USA TODAY International Edition
MAKING WAVES
MELANIA TRUMP SCULPTURE
An unusual wooden sculpture of the first lady near her hometown in Slovenia was set on fire by vandals on the night of Fourth of July as Americans celebrated Independence Day, according to the artist who commissioned the statue. Brad Downey, a Berlin- based American artist, posted a video Thursday of the charred statue being removed on his Instagram account. Slovenia police confirmed an investigation has been launched. According to a video published on his website, Downey hired a local carpenter to carve the quirky statue from a tree trunk. Downey told Reuters that the statue was commissioned to encourage more dialogue about the politics of immigration given Trump’s vow to reduce it.