when it comes to changes at historic properties.

In 2006, Trump added an 80-foot flagpole with a 5-feet-by-25-feet flag on the front lawn of Mar-a-Lago — without the proper permit or permission. Palm Beach restricts flagpoles to no higher than 42 feet and flags that are a maximum of 4 feet by 6 feet.

The town fined Trump $250 a day. He countered with a $250 million lawsuit, accusing Palm Beach of violating his First Amendment rights and publicly blasted local officials for fining his patriotic display.

Trump and the town government finally came to an agreement: Trump filed for a permit and was allowed an oversized pole that was 10 feet shorter than the original pole. In return he would donate $100,000 to veterans’ charities.

He also warred with Palm Beach over his original plan for Mar-a-Lago, which was to turn its 17 acres into a subdivision. With millions in upkeep and no income generated, the property was costing him a fortune.

The Palm Beach Town Council vetoed all his construction plans. Once again, Trump sued.

Another deal was made: Trump offered to drop his lawsuit if the town let him turn the estate into a lucrative private club. The council agreed but also set a series of requirements, including capping the membership price and its capacity along with a restriction that no one was to spend more than 21 nights a year at the property.

Trump, however, has hiked the membership fees and, after he left the White House in the first term, he named Mar-a-Lago his permanent residence, getting an exemption to the 21-night stay rule.

Similar actions took place when he built Trump Tower in New York.

In 1980, Trump acquired the historic Bonwit Teller building. He demolished the 1929 Art Deco building to build his namesake tower.

Before the project began, several prominent residents expressed concern about the original building’s limestone relief panels, considered prominent works of art.

Trump agreed to preserve the panels and donate them to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But as construction continued, Trump changed his mind and had the panels demolished with the building, saying they had little value and were “without artistic merit.”

It’s a slight still felt in some circles in New York society.

‘Pays total respect to the existing building’

Back in Washington, heads are shaking over the demolition of one-third of the White House structure.

After all, in July, Trump said the current building wouldn’t be touched.

“It won’t interfere with the current building. It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he said.

Now, in addition to the destruction of the wing, he may touch parts of the original White House. Trump on Monday indicated part of one of East Wing walls will come down to connect his ballroom to the residence.

“That’s a knockout panel — you knock it out,” he explained.

The East Wing was built in 1902 as a guest entrance and expanded in 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It houses the offices of the first lady and her staff, the military office and the visitors office.

It’s unclear what process FDR went through. The planning commission wasn’t established until 1952. But part of the reason he had it built was to cover the underground presidential bunker which was installed for security reasons.

Trump has already made his mark on the White House. He’s added gold gilding to the Oval Office and stacked its walls with portraits. He’s moved around presidential portraits throughout the complex and added paintings of himself.

On the colonnade, which is the walkway leading from the residence to the West Wing, Trump added a photo of each American president. One exception was Joe Biden. Trump instead placed a photo of a pen, referring to his constant criticism for Biden using the auto pen for his signature during his presidency.

He paved over the Rose Garden to make it look similar to the patio at Mar-a-Lago, putting out chairs and tables with yellow umbrellas brought up from his Florida club. And he’s installed two massive flags atop large poles — one on the North Lawn and one on the South Lawn.

And there could be more changes to come.

Scharf, at his September planning commission meeting, mentioned an upcoming beautification and redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue.

He didn’t offer any details but an earlier presentation to the commission showed plans to turn the iconic avenue into a more pedestrian friendly walkway, with a national stage for events, markets and green spaces.

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits next door to the White House and houses most of the administration staff, could be in his sights. In his first term, Trump mulled adding gold leaf to the white granite building.

But, for now, Trump is working on plans to build a ceremonial arch outside of Arlington National Cemetery, on a traffic circle that sits between it and Memorial Bridge.

It would commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year. The president showed off design models and drawings to the ballroom donors, telling them there were three sizes to pick from and he was leaning toward the largest.

“Whichever one would look good. I happen to think the large one,” Trump said as the group laughed. “Why are you shocked?”

The drawings show an arch similar to France’s Arc de Triomphe with columns, eagles, wreaths and a gilded, winged figure.

Trump, earlier this month, had a model of it on his desk in the Oval Office when he was speaking to reporters on another matter.

The journalists noticed the piece and asked who it was for.

“Me,” he replied.

Emily Goodin writes for The Miami Herald and Tribune News Services.

Wales’ players will assemble at their training base on the outskirts of Cardiff on Monday, 27 October.

New head coach Steve Tandy will then begin his tenure with a match against Argentina on Sunday, 9 November, with Tests against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa to follow.

