Ruling gives more time for work on Trump's White House ballroom

A federal court of appeals has ruled work can continue onPresident Trump's new$400 million White House ballroom– for now.

USA TODAY

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbiaruled on Saturday, April 11, that construction on the ballroom can proceed until at least April 17. That extends by three daysa March 31 rulingby U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon, which allowed construction to continue while the government appealed the decision.

The appeals judges voted 2-1 to extend the pause to April 17 and asked the district court to clarify the order that granted the injunction. The Trump Administration argued inan April 3 motionthat thepotential April 14 work stoppage left the White House "open and exposed"and created "grave national-security harms" to the building, the president and his family and staff.

<p style=Construction work has been stopped on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom "unless and until Congress blesses this project."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A deep hole is visible as construction work has been ordered halted on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom Construction equipment and supplies are visible along Pennsylvania Avenue as construction work has been stopped on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom Seen from the Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC, construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction. Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House. An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing at least $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House. <p style=An aerial view shows the Demolition of the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom will be built, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 23, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A golfer tees off as a truck exits a makeshift dump site after dropping soil and debris from the East Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on Oct. 23, 2025. A construction worker walks through a makeshift dumpsite where soil and debris from the East Wing of the White House are being discarded following U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom, which is being constructed, at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington on Oct. 23, 2025. The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Donald Trump's planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2025. The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. A truck drives out of the White House as work continues to tear down a section of the East Wing of the White House to begin construction of President Donald Trump's planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2025. US President Donald Trump held a glitzy dinner October 15, 2025 to thank billionaires and top companies for donating to the new $250 million ballroom he is building at the White House. The guests included representatives from tech firms like Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Palantir and defense giant Lockheed Martin, according to US media citing a White House guest list. Ongoing construction on the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington, D.C., October 20, 2025. Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. The construction is part of President Donald Trump's plan to build a $250 million ballroom. <p style=Ongoing construction on the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington, D.C., October 20, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

White House East Wing demolished to clear the way for Trump's ballroom: Photos

Construction work has been stopped on President Trump'sWhite House Ballroomon the site of the former East Wing of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. A federal judge has temporarily blocked construction of the new ballroom "unless and until Congress blesses this project."

'No precedent':Trump Tower is one thing. Trump on US currency is another. Here's why

Leon, an ​appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, had ruled construction on the90,000-square-foot ballroommust pause whilea lawsuit, filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, made its ​way through the courts. The lawsuit seeks to halt the $400 million project on the site of the recentlydemolished East Wing, alleging it is unlawful and has asked the court to halt further construction until the plans go through a legally mandatedreview process.

Workers are seen at the site of the White House ballroom construction on April 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.

In the order issued April 11, the three-judge panel wrote that “it remains unclear whether and to what extent the development of certain aspects of the proposed ballroom is necessary to ensure the safety and security of those below-ground national security upgrades, or otherwise to ensure the safety of the White House and its occupants while the appeal proceeds.”

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So the panel asked Leon to address how his earlier ruling handles the issue of "safety and security pending litigation.”

The three-judge panel is made up ofPatricia Ann Millett, appointed in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama;Bradley Garcia, a 2023 appointee of PresidentJoe Biden; and Neomi Rao, appointed by Trumpin 2018 to replace Justice Brett Kavanaughon the appeals court.

Rao issued a dissenting statement arguing that the National Trust "lacks standing to sue" and that Trump is authorized to make improvements to the White House.

The National Trust for Historic Preservationsued in December 2025, arguing Trump exceeded his authority when he razed the historic East Wing – originally built in 1902 during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency and expanded in 1942 – without congressional authorization.

<p style=Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building. Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building.

See new renderings of massive 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom

Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-footWhite House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission’s website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building.

