Judge Halts Construction of Trump’s Ballroom

Reuters
By Michael Rainey

Good evening. President Trump today lashed out at U.S. allies who have refused to participate in the war against Iran, telling them to "go get your own oil!" as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite weeks of intense bombardment by Israel and the United States. The president continues to vacillate between saying negotiations to end a war that is virtually over are going well and threatening to obliterate Iran's energy and water infrastructure if the country refuses to open the Strait of Hormuz immediately. Meanwhile, average gas prices in the U.S. moved above $4 a gallon for the first time since the war began.

Closer to home, a pair of federal judges pushed back against some key parts of Trump's agenda, including the construction of a massive ballroom.

Here's your evening update.

Judge Halts Construction of Trump's Ballroom

Although President Trump has plenty on his plate these days, he always seems to find the time to discuss a favorite topic: his plan to build a big, beautiful ballroom next to the White House, using only private funds. Flying back to Washington on Air Force One Sunday night, the president showed off the latest renderings for the project.

"I'm so busy that I don't have time to do this ... I'm fighting wars and other things," Trump told reporters. "But this is very important, because this is going to be with us for a long time, and it's going to be, I think it will be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world."

Not everyone agrees with Trump's assessment or appreciates his demolition of the East Wing to clear space for the ballroom, and in December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt the project. On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered construction on the $400 million building to stop, ruling that "no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have" to build the structure.

"The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families," U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon wrote in his memorandum opinion. "He is not, however, the owner!"

Leon ruled that the president needs permission from Congress to undertake the project, as required by federal law, and that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is likely to prevail in its case.

"Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!" Leon wrote. "The President may at any time go to Congress to obtain express authority to construct a ballroom and to do so with private funds. Indeed, Congress may even choose to appropriate funds for the ballroom, or at least decide that some other funding scheme is acceptable."

The judge delayed implementation of the ruling for 14 days for logistical reasons and to allow time for a likely appeal. But he warned that any above-ground construction that occurs could be at risk of removal depending on the outcome of the case.

Further complicating matters, Trump said Sunday that the military is building a "massive complex" underneath the ballroom. It's not clear where the funding for that project is coming from.

Trump took aim at the lawsuit on his social media platform Tuesday. Calling the National Trust for Historic Preservation "a Radical Left Group of Lunatics," Trump criticized their attempt to prevent the construction of "the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World."

Judge Strikes Down Trump's Cuts to Public Media

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against President Trump's effort to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

In an executive order last May, Trump halted funding for the media organizations, asserting that neither NPR nor PBS "presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens." The White House said separately that the organizations "fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars, which is highly inappropriate and an improper use of taxpayers' money."

NPR and PBS sued the Trump administration, saying their First Amendment rights had been violated. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss sided with the plaintiffs.

"The First Amendment draws a line, which the government may not cross, at efforts to use government power - including the power of the purse - 'to punish or suppress disfavored expression' by others," Moss wrote in his opinion, quoting an earlier Supreme Court ruling. Trump's executive order crossed that line because it "singles out two speakers and, on the basis of their speech, bars them from all federally funded programs."

Moss issued an injunction preventing the federal government from continuing its effort to cut off all funding for NPR and PBS.

The ruling does not, however, restore full funding for NPR and PBS. Last summer, Congress clawed back more than $1 billion in funding intended for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports the media organizations, and the ruling does not affect that action.

Still, public media officials said they were happy with the ruling. "Public media exists to serve the public interest - that of Americans - not that of any political agenda or elected official," said Katherine Maher, NPR's president and CEO. "The court made clear that the government cannot use funding as a lever to influence or penalize the press, whether as a national news service or a local newsroom."

Quote of the Day

"All of those countries that can't get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You'll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!"

  • President Donald Trump, using his social media platform to urge U.S. allies to get involved in the war he helped start against Iran, though apparently on their own terms and in their own interests.

As Politico reports, European allies, who continue to sit largely on the sidelines, have been "befuddled" by what one European official called Trump's "absurdly incoherent" messaging on the war, which oscillates between claims of total victory and expressions of frustration that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for the global energy supply.

Speaking to the New York Post Tuesday, Trump continued to deliver a mixed message. "Well, I think it'll automatically open, but my attitude is, I've obliterated the country," Trump said, referring to the Strait. "They have no strength left, and let the countries that are using the strait, let them go and open it."

Average Cost of Obamacare Premiums Rises 58%

Americans who get their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act are paying 58% more on average in premiums this year, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

With the expiration of the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare plans, average out-of-pocket spending on premiums is $178 a month in 2026, up from $113 a month last year, CMS reported. That $65 increase in monthly cost translates to $780 a year.

The reported costs are what consumers are actually spending, after taking into account all subsidies. The average premium cost before subsidies is considerably higher, rising to $741 a month in 2026, up from $619 a month last year.

In response to higher out-of-pocket costs, more Obamacare participants are switching to lower-tier bronze health plans, which have higher deductibles, averaging more than $7,000 a year. About 40% of participants now have bronze plans, up from 30% a year ago.

Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, a healthcare research non-profit, said on social media that the increase in out-of-pocket costs would likely have been considerably larger if participants had kept their old, higher-tier plans, but the switch to lower-tier bronze plans reduced the average cost.

In terms of participation, the CMS report indicates that total Obamacare enrollment has fallen by 1.2 million this year, dropping to 23.1 million enrollees overall.

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