Those fixtures, which will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, represent a formidable first assignment for ex-Scotland defence coach Tandy.

He takes over a Wales side ranked 12th in the world and one that only broke an 18-match international losing sequence by beating Japan in Kobe in July.

“It’s been really exciting going through the whole process and realising how many good players we’ve got,” said Tandy.

“There’s a really good mix of some young guys coming in, mixed with some experience as well. But the overall feeling is really exciting and I can’t wait to get the boys into camp on Monday.

“It’s a new time and there are some new faces in and around the playing group as well.”

Carre has started the season strongly with Saracens, but was ineligible under Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) selection policy because he has 20 caps, five short of the required number for those playing for clubs outside Wales.

But in its statement confirming the squad, the WRU said Carre had been “included following confirmation by the Professional Rugby Board that he is eligible for Wales selection”.

Second rows Adam Beard and Dafydd Jenkins are back having missed the two-Test series in Japan over the summer because of being given a break and elective surgery respectively.

There are also returns for Jacob Beetham, Rhys Davies, Rio Dyer, Jarrod Evans, Joe Hawkins, Max Llewellyn and Nick Tompkins.

However, fellow lock Will Rowlands is not included having announced his retirement from international rugby shortly before the squad was published on Tuesday.

The U.S. Air Force is reportedly examining the possibility of fielding stealthy flying-wing aircraft that could serve as ‘arsenal planes’ loaded with air-to-air missiles. The broader concept is one that we have discussed in the past, including in relation to a version of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. According to an article from Air & Space Forces Magazine, the Air Force is also considering other potential flying-wing platforms to fill this air-to-air role.

A senior Air Force official told Air & Space Forces Magazine that this kind of arsenal plane was being studied as part of the Air Force’s plans for how to deal with a high-intensity conflict fought with China in the Indo-Pacific region. The stealthy flying-wing aircraft would be armed with “dozens” of air-to-air missiles, the article states.

According to a former top Air Force official speaking to Air & Space Forces Magazine, “there wasn’t a compelling argument” for an air-to-air version of the B-21 in the past, even though it had been discussed. But the prospect of an air war with China and its rapidly evolving air combat capabilities seems to have changed that stance.

Currently, the study is still at an early stage, but it’s intriguing, to say the least, that the Air Force is looking at the possibility of engaging other manufacturers and employing different platforms than the B-21, which is now deep in flight test.

The same official told the publication that an arsenal plane of this kind would be one way of providing a supplement to or even taking the place of some of the Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones it intends to press into service in the coming years. “There are other ways of achieving ‘affordable mass’ than darkening the skies with CCAs,” the official said.   

The basic operational scenario would involve the arsenal plane providing additional air-to-air ‘magazine depth’ for crewed fighters, such as the F-22, F-35, and the future F-47. The fighters would be responsible for detecting and designating targets, which would then be engaged by long-range missiles launched from the arsenal plane, operating at a standoff distance, a concept that we have been discussing for years. CCAs could also be added to the mix. It’s worth noting that a lack of larger numbers of air-to-air missiles in their jets is a top complaint of F-35 and F-22 crews. Smaller missiles optimized for internal carriage and with shorter ranges are in the works to help mitigate this issue.

There is no mention of whether the arsenal plane would be crewed or not, but the idea of an uncrewed or optionally crewed version of the B-21 has been part of that program from the outset. Furthermore, work has already been done on a possible complementary drone for the B-21, as you can read about here. While this was originally pitched as a bomber drone, such a design could equally lend itself to becoming an air-to-air arsenal plane.

It’s interesting, too, that the idea of an air-to-air role for the B-21 has come up in the past.

Back in 2019, Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Pleus, at that time the Director of Air and Cyber Operations for Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), discussed the possibility of a B-21 “that also has air-to-air capabilities” and can “work with the family of systems to defend itself, utilizing stealth…”

Even before those remarks, TWZ had explored how the new stealth bomber could serve in multiple roles, including in an air-to-air capacity, while Air Force officials had repeatedly alluded to its multi-function capabilities.

“Many of the B-21’s weapons, which will include everything from JDAMs, to Massive Ordnance Penetrators, to ultra long-range air-to-air missiles, will benefit from the Raider’s high perch,” TWZ wrote as long ago as 2017. “Even potentially lasers in the future will have more range due to this performance attribute.”

In December of last year, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin confirmed the service had not ruled out expanding the roles and missions of the B-21 as part of a reassessment of plans for its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative, which led to the F-47.