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,USA TODAY, and Reuters.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him atmikegsnider&@mikegsnider.bsky.social&@mikesnider& msnider@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Court gives Trump's White House ballroom plans more work time

byCosmopolite
in
April 12, 2026

Ruling gives more time for work on Trump's White House ballroom

A federal court of appeals has ruled work can continue onPresident Trump's new$400 million White House ballroom– for now. The ...
Read More
Medicaid Cuts Could Force More Kids to Become Caregivers

When I was just 13-years-old, my mother suffered a traumatic brain injury at work, and I was forced to become her caregiver. No one came to help us; there was no support system in place, and it all fell on me. Over the next several years, I helped her to function with daily tasks like standing, walking, dressing, eating, managing doctor's appointments, and even paying the bills. I was the parent, she was the child. I’m not alone. According to AARP, there are over5.4 millionchildren in the U.S., especially girls, currently caring for chronically ill and disabled family members.

Time —Constantinis—Getty Images

Last month, the GOP announced new proposed healthcare cuts as part of a$200 billion dollar budget billto fund military operations andexpensesfor thewar in Iran. This could put additional strain on younger family members to become caregivers before they turn 18.

This news comes as millions are already bracing for planned reductions, expected to take effect this October, from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBA) that President Donald Trump signed into law last July. An estimated11.8 millionAmericans who require Medicaid are expected to lose critical coverage—including up to4.3 millionpeople who rely on Medicaid Home Care Based Services (HCBS), likein-home nursingcare. For children and adolescents who are pushed into caregiving at a young age, this threat of loss of critical medical support is likely to be catastrophic.

The impact of the OBBA and the new potential bill goes beyond people losing access to health care. These two legislations could push more young people to take on caregiving roles and worsen the existing crisis of caregiving youth in the U.S. It could also deepen the present mental health problem impactingmillionsof young people in America.

I know the significant toll of caregiving at a young age firsthand—plus, this mental health crisis is well-documented by research. According to astudyfrom theSocial Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Journal, this vulnerable population of young people has higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and suicide in comparison with their peers.

I experienced these effects too. For years, while caring for my mother, I struggled with debilitating panic attacks, abused alcohol and drugs and engaged in codependent relationships. It wasn’t until I reached my late twenties that I took myself to therapy, that I saw the severe impact the role of caregiving had on my mental, physical health, and well-being into adulthood.

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I’m not the only one. Another young caregiver I spoke with, Rimbatara Neomardhika (Neo), age 16, has been caring for his father over the last four years since he suffered a stroke. He shared his feelings with me, "Sometimes I get anxious and worry about what the future is going to be like,” he tells me. “I find myself losing focus and losing sleep because I'm worried about what's going to happen to him. It's hard to take care of someone as a child." This relentless burden isn’t talked about enough.

We talk a lot about the caregiving crisis in adult populations that affects63 million caregivers. A recentPew Research Centerreport showed that 1 in 10 Americans provides care to aging parents age 65 or older, but we don’t talk enough about the kids doing this work. Caregiving youth are often unseen. This unpaid essential work that young people do before and after school daily leaves a significant imprint on the lives of the caregiver, and the weight of that emotional load is carried into adulthood.

Although I was fortunate to be able to rebuild my life years after being a caregiver for my mother and had the means to afford treatment like cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure response prevention, it wasn’t easy. It caused me to take on additional mental healthcare costs and pay thousands to see specialists to work toward healing.

TheRepublicanproposal to further slash Medicaid would only create more adults like me, faced with childhood caregiving trauma that takes time, sometimes decades, to overcome.

Fortunately, there are solutions to support these young caregivers amid additional healthcare cuts. Although there are some non-profit organizations, such as theAmerican Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY), that provide limited support in select states like Florida, there's still much more work to be done. Change begins by prioritizing the safety and well-being of children who are caregiving for family members by recognizing and identifying this largely invisible population in the first place. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get them the mental health support and respite care they deserve. The type of help that I wish I’d had, that could have prevented years of struggle for me.

