History is being rewritten on the White House grounds, where a new formal ballroom is rising in place of the East Wing. The project has become a political lightning rod, as images of its construction reignite debate over President Donald Trump’s imprint on the nation’s most iconic address.While the White House has hosted countless ceremonial events, it has never had a dedicated ballroom.

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism over a resurfaced video of him claiming to be the victim of anti-Muslim discrimination in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.The video shows Mamdani talking with voters during his campaign for New York State Assembly in February of 2020. He describes a number of instances of alleged discrimination against him and argues that there are “exceptions” to tolerance in America.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said the next Democratic presidential nominee must vow to demolish President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, proposing the pledge a litmus test for the party’s 2028 contenders.”Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE,” Swalwell wrote on X on Saturday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said that the U.S., Israel and other mediators of the Gaza peace deal had shared intelligence to avoid a possible attack last weekend and would do so going forward. “We put out a message through State Department, sent it to our mediators as well, about an impending attack, and it didn’t happen,” he told reporters while flying from Israel to Qatar.

The anonymous donor who gave $130 million to the Pentagon to pay troops during the government shutdown has been identified as Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Donald Trump, according to a report.Trump announced the donation on Thursday, but declined to reveal the donor’s identity, only describing him as a “patriot” and a friend.

President Donald Trump on Saturday said Hamas needs to start returning the bodies of deceased hostages held captive by the terror group during the war in Gaza “quickly, or the other countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.”While all the living hostages have been returned from Gaza, the remains of 13 deceased hostages have not been handed over by Hamas.

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he won’t waste time meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin again unless a deal on the war in Ukraine is likely.”I’m going to have to know that we’re going to make a deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after taking off from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, when asked about arranging a meeting with Putin. “I’m not going to be wasting my time.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rebuke of the Justice Department’s move to monitor the November election in his state is getting strong pushback, including from a DOJ official who noted the move is not out of the ordinary.

California officials are giving Planned Parenthood $140 million to keep 109 clinics open and offset the financial strain from cuts imposed by Republicans in Washington, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.Newsom said the move affirms the state’s continued commitment to abortion access for women in the Golden State amid efforts by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to shut down Planned Parenthood.