The latest Air Force thinking also includes the option of using an airframe other than the B-21 to achieve the same air-to-air task. This is apparently based on concerns about Northrop Grumman’s capacity to build the baseline bomber in addition to a potential air-to-air-tasked spinoff. At the same time, a full-specification B-21 version would be a very expensive asset, and likely its level of sophistication would not be required for an arsenal plane role. A stripped-down model, with no sensors and less communications capabilities, as well as possibly no pilots and slightly degraded stealth could drop that price considerably while leveraging the B-21’s basic airframe.

The Air Force’s publicly stated plan has long been to buy at least 100 Raiders. However, as we have talked about in the past, there is the potential that the B-21 force could ultimately become significantly bigger. In the meantime, Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) has looked into the options for increasing B-21 production output, including the possibility of opening up another production facility.

Current estimates suggest that Northrop Grumman will be building 10 B-21s per year by the early 2030s. Even with funds to increase that output, it’s far from certain that there will be additional capacity for production of an air-to-air version as well.

Clearly, developing a new stealthy flying-wing arsenal plane from scratch would be a significant endeavor, although likely less costly than producing a high-end bomber for arsenal plane use. At the same time, a specialized design for the role could draw upon technologies developed not only for the B-21 but also for other advanced flying-wing programs, including ones in the classified realm.

While a dedicated air-to-air version of the B-21 might not find AFGSC favor, Raiders armed with air-to-air missiles for their own protection is another matter. This is underscored by evidence that PACOM has already included notional B-21s with air-to-air weapons in war games intended to learn about future campaigns fought against China.

Another option would be to expand (or include if it doesn’t have it already) air-to-air capability in the baseline B-21. Raiders with the option of employing air-to-air as well as air-to-ground weapons would ensure versatility, and these aircraft could even carry mixed load-outs if the mission required it. It should be noted, too, that the B-21 has a smaller weapons carriage capability than the current B-2 Spirit and, at least based on photos of the second aircraft, it lacks side bays for smaller weapons — this could change as development continues.

On the other hand, the B-21 is a very costly plane, and any weapons capacity given over to air-to-air munitions necessarily takes away from its primary bomber mission, something that AFGSC is unlikely to appreciate. It will also be tasked extremely heavily for its central strike role during a major conflict. So, if the B-21s were partially tasked with working as arsenal ships for fighters, more airframes would be needed, which could make taking on this role more agreeable to AFGSC.

In the meantime, there is apparently no shortage of long-range air-to-air missile programs that could yield suitable armament for an arsenal plane of this kind.

There are various very long-range air-to-air missile programs known to have been in the works in the United States, with more in the classified realm. The best known is the joint Air Force/Navy AIM-260, which will offer much greater range than the current AIM-120 AMRAAM, as well as other new and improved capabilities, but will put these in a missile with similar dimensions to the AIM-120. A Raider-sized aircraft could carry a huge number of AIM-260s.

At the same time, a platform the size of the B-21, or closer to its size, would also be capable of carrying outsized weapons beyond the scope of carriage by CCAs, or even crewed fighters, such as multi-stage air-to-air weapons. As for large, very long-range air-to-air missiles, one option very well-suited to the role would be the AIM-174, the air launched derivative of the surface-launched SM-6 missile. These are currently carried by U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets. Longer-ranged than any other air-to-air missile the U.S. military has ever fielded, it is also tailor-made for the Indo-Pacific theater, as you can see in the video below. Firing it at the direction of forward-operating fighters would very much fit the role of this new flying wing aircraft, which would be able to carry far more than fighters could.

Alternatively, instead of buying large flying wings each carrying dozens of missiles, the Air Force could acquire uncrewed combat air vehicles, or UCAVs, offering a longer range and better survivability than CCAs, as well as a far greater payload. The result would be a more survivable drone carrying a fighter-sized load of missiles. The apparent absence of UCAVs of any kind from Air Force plans is something we have discussed in detail before and have since followed up on.

If this option were to be pursued, it would go some way to address the limitations of a larger flying-wing platform carrying dozens of missiles at once. Simply put, those missiles can only be in one place at any given time. Buying more plentiful UCAVs would mean that they can be in many places at once, and losing a drone of this kind would be preferable to the Air Force losing many millions in the cost of a more exquisite flying wing platform and its missiles.

For its part, China is busily developing flying-wing drones, including stealthy UCAVs. Some of these drones are also notably large. Indeed, the latest of these may well even match this latest U.S. Air Force arsenal plane concept, at least by design, although we do not know its exact planned mission or stores configuration. Namely, this is a flying-wing drone with a ‘cranked kite’ planform, a bit smaller than a B-21, but likely with kinetic capabilities. Potentially, it could also be used in an air-to-air combat support role.