ProfessorSaul Becker, aresearcherbased in the United Kingdom, who has studied young carers for three decades, has helped to create laws to protect children in the UK who are caregivers, tells me that the U.S. needs to have an "ideological and cultural belief that children are important.”

The Trump Administration claims toprioritizechildren, but they need to act now to protect even the most unseen kids—the caregiving youth in the U.S.—before theirmental healthproblems grow beyond repair. By doing this, it could prevent current and future young caregivers from a lifetime of struggle and save lives.

byCosmopolite
in
April 12, 2026

Medicaid Cuts Could Force More Kids to Become Caregivers

When I was just 13-years-old, my mother suffered a traumatic brain injury at work, and I was forced to become her caregiver. No one cam...
Read More
North Korea says its latest weapons tests included missiles with cluster-bomb warheads

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday its testing spree this week involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, as it pushes to expand nuclear-capable forces aimed at rival South Korea.

Associated Press A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korea Koreas Tensions

The report by North Korean state media came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected North Koreafiring multiple missilesfrom an eastern coastal area in its second round of launches in two days.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the tests lasted three days starting Monday and also included demonstrations of anti-aircraft weapons, purported electromagnetic weapons systems and carbon-fiber bombs.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles launched Wednesday flew 240 to 700 kilometers (150 to 434 miles) before falling into the sea, and that it also detected at least one projectile launched Tuesday from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said none of the weapons fired Wednesday entered waters within its exclusive economic zone, while the U.S. military said the North Korean launches on Tuesday and Wednesday posed no immediate threat to the United States or its allies.

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KCNA said the latest tests included demonstrations of cluster-munition warhead systems mounted on the nuclear-capable Hwasong-11 ballistic missiles, which resemble Russia’s Iskander missiles in their design for low-altitude, maneuverable flight to evade missile defense systems. The report said the launches confirmed that the short-range missile, when armed with such warheads, “can reduce to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5-7 hectares (16 to 17.2 acres) with the highest-density power.”

Jang Do-young, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing that the military was analyzing the launches while sharing information with U.S. and Japanese counterparts, but declined to provide specific assessments about the North’s claims of progress in its military capabilities.

The launches underscored continuing tensions between the Koreas, blunting South Korean hopes for warmer relations.

In a statement Tuesday night, Jang Kum Chol, a first vice minister at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, said South Korea would always remain the North’s “most hostile enemy state” and mocked Seoul’s liberal government for seeking to reviverestore long-stalled dialogue, calling its officials “world-startling fools.”

North Korean leaderKim Jong Unhas suspended virtually all diplomacy with Seoul and Washington since the collapse of his nuclear talks with President Donald Trump in 2019, and has since accelerated the development of nuclear-capable missiles that threaten U.S. allies in Asia as well as the U.S. mainland.

Kim has also pursued closer ties with Russia, China and other countries embroiled in confrontations with the United States as he looks to break out of isolation and strengthen his regional footing. North Korean state media says Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in the country on Thursday for a two-day trip in the latest round of diplomacy between the countries.

byCosmopolite
in
April 11, 2026

North Korea says its latest weapons tests included missiles with cluster-bomb warheads

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday its testing spree this week involved various new weapons systems, including ballist...
Read More
Mauricio lifts Mets over Diamondbacks 4-3 in 10 innings with pinch-hit single in return to majors

NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Ronny Mauricio returned to the majors by lining a game-winning single in the 10th inning that gave the New York Mets a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Associated Press New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio (0) hits a walk-off single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio (0) celebrates after hitting a game winning walk-off single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio (0) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the tenth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) New York Mets' Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates with teammate Marcus Semien (10) after a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio (0) celebrates after hitting a game winning walk-off single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Diamondbacks Mets Baseball

New York (7-4) won its fourth straight game and improved to 2-2 in extra innings this season.

