White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that a 90,000-square-foot ballroom will be constructed in the White House's East Wing. The approximately $200 million project will be funded by President Trump and other private donors, Leavitt said.

Washington

The Trump administration has revealed plans to build a new ballroom at the White House, addressing the longstanding need for a larger event space on the complex. The new facility will provide seating for 650 people, a substantial increase from the current 200-person capacity in the East Room, and will be located where the East Wing currently stands.

The project will be designed by McCreery Architects and constructed by Clark Construction, with engineering by AECOM. Funding for the approximately $200 million structure will come from President Trump and other donors. The ballroom will maintain the architectural heritage of the White House and include security enhancements provided by the Secret Service. Updates and renderings of the project will be made available to the public.

Trump administration announces ballroom will be added to White House

I do have one other announcement from the White House and from the President. We are proud to announce that the construction of the new White House Ballroom will begin. For 150 years, Presidents, administrations, and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed. President Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future administrations and the American people. The White House is one of the most beautiful in his historic buildings in the world, yet the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders in other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building's entrance. The White House State Ballroom will be a much needed and exquisite addition of approximately 90,000 total square feet of innately designed and carefully crafted space with a seated capacity of 650 people, which is a significant increase from the 200-person seated capacity in the East Room of the White House. In recent weeks, President Trump has held several meetings with members of the White House staff, the National Park Service, the White House Military Office, and the United States Secret Service to discuss design features and planning. President Trump has chosen McCreery Architects as the lead architect, which is well known for their classical architectural design and based right here in our nation's capital. The construction team will be headed by Clark Construction, and the engineering team will be led by AECOM. The project will begin in September 2025, and it is expected to be completed long before the end of President Trump's term. President Trump and other donors have generously committed to donating the funds necessary to build this approximately $200 million structure. The United States Secret Service will provide the necessary security enhancements and modifications. The White House Ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House, but at the same time, its theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical. The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits. The East Wing was constructed in 1902 and has been renovated and changed many times, with a second story added in 1942. White House Chief of Staff, Suzy Wiles, has provided the following statement. President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail. The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserve the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future administrations and generations of Americans to come. In the White House, we will continue to provide the American public and all of you in the press with updates on this project at whitehouse.gov visit. And if you go there shortly, you will be able to see renderings and visuals of what this ballroom will look like, both the exterior and the interior. I have provided some photos for all of you in the room today. This is the interior of the ballroom space. It's quite beautiful. And then this is the exterior of the ballroom space. As you can see, it will come off of the executive mansion as it sits today, and the East Wing will be modernized and renovated.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday (August 7), as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.

Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

Kremlin says Trump, Putin to meet soon; Ukraine seeks role for Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump's rushed deadline for Russia to strike a ceasefire deal or face more sanctions has arrived without much movement from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump deadline for Russia to reach ceasefire arrives

Protesters in Israel are voicing their concerns about a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet to take over Gaza City. CBS News' Debora Patta has more.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel intends to take full military control of Gaza and push a new offensive, despite mounting international criticism over the war’s human toll and growing hunger crisis.

Israel intends to take full control of Gaza, Netanyahu says

U.S. President Donald Trump said that there is a good chance he'll meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin soon over Russia's war with Ukraine.

Trump says 'good chance' he'll meet with Putin soon

U.S. President Donal Trump officially began levying higher import taxes on dozens of countries on Thursday (August 7), just as the economic fallout of his months-long tariff threats was beginning to create visible damage to the U.S. economy.

Global Tariffs

Higher U.S. tariffs officially take effect

The man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., earlier this year has been charged with federal hate crime charges. CBS News Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Hate crime charges filed in killings of Israeli Embassy staffers

As Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits his sentencing, his lead attorney Marc Agnifilo says he has not talked to anyone at the White House about a possible pardon.

New York

Sean "Diddy" Combs' attorney says he hasn't had talks about a pardon

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, blamed Hamas when asked about starvation in Gaza, saying, "Hamas has not allowed the food to get to the people who are hungry." Huckabee also addressed questions over the controversial aid sites.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel faces questions over starvation in Gaza

On "T-Day," the US began enforcing Trump's new tariffs, raising average rates from 2% to 15% after a 90-day pause allowed some countries to negotiate reduced deals while others, like India and Brazil, faced hikes. These tariffs have generated over $150 billion in revenue by July, impacting various sectors and aiming to address trade imbalances.