Other interesting parallels can be found between the new U.S. Air Force concept and naval programs for ‘arsenal ships.’ These vessels are intended to similarly increase magazine depth, lobbing air defense, land-attack, and anti-ship missiles in support of more conventional surface combatants. Some of these arsenal ships are also expected to operate uncrewed, while others will go to sea with a much-reduced crew complement.

Should the Air Force find funds for an air-to-air arsenal plane of whatever kind, the effect that would have on the CCA and other initiatives is unclear.

The statement that an unnamed senior Air Force official gave to Air & Space Forces Magazine suggests that a stealthy flying-wing aircraft armed with large numbers of air-to-air missiles could, to a degree, threaten CCA plans, although it could also be a very useful complement.

The CCA program, at least to begin with, is based around drones that can carry air-to-air missiles, meaning these drones can work closely with crewed aircraft, significantly extending their reach while enhancing lethality and survivability.

As it stands, the primary mission of the first increment of CCAs will be acting as flying ‘missile trucks’ supporting crewed combat jets, a fact reflected by the FQ (Fighter Drone) designations, for the General Atomics YFQ-42A and the Anduril YFQ-44A.

While CCAs would be expected to operate much closer to the enemy than an arsenal plane, they would not be able to carry anywhere near as many missiles — initially, just two AMRAAMs.

There are meanwhile efforts to extend the reach and flexibility of crewed fighters (and other platforms), including the LongShot drone, which is being developed specifically as an air-to-air ‘missile truck.’ The drone will carry the missiles forward to enhance the tactical lethality and especially the survivability of the launch platform. While it is planned to be cost-effective, the LongShot is not reusable, and each one will also carry just two missiles. At the same time, the LongShot could be an option to increase the reach of an arsenal plane, too.

Indeed, all of these smaller drones will have only a relatively limited weapons-carrying capacity. In this context, a larger stealthy flying-wing with capacious internal capacity becomes very compelling in terms of bringing the largest number of air-to-air missiles to bear against a numerically superior adversary, like China. Furthermore, depending on the degree of standoff range at which the arsenal plane could operate, it wouldn’t necessarily need the same degree of low observability as the B-21.

Also interesting is the timing of the new arsenal plane revelations, in terms of the F-47, which was always intended to be a spearhead of the Air Force’s future air superiority efforts, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.

While Boeing has started production of the first F-47 for the Air Force, with a first flight planned for 2028, there are questions about the final number of aircraft to be built and what they will cost, as well as its overall size (and capacity for weapons carriage).

The Air Force has said it plans to buy at least 185 F-47s, but potentially that figure might change going forward. There has also been discussion about the potential for multiple versions to be built in incremental developmental cycles. Meanwhile, with predictions that the F-47 might cost three times as much as the average F-35, this factor will very likely also play into acquisition plans.

Whatever the number of F-47s procured, the Air Force seems to consider that these, plus much larger quantities of F-35s and CCAs, might still not be enough to wrest air superiority from China over the vast distances of the Pacific, especially in any kind of prolonged campaign.

While it would come at a significant cost, a stealthy flying-wing aircraft packed with air-to-air missiles might just be one way of doing that.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Cuthbert believes Rees-Zammit is excelling after trying life in NFL.

“He is only going to benefit from coming back into rugby,” said Cuthbert.

“He has been in a high performance environment and knows exactly what it takes to play at this level.

“He has played rugby his whole life and has only been away 18 months, the game has not changed an awful lot.

“He has probably come back more experienced and professional. He was pretty laid back, but now he seems way more dedicated.

“It has probably opened his mind to a different way of seeing the game.”

Former Wales fly-half James Hook says Rees-Zammit has something his Welsh rivals don’t.

“He has that X-factor, that point of difference,” said Hook.

“You see some of the tries he scored before he left and since he has came back.

“To be fair, Wales’ back three have not done too bad with the likes of Tom Rogers, Blair Murray and Ellis Mee, but Zammit is just something a little bit different, with that little bit of class.

“He also puts people in stadiums and bums on seats.”

What looks to be a previously unseen low-observable flying-wing drone variant with a ‘cranked kite’ planform has emerged in a satellite image from China’s secretive test base near Malan in the country’s far western Xinjiang province. The design has a strong resemblance to a known Chinese uncrewed high-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft called the CH-7, and is most likely an evolution thereof, or at least it shares a very similar planform.