Mauricio, recalled Monday from Triple-A Syracuse whenslugger Juan Soto was placed on the injured list,laced an 0-2 pitch from Paul Sewald (0-2) over the head of right fielder Corbin Carroll to drive in automatic runner Francisco Lindor from third base with one out.

Mauricio threw off his helmet and ran into center field before being caught by teammates, who swarmed him and doused him with water on a windy day at Citi Field.

It was the first big league plate appearance this year for Mauricio, sent to the minors late in spring training. Once a highly rated prospect, he made his major league debut in September 2023 and spent significant chunks of last season stuck on New York's bench after returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for all of 2024.

Luke Weaver (1-0) pitched a perfect 10th for the Mets, who played their third consecutive extra-inning game at home. New York beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 in 11 innings on March 28 and lost 4-3 in 10 innings the next day.

Pinch-hitter Jared Young tied it 3-all for the Mets with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Brett Baty had a sac fly in the first, and Francisco Alvarez scored an inning later on Carroll’s throwing error following Lindor’s double.

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Adrian Del Castillo’s tying, two-run single one pitch after his ABS challenge overturned an inning-ending strikeout highlighted a three-run fifth for the Diamondbacks. Nolan Arenado followed with an RBI double.

Arenado went 2 for 5 in his first multihit game for Arizona, which acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals in January.

Mets starter Freddy Peralta gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings. Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen allowed two runs (one earned) in five innings.

The game began at 4:10 p.m., three hours earlier than originally scheduled due to a cold forecast. The temperature at first pitch was 50 degrees.

Up next

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (0-1, 5.79 ERA) opposes LHP David Peterson (0-1, 4.66) in the middle game of the series Wednesday.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byCosmopolite
in
April 11, 2026

Mauricio lifts Mets over Diamondbacks 4-3 in 10 innings with pinch-hit single in return to majors

NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Ronny Mauricio returned to the majors by lining a game-winning single in the 10th inning that gave the New...
Read More
Girl, 15, Dies Allegedly from Allergic Reaction to Dairy Proteins After Dinner with Her Basketball Team: ‘I Can’t Breathe’

Sofia Di Vico, a 15-year-old girl, died allegedly due to an allergic reaction to dairy during a trip with her basketball team

People A hospital gurney (stock image)Credit: Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • The teen went out to dinner with her teammates and reportedly experienced trouble breathing later that evening

  • Despite medical intervention, Di Vico did not survive

A teenage girl died allegedly due to an allergic reaction to dairy during a trip with her basketball team.

Sofia Di Vico, 15, of Maddaloni, a town in southern Italy, was with her team for a tournament near Rome on April 2 when the tragedy occurred, according to local outletsLa SiciliaandIl Messaggero.

Sofia, who had an allergy to dairy proteins, had gone out to dinner with teammates, per the outlets. The teens then returned to a campsite where they were staying for the night.

An emergency room sign (stock image)Credit: Getty

Help was called at about 10:40 p.m. local when Sofia appeared in medical distress, saying, “I can’t breathe”, perLa Sicilia.

Sofia hadbrought medicationwith her, which did not help the situation, according toLa SiciliaandIl Messaggero.She was taken by ambulance to Grassi Hospital in Rome, where she died.

An autopsy will be performed at Policlinico Tor Vergata, a hospital in Rome, and an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, specifically regarding whether the restaurant in which the teens ate dinner had been made aware of Sofia's allergy and if there was contamination in the food preparation process, perLa Sicilia.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Grassi Hospital, Policlinico Tor Vergata and the local prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

FIP Campania, the regional governing body for basketball in southern Italy, announced that it had suspended the weekend’s games due to the tragedy in a message shared toFacebookon April 3.

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“FIP Campania expresses its deepest condolences for the tragic passing of Sofia Di Vico, a young player for Uniobasket Maddaloni, who was preparing to compete with her team in the ‘Mare di Roma Trophy’ tournament,” they wrote in their translated statement.

