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corruption

Lawsuit seeks to block UFC event on White House lawn

Illustration accompanying article: Lawsuit seeks to block UFC event on White House lawn
  • The Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit on June 6 seeking to block a UFC event at the White House South Lawn, alleging violations of National Park Service regulations and improper private benefit to President Donald Trump and his allies.
  • The event is scheduled for June 14, Trump's 80th birthday, though UFC CEO Dana White has described the timing as a coincidence; the event is publicly advertised as part of the nation's 250th anniversary.
  • The lawsuit claims a 92-foot-tall steel structure erected on the South Lawn has damaged the grass and requires congressional authorization for temporary structures on national monument grounds.
  • Plaintiffs Paul Romano, a retired Air Force sergeant, and Susan Douglas, a senior citizen activist, argue the event desecrates the Lincoln Memorial's status as a sacred site for veterans.
  • The lawsuit also notes that Trump recently purchased up to $50,000 in TKO stock, the parent company of UFC, and that the UFC is selling VIP packages for $1 million to $1.5 million.
 3 MIN READ

Putin's inner circle travels on Western private jets despite sanctions

Illustration accompanying article: Putin's inner circle travels on Western private jets despite sanctions
  • Sergey Chemezov, the head of Russian defense company Rostec, has used a Bombardier Global 7500 jet for trips to Dubai, Turkey and Southeast Asia between October 2025 and January 2026, despite being under Western sanctions.
  • Arkady Rotenberg, a longtime Putin associate sanctioned since 2014, gained access to two Bombardier Global jets in late 2022 that have frequently flown to Azerbaijan and the UAE, according to flight records.
  • Igor Kesaev, a billionaire arms-industry figure sanctioned by the U.S. and EU, imported a Bombardier Global Express XRS in 2023 through a network of brokers and intermediary companies.
  • A former U.S. Treasury sanctions chief told the Journal that the Trump administration has deprioritized enforcement of Russia sanctions, focusing on narcotics trafficking and Iran instead.
 4 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Fox Kennedy says she quit White House over CIA spending oversight