TWZ obtained the image from Planet Labs. It was taken on August 14, but it only recently appeared in the company’s online archive database. Malan is a hub for leading-edge military aviation developments, and work on advanced uncrewed aircraft in particular, in China. Another new and especially large, low-observable, high-altitude long-endurance flying-wing also emerged in a Planet Labs image of Malan taken back in May, which we were first to report on. That design may have now flown if it didn’t prior to the satellite image.

The very dark-colored drone seen in the August image, which is positioned at the end of a runway, has a wingspan of around 137 feet. It also looks to have a single air intake at the front of its center body section and a matching exhaust at the rear.

There are some unusual shadows cast around the outer edges of the drone’s wings, which might point to vehicles or other equipment on the tarmac underneath. Vehicles and/or other equipment are clearly seen nearby on the runway. It is also worth noting that the image was taken in broad daylight, and there are no indications of any efforts to conceal the drone from prying eyes, despite the knowledge when specific imaging satellites, including those far more powerful than what Planet Labs has access to, regularly pass overhead. Malan notably features a massive high-security hangar to help with operational security.

As mentioned, what is visible of the design in the image taken in August bears clear similarities to a drone that officially broke cover in China in November 2024. That uncrewed aircraft was said to be the first real example of a design called the CH-7 (or Caihong-7, meaning Rainbow-7), and notably differed in shape and size from models and mock-ups that had previously been shown publicly. Available top-down imagery may point to them being very close in size based on their width relative to the runways they are on. However, it is unknown whether the runways have similar widths.

The uncrewed aircraft seen at Malan in the image from last month itself has a wider and longer forward nose section and other differences in its overall shape compared to the CH-7 design seen last year. Smaller differences in wing and trailing edge sweep and wing chord, as well as wingtip geometry, also appear to be present with this new drone.

It is still very possible, if not probable, that this is a further evolution of the CH-7, which has looked most suited for the intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) role, but has also been described as a potential uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV) capable of performing strike missions. Size-wise, the uncrewed has emerged in the satellite image of Malan from last month looks to be in between a large UCAV-like drone and the much larger design that we previously reported on.

Other drone designs with ‘cranked kite’ planforms have also emerged in China in the past, including one spotted years ago in Chengdu, where one of the country’s major military aviation companies is based. However, none of them seem to directly align with what is visible in the August image of Malan.

It’s interesting to point out here that uncrewed aircraft seen in the recently released imagery of Malan bears some resemblance, in broad strokes, to certain unofficial renderings of the U.S. Air Force’s secretive so-called high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) RQ-180, something we also previously noted in relation to the CH-7. TWZ has explored in detail what the RQ-180 might look like, as well as its likely capabilities, which are in line with what we’ve now seen at Malan, in a past feature you can find here. The status of the program is unclear at this time.

Designs with cranked kite planforms have been eyed for other crewed and uncrewed U.S. military aircraft programs over the years, as well. The most well-known of these is the abortive X-47B UCAV developed by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Navy. There were also relevant B-3 bomber concepts that preceded the U.S. Air Force’s Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) program that produced the B-21 Raider.

What is well established at this point is China’s very active pursuit of multiple tiers of flying-wing type drones intended to perform various missions. Years ago, TWZ assessed that this was an area of the Chinese aviation industry that was likely to see an explosion of investment, and in which the academic side of the country’s weapon development ecosystem would be deeply involved.

Just this week, another new twin jet engine-powered flying wing drone tied to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) emerged ahead of the opening of an airshow in the northeastern part of the country, as you can read more about here. Though that uncrewed aircraft still remains unidentified, some similarities have now been drawn between it and a design concept called Star Shadow that a Chinese company called Star Systems first showed in model form at the Singapore Air Show in 2018. Most notably, both designs look to have a split air brake at the rear of the center body section between their engine exhausts.

Interesting theory or consideration regarding the new unknown UAV from the Chinese Academy of Sciences via DanWangJZ/SDF:

“This model looks very similar to the Star Shadow (星影) conceptual stealth UAV displayed at the SGP airshow in 2018.” pic.twitter.com/ZQEYRgqy6c

— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) September 17, 2025

Unless it is some type of decoy meant for counter-intelligence purposes, which is always a possibility, although a remote one, the uncrewed aircraft seen in the August satellite image of Malan is yet another entry into China’s vastly expanding stable of stealth flying wing drones.

Contact the author: [email protected]

A new twin-jet engine flying-wing drone design has emerged in China. While details are currently limited, the Chinese aviation industry has been developing an expanding array of flying-wing uncrewed aircraft, including as uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAV) and high-altitude intelligence-gathering platforms, often in cooperation with state-run research institutions. TWZ assessed years ago that there was likely to be an explosion of investment in flying-wing drones in China and that the academic side of the Chinese weapons development ecosystem would be deeply involved.