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“A devastating tragedy — a pain too great and difficult to accept — that affects the entire basketball community in Campania,” they continued. “The pain of her family, her teammates and her club is a pain shared by all of us.”

A hospital hallway (stock image)Credit: Getty

Andrea De Filippo, the mayor of Maddaloni, also addressed the “terrible news” in a translated message shared onFacebookon April 3, noting that the loss felt especially close to home as he has a personal connection to Sofia’s family.

“I learned with deep emotion and disbelief of thetragic passingof young Sofia — an event as sudden as it is inexplicable, which leaves immense sorrow and affects the entire city,” he said.

“It is a loss I feel particularly deeply as well, given the feelings of esteem and affection that have long tied me to her family. It is a day of profound sadness for all of us,” De Filippo added.

“To her parents, Fabio and Antonella, and to all her loved ones, I extend my heartfelt condolences and my sincerest sympathy, on behalf of myself and the entire community,” he continued.

“Our sweetest thoughts and prayers go to little Sofia,” De Filippo concluded in his message.

Read the original article onPeople

byCosmopolite
in
April 11, 2026

Girl, 15, Dies Allegedly from Allergic Reaction to Dairy Proteins After Dinner with Her Basketball Team: ‘I Can’t Breathe’

Sofia Di Vico, a 15-year-old girl, died allegedly due to an allergic reaction to dairy during a trip with her basketball team NEE...
Read More
Jim Whittaker, first American to climb Everest, dies at 97

SEATTLE (AP) — Jim Whittaker, who in 1963 became the first American to reach the top of Mount Everest, has died. He was 97.

Associated Press FILE - Jim Whittaker is interviewed for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the First American Ascent of Mount Everest in Berkeley, Calif., Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) FILE - Jim Whittaker is interviewed for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the First American Ascent of Mount Everest in Berkeley, Calif., Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Obit Jim Whittaker

Whittaker's 1963 ascent to the summit of Mount Everest came 10 years after Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay first scaled the peak.

Whittaker died Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington. according to a statement from his family.

His Mount Everest feat made the once-shy, rangy climber an instant celebrity, in demand for public appearances and expected to lend his support to good causes.

And it gained him entree into the world of celebrities, including the inner circles of the Kennedy clan. He became a close friend of Robert Kennedy, with whom he climbed a 14,000-foot (4,267 meters) Canadian peak named Mount Kennedy after the 1968 presidential contender's assassination.

Whittaker, who had been state chairman for Kennedy's campaign, was devastated by his death.

Bobby Kennedy was "one of the grittiest little guys you've ever seen," the 6-foot-5 Whittaker once remarked. "It's not how big you are but how tight you are wound that counts."

Whittaker's career on the mountain slopes began when he took on the Washington’s Olympic Mountains as a Boy Scout, and he once reflected that the beauty and danger of his sport sharpened the senses.

"You're in nature, participating in God's creation ... it's such a high, such a spiritual thing," Whittaker said in a 1981 interview.

"I think it's good to participate in that and to face life,” he added. “When you live on the edge, you can see a little farther."

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The risks are part of the game.

"The mountains are fair, but they really don't care," Whitaker noted in 1987.

His achievements on the remote, snowy slopes of Mount Everest and nearby K2, the world's second-tallest peak, assured him a niche in the record books. He shared world-class climber status with his identical twin, Lou, who led the first American expedition to scale Mount Everest's north face.

Lou Whittaker diedin 2024 at age 95.

But Jim Whittaker himself said one of his proudest moments came in 1981, when he led 10 handicapped climbers up 14,410-foot Mount Rainier. For them, he said later, "that was Mount Everest."

Whittaker scaled Mount Rainier more than 100 times but did not take its familiar flanks for granted. The caprices of the weather, even on a comparatively modest mountain, "can turn a good climber into a beginner" in a matter of hours, he once noted.

And after years of risk on the world's most dizzying pinnacles, Whittaker said in a 1980 interview that he hoped to "die in my sleep with the television on."

