Free Republic

WASHINGTON — The Kennedy Center’s board moved Thursday to rename the area around the iconic performing arts center the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” and to add Trump’s name back onto the building’s facade — after a federal judge ordered its removal. Trump’s allies on the board pushed through the changes during a meeting that lasted more than two hours, after Democrats including Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty objected to Trump’s plans to renovate and rebrand the aging facility. Trump, who chairs the board, participated virtually in part of the meeting and pushed back on...

Trump pal and former modeling agent Paolo Zampolli has been fired from his position of special envoy at the State Department following a bizarre year-long war over email leaks, Politico reported. A U.S. official told Politico Thursday that Zampolli’s “status as an envoy has been terminated and he is no longer a government employee.” Zampolli’s firing appears to be the culmination of a nasty feud between the special envoy and the deputy secretary of State Christopher Landau. According to Politico, the two top appointees “have been embroiled in a monthslong fight that includes accusations of leaks to the media and...

WASHINGTON — A shady plastic surgeon nicknamed “Dr. Frankenstein” confessed to escaping from Florida with help from his “friends” in Brazil’s Miami consulate to avoid trial for allegedly butchering and stealing from patients — an explosive admission that threatens to unravel diplomatic relations. Joao Araujo, 57, insists he had little choice but to take a boat to the Bahamas on Aug. 1 and then fly to Rio de Janeiro, claiming he was the victim of political persecution by the Trump administration due to his personal clash with a State Department envoy and the fact that his wife, the Jeffrey Epstein-connected...

Donald Trump is giving the former modeling agent who discovered his first lady in the 1990s a job in his administration. Paolo Zampolli and Trump have a long and fruitful relationship dating back 30 years when the Milan native worked as Director of International Development for the Trump Organization. 'I am pleased to announce that I am appointing Paolo Zampolli as Special Envoy for Global Partnerships,' Trump said.(snip) 'With his extensive experience working with the United Nations, the Kennedy Center, and various International initiatives, Paolo will help us advance America's Interests on the Global stage. Congratulations Paolo!' (snip) In 1998,...