Pictures of the drone have been circulating online since at least yesterday. The images are said to have been taken recently in the city of Changchun in Jilin province in northeastern China amid preparations for the Changchun Air Show, which is scheduled to officially open this week. Local authorities say the show will also mark the first “full activation” of the Changchun International Aviation Expo City, a sprawling aviation-themed venue in Changchun that contains a theme park and other attractions.

From what we have seen so far of the drone, which is emblazoned on at least one side with the logo of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), it looks to be more of a developed test article, rather than a mock-up. It has a notable dorsal hump in the center of its body with air intakes nestled up against it on either side. A look at the uncrewed aircraft from the rear also shows two separate exhausts. The intakes and exhausts might point to engines buried in the upper hemisphere of the center body.

The uncrewed aircraft has some features that are broadly in line with a stealthy design, including a chine along the leading edge of the center body and shaping of the engine intakes. At the same time, the exhausts are inset into the body, but are hardly concealed. The rear view also shows rivets or other fasteners that are not fully flush, as well as various seams and protrusions along the body and wings, all of which would have negative impacts on its radar cross-section. If what is seen is a test article, various aspects of the design and its construction may not be indicative of the expected final configuration.

The core design, with two engines situated relatively high up on either side of the center of the body, would create more space to work with in the middle. That space could potentially be configured to hold various payloads, including more fuel, sensors, communications arrays, and/or even a weapons bay.

What roles and missions the design might be intended to perform, and whether it is meant to be more than an experimental aircraft, are currently unknown. CAS, through various institutions under its broad umbrella, does have an extensive history of developing uncrewed aerial and maritime systems, as well as sensors and other advanced technology, with clear potential military applications. State-run research institutions in China often have strong ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as well.

Local authorities are also billing the Changchun Air Show as a major showcase for the PLA Air Force (PLAAF).

Whatever the intended purpose of this new design from CAS might be, as noted, it does follow years now of very real development work on multiple flying-wing type drones in China. This includes the GJ-11 Sharp Sword, which looks increasingly set to be the PLA’s first operational UCAV. There are ever-growing signs that GJ-11 variants or derivatives are bound for future operation from the decks of aircraft carriers and big-deck amphibious assault ships.

Larger flying wing uncrewed aircraft designs that look more optimized to serve as high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms have also emerged in China. Just in June, TWZ was first to report on the appearance of a new and especially large low-observable HALE flying-wing drone, which may have now flown.

Flying-wing type designs are also just one part of an ever-more diverse array of uncrewed aircraft in development in China, which has increasingly positioned itself as a global leader in this space. The PLA debuted several new air combat drone designs at a huge military parade in Beijing earlier this month.

Donna Farizan, a “Today” contributor, announced her departure from the NBC morning show during Monday’s “Today With Jenna and Friends.”

“A year ago, I launched a series called ‘Own Your Power,’ where I challenged myself to speak my truth,” Farizan told co-hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie. “And now, after 12 years with ‘Today,’ I’m challenging myself to spread my wings beyond the show to see what new and exciting opportunities await me professionally.”

Farizan, 34, then read a letter she wrote to herself reflecting on the experiences and lessons she gained during her time on the show.

“The world of TV and content can sometimes feel overwhelming because there is no road map,” she said as highlights from the last 12 years played. “But I am so grateful to have gone to the school of Kathie Lee Gifford, the school of Hoda Kotb and the school of Jenna Bush Hager, because now it’s time for me, Donna Farizan, to create my own map.”

Farizan, who joined “Today” as an intern when she was 20, became a full-time contributor after graduating from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Throughout her “Today” career, she hosted game segments and, through her segment “Own Your Power,” told stories of people realizing their capabilities. Farizan often shared personal experiences on the show or through essays written for Today.com, where she wrote about freezing her eggs.

The show’s staff joined Farizan, Hager and Guthrie onstage to bid their contributor farewell.

Farizan thanked Hager for teaching her that being herself is enough and told Guthrie that she was one of the reporters she studied for her senior thesis in college.

Before signing off, Farizan thanked the viewers for growing up with her and for being a constant of the show.

A recently emerged image shows a very large, low-observable, flying-wing aircraft in the air in China. While the identity of the aircraft cannot be definitively established, it matches, in many respects, the appearance of the huge drone that TWZ was first to identify in satellite imagery dating from earlier this summer, and which you can read more about here.