In recent years, Whittaker was one of many climbers who resisted the idea of requiring climbers to wear electronic locators in some circumstances. Such a proposal was made for climbers on Oregon's Mount Hood, where more than 35 climbers had died since the early 1980s.

Whittaker told The Associated Press in 2007 that it was fine for individual climbers to wear the devices, but imposing the requirement would take a lot away from the mystique of climbing.

"If you take all of the risk out of life, you lose a lot. You're removing a personal liberty from somebody who wants to go and explore without having a safety net," Whittaker said by cellphone from Idaho, where he was on a climbing trip. "You want to go into the wild and enjoy nature and not be followed."

byCosmopolite
in
April 11, 2026

Jim Whittaker, first American to climb Everest, dies at 97

SEATTLE (AP) — Jim Whittaker, who in 1963 became the first American to reach the top of Mount Everest, has died. He was 97. Obit...
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UK puts Chagos Islands handover deal on hold after Trump withdraws support

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s agreement to hand Mauritius theChagos Islandsthat are home to a strategic U.K.-American military base is on indefinite hold because U.S. President Donald Trump's administration haswithdrawn its supportfor the deal.

Associated Press

The British government acknowledged Saturday that legislation to ratify the agreement for the islands in the Indian Ocean has run out of time in Parliament.

It’s the latest fallout fromsouring relationsbetween Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and the Trump administration.

Trump initially backed the deal, but changed his mind in January, calling a deal to transfer sovereignty of the islands, home to the joint military base on Diego Garcia, “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY” in a social media post.

The U.K. put the bill’s progress on hold, and the government now concedes it will run out of time to become law before the current session of Parliament ends in the next few weeks. It is not expected to be included in the list of bills announced by King Charles III for the next session of Parliament, which begins May 13.

Despite British frustration with the U.S. change of stance, officials still hope the deal can be revived.

“Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the U.K. and the U.S.,” the British government said in a statement. “Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority — it is the entire reason for the deal.

“We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has U.S. support. We are continuing to engage with the U.S. and Mauritius.”

Simon McDonald, who was head of Britain's Foreign Office until 2020, said the government “had no other choice" except to put the deal on ice.

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“When the president of the United States is openly hostile, the government has to rethink. So this agreement, this treaty will go into the deep freeze for the time being," he told the BBC.

The strategic military base in focus

The remote chain of more than 60 islands off the tip of India, south of the Maldives, has been under British control since 1814.

A military base on Diego Garcia, one of the islands, has supported U.S. military operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan and as a base for American bombers in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Starmer initially blocked American planes from using British air bases for attacks on Iran. He later agreed to let the United States use bases in England and on Diego Garcia to strike Iran's missile sites, but not other targets.

Trump has disparaged the United States' NATO allies for their reluctance to join the war.He derided Starmerlast month as “not Winston Churchill” and mocked the Royal Navy.

Under the agreement struck between the U.K. and Mauritius after years of negotiation, Britain would lease back the Diego Garcia base for at least 99 years.

Starmer's government says the deal protects the base from international legal challenge. In recent years, the United Nations and its top court have urged Britain toreturn the islands to Mauritius.

Britain's opposition Conservative Party and Reform U.K. opposed the agreement, saying giving up the islands puts them at risk of interference by China and Russia. They have pushed the Trump administration to rescind its support.

Islanders who were displaced from Diego Garcia in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the base say they weren’t consulted and worry the deal will make it harder for them to go home.

An estimated 10,000 displaced Chagossians and their descendants now live primarily in Britain, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Some have fought unsuccessfully in U.K. courts for many years for the right to go home.

byCosmopolite
in
April 11, 2026

UK puts Chagos Islands handover deal on hold after Trump withdraws support

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s agreement to hand Mauritius theChagos Islandsthat are home to a strategic U.K.-American military base is on ind...
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