U.S. begins collecting Trump's new global tariffs

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he plans to call the leaders of China and India, to discuss a joint response to new US tariffs. The announcement came as Brazil and India were hit with 50 percent levies - the highest imposed by President Donald Trump.

State of Rio de Janeiro

Brazil halts U.S. trade talks as Lula condemns new tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock.

Trump imposes extra 25% tariff on India over Russian oil imports

President Trump has been briefed about the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia, the White House press secretary says. At least five soldiers were shot before a suspect was apprehended, officials say.

Fort Stewart

Five soldiers shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia; suspect apprehended

A Russian official said President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had a "useful and constructive" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.

Witkoff, Putin had 'useful and constructive conversation'

The U.S. aims to deploy nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, targeting the first launch by decade’s end. A new NASA directive, revealed by Politico and AFP, calls for appointing a nuclear power czar to choose two commercial proposals within six months, aiming to outpace a Chinese-Russian collaboration.

NASA races to put nuclear reactors on Moon and Mars

Japan held a memorial service and ceremony for victims and the remaining survivors of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, marking its 80th anniversary and renewing pledges of working towards a world without nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima marks 80th anniversary since U.S. atomic bombing

The U.S. is warning travelers as cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne illness, spreads in China. Health officials in China have ordered mass disinfection measures. The region near Hong Kong reported more than 7,000 cases in recent weeks.

Beijing

U.S. warns travelers as cases of chikungunya increase in China

Japan has commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing during World War II. Ceremonies at Peace Memorial Park honoured the victims of the 1945 nuclear attack by US forces.

Japan’s Hiroshima marks 80 years since U.S. atomic bombing

Multiple media outlets in Israel have reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a complete military takeover of Gaza, while almost 600 former Israeli military and security officials are petitioning Washington to stop the fighting.

Netanyahu reportedly wants complete Gaza takeover

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he had a productive talk with President Trump focused on ending the war with Russia. CBS News national security contributor Samantha Vinograd has more.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy holds 'productive talks' with Trump about war

Family members of two of the victims from the 2023 implosion are demanding tougher regulations following the damning report released on Tuesday. Five people died when the submersible imploded off the coast of Newfoundland.

Deadly Titan submersible disaster was preventable, Coast Guard says

The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed multiple people over the Jeffrey Epstein files, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. CBS News' Jake Rosen has more details.

House committee subpoenas Clintons, others over Epstein files

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have been directed through a federal court order to stop deportations under President Trump's asylum ban, sources say. CBS News' Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more details.

Court blocks deportations under Trump's asylum ban, sources say

A man suspected of murdering four family members in Tennessee has been captured after a four-day manhunt, authorities said. CBS News' Nicole Valdes has more.

Jackson

Suspect arrested in murders of 4 Tennessee family members

The ruling comes a month after Brazil’s top court ordered the former president to wear an ankle monitor, submit to a curfew and abide by limitations on his activity as legal proceedings investigating an alleged coup plot continue.

Brazil's Supreme Court orders house arrest of Bolsonaro

The US and Lebanon have been holding talks on a roadmap to fully disarm Hezbollah. Lebanon's new leadership has pledged to extend its authority across all its territory but has so far avoided acting against Hezbollah.

Beirut

Lebanon faces renewed pressure to disarm Hezbollah

CBC News had exclusive access to a Canadian Armed Forces plane that dropped about 10,000 kilograms of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the first time Canada joined the airdrop operations. Several countries airdropped food on Monday, but aid organizations agree they are more symbolic than effective.

Ottawa

Canadian military makes aid drop into Gaza

The Prime Minister's Office said to the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir that, "If this does not suit him, you should resign."

Israel's Netanyahu says decision made for full occupation of Gaza

Delegates are gathering this week at the United Nations in Geneva, attempting to negotiate a global treaty to curb plastic pollution. But diplomats and climate advocates warn that efforts by the European Union and small island states to cap virgin plastic production are threatened by opposition.

Breakdown