The new image of the aircraft in flight shows its rear aspect, with the landing gear down, large main undercarriage doors, and with B-2-style split rudders deployed on the outer wing, consistent with takeoff or landing. From this angle, we can see that its blended wing-body includes a broad center section, with a distinctly flattened top. No cockpit is visible, but that is a possibility that cannot be ruled out entirely. The shape of the center section also suggests this is a twin-engine design, with slot-like exhaust nozzles, but once again, the low resolution limits the degree to which these details can be made out.

At this point, it’s worth remembering that the emergence of this image was very possibly approved, tacitly or otherwise, by the Chinese government, and it may also have been manipulated at some point, potentially also for information warfare purposes.

While we can’t be sure, the aircraft seen in flight may well also be the same drone that was noted in satellite imagery parked at China’s secretive test base near Malan in Xinjiang province earlier this year. The image of the drone seen at this location, which is known to play a leading role in the country’s uncrewed aircraft development efforts, was provided to TWZ by Planet Labs archive and was taken on May 14, 2025. Based on the satellite image, the aircraft has a span of about 170 feet, which compares to 172 feet for the B-2 Spirit. Since its appearance, the drone has been dubbed WZ-X by some observers, pending any more details about its true designation or its manufacturer.

Both the aircraft in the new image and that seen in satellite imagery at Malan feature a very long tapering wing, longer than that found on China’s CH-7 stealthy flying-wing drone, which also features a notably deeper, curved center section than seen in the new image. The CH-7 is significantly smaller than the WZ-X, as well. At the same time, the design of the CH-7 has already been altered in the past, and the aircraft seen here might conceivably be a further development of this platform.

There are two possible features of the WZ-X that cannot be made out in the new image. The first of these is an apparent domed section on top of the center barrel. In contrast, the aircraft in the new image is noticeably flat on its upper surfaces.

There is also the suggestion that the Malan drone could possibly have a small set of angled vertical tails, which would help with stability, as you can read about here. While the presence of retractable fins cannot be ruled out in the new image, it’s also worth pointing out that the presence of shadows and possible distortion on the satellite image means that we can’t make definitive conclusions about its physical details.

Both the aircraft in the new image and the WZ-X also have a general similarity to the flying-wing aircraft that was spotted passing over the Philippines in 2021.

Regardless of the connection between these generally mysterious aircraft, the aircraft in the new image would appear to fall into a similar category as the WZ-X in terms of overall physical characteristics and size, although the second point is harder to determine. At the very least, a comparison of the size of the landing gear and the rest of the aircraft suggests a very large aircraft. China is currently working on a range of flying-wing type drone designs of various sizes, including large HALE drones. At least until now, the WZ-X was the largest Chinese design we have seen in this category.

Judging by what we can see of it, the aircraft appears likely to be a very large, high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) stealth drone. This may well put it in a category similar to the supposed U.S. RQ-180. The long wing would also seem to point to a design that’s been optimized for endurance at altitude.

As stated previously, the center section of the aircraft may not be noticeably deep, but it is broad, pointing to significant internal volume for sensors. Most likely, its mission would be very long endurance penetrating wide-area reconnaissance, with strike being far less likely for an aircraft in this class. Bearing in mind the probable long-range missions expected of it, the center section likely also accommodates beyond-line-of-sight communications systems.

It is also intriguing that the image has appeared at this point. In recent weeks, there has been a flurry of imagery leaked from China showing new crewed aircraft and drones, land systems, missiles, and naval weapons. Much of this is related to the huge upcoming military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II, scheduled to take place in Beijing on Sept. 3.

Whether the flying-wing aircraft is expected to take part in the parade in some form is unclear, but it’s certain that the emergence of the image is unlikely to be an accident. In the past, imagery of this kind has often been taken of new aircraft operating from a factory airfield. That might be more likely than it being photographed overhead Malan, which is a remote and secretive test facility. However, until more imagery emerges, we won’t know for sure.

Once again, it will be some time before we can conclusively determine the relationship between this aircraft and the WZ-X, although there are certainly strong similarities between them.

Meanwhile, it’s now increasingly clear that China is looking to field large, stealthy flying-wing aircraft designs as part of its future air combat ecosystem. As well as drones of this class in various sizes, other key projects include the tri-engined J-36, the J-XDS fighter, and possibly other crewed tactical jets. Then there is a host of smaller drones, including a growing fleet of ‘loyal wingman’-type collaborative drones. Perhaps most enigmatic of all is the H-20 stealth bomber, which is yet to break cover, and that is also expected to use a flying-wing design.

As regards the H-20, the size of the center fuselage and other features suggest this aircraft is something different. While the size and form of the H-20 remain elusive, any large flying-wing HALE drone could also influence the development of the bomber, if it’s not flying already.

