Trump’s Golf Course Tree Massacre: 169 Chopped as Judge Demands Answers
The Trump administration is facing a federal court order after workers cut down 169 trees at a government-owned Washington, D.C. golf course, while a new border wall project in Texas is putting a Republican land commissioner in a political bind.
Workers began cutting down 169 trees at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., this weekend, sparking outrage and a federal judge's order for the Trump administration to explain the removals [260140][261401]. The golf course is owned by the U.S. government, and officials called the tree removal routine maintenance, but critics say it marks the start of President Donald Trump's plan to turn the public course into a championship-level venue similar to courses at his personal properties [260140][261401]. Photos from the site show fresh tree stumps and bare ground set against a park that has served local golfers for over a century [260140].
Meanwhile, in West Texas, a new border wall is moving onto state land in the Big Bend region, putting Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham in a difficult position [263265]. Buckingham, a Republican, must decide whether to support Trump's immigration agenda or listen to growing bipartisan opposition to the wall [263265]. The Texas General Land Office manages 13 million acres across the state, much of it in far West Texas, and those holdings are now part of the border wall's path [263265].
In a separate development, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into television networks for possible antitrust violations, raising pressure on the press as Trump fights in court over barring CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House [260315].
The Trump administration has also removed about 760,000 people from Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans and is now adding some of them back, though it has shared few details about how it decided to cancel these enrollments in the first place [262624]. The ACA, also known as Obamacare, is a government health insurance program that helps millions of Americans get coverage [262624]. The lack of clear information has raised questions about how many people will get their plans back or how the administration chooses who to restore [262624].
Additionally, the government is spending millions of taxpayer dollars on advertisements promoting President Trump, despite his earlier promise not to do so [261441]. Private donors gave $333 million to support Trump's ballroom project, according to The Washington Post, and the donors are billionaires [263085].