Once again, the appearance of the new image of the aircraft underscores China’s rapidly accelerating next-generation air combat programs, which now include potentially several designs for very large, low-observable, flying-wing, long-endurance aircraft.

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There are happy hours that function as post-work gatherings, fueled by discounted pitchers of beer, buckets of chicken wings, sliders and the sort of commiserating that can only happen between colleagues. If the beer is cold and the chicken wings properly sluiced in hot sauce and ranch dressing, this happy hour can be the happiest of hours.

But it wasn’t until I was seated at the bar of Josiah Citrin’s Citrin in Santa Monica that I understood a happy hour’s full potential. Here, happy hour is known as Glass Off, a 90-minute stretch of food and drink specials at the bar. Instead of a truncated list of fried foods intended to coat your stomach while you sip on discounted wine, you’ll find tasting-size portions of some of Citrin and fellow chef-partner Ken Takayama’s signature dishes.

Those spot prawns with young turnip and green tomato finished with a nori sabayon that normally cost $52 an order? You can enjoy a smaller portion at the bar for $22. The $49 risotto studded with Dungeness crab, artichoke and peas with aged Parmesan and Meyer lemon? During Glass Off, you can taste a portion of it for $24.

At the following restaurants, happy hour is designed to give diners a glimpse at a kitchen or bar’s full potential, at a more accessible price point. It’s not simply about ordering as many discounted drinks as possible during a limited window. That’s the sort of thinking that prompted the state of Massachusetts to ban happy hours in 1984. It’s prohibited in six other states, and allowed but highly regulated in a handful of others.

In the great state of California, happy hours abound. Just make sure you indulge responsibly.

Here’s a list of my current favorite happy hours. Save me a seat at the bar, will you?

DALLAS — Azurá Stevens had 21 points, including a career-high five three-pointers, Dearica Hamby added 20 points, and the Sparks beat the Dallas Wings 93-79 on Friday night to end a three-game losing streak.

Hamby and Stevens each reached 20-plus points for the fourth time this season. Odyssey Sims, who was coming off a 32-point performance in an 85-80 loss to Phoenix on Sunday, added 19 points and a trio of three-pointers for the Sparks.

The Sparks took a 45-40 lead at halftime after Sims converted a three-point play with 2.2 seconds left. Sims finished the half with nine points, Stevens added 13 and Hamby had 11.

Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, right, drives against Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan during the first half Friday.

(LM Otero / Associated Press)

The Sparks started the third quarter on a 6-0 run and added a 9-0 run to begin the fourth for a 76-55 lead. The Wings had three turnovers and two missed shots in the opening three minutes of the fourth.

Stevens hit her fifth three-pointer with 4:45 left in the fourth on a wide-open shot from the corner off a nice drive and pass by Kelsey Plum.

Plum had 11 points, five rebounds and nine assists and Rickea Jackson scored 10 for the Sparks (3-6).

DiJonai Carrington scored 16 points and JJ Quinerly had a career-high 14 for Dallas (1-8). Luisa Geiselsoder had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double. Kaila Charles had 10 points.

Dallas has yielded 90-plus points three times during its four-game losing streak.

Exeter and England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s prospects of playing Test rugby this summer increased after the 22-year-old was selected for a two-day England training camp this week.

Feyi-Waboso has not played since dislocating his shoulder in December, with his comeback delayed by a setback suffered at an England camp in February.

Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson, Leicester back row Emeke Ilione and Sale midfielder Rekeiti Ma’asi-White are also included in a 33-strong group that does not include either British and Irish Lions, or players from Northampton and Bath, who are preparing for European finals this weekend.

Gloucester’s 20-year-old prop Afolabi Fasogbon, who was ruled out of Six Nations contention with an ankle injury, is named, along with the likes of Jamie George, George Ford and Ben Curry, who missed out on Lions selection earlier this month.

In 2017, England toured Argentina in the same summer that the Lions were taking on New Zealand.

A teenage Tom Curry and Sam Underhill made their Test debuts against the Pumas and a little more than two years later were key parts of a Rugby World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand.

Head coach Steve Borthwick expects similar to happen again this year with 13 of his players selected for the Lions tour of Australia.

“There is no doubt players will emerge this summer and will be part of the Rugby World Cup 2027 squad that wouldn’t have been if we had to pick it today,” he told 5 Live Sport.

“I have no doubt. It is the same thing that happened in 2017 – players grab the opportunity.

“I told them today that opportunity rises and change happens – the players that get the chance have to grab hold of it with both hands.”