Who's Paying For Trump $300 Million Ballroom? The White House Won't Say — But Demolition's Underway.
Plus: Argentina gets $40 billion. Americans? Let them eat beef. Hegseth muzzles the Pentagon. Humpback whales are singing again. And an interview with Senator Elizabeth Warren.
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In today’s newsletter, an interview with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). We cover the 21-day government shutdown and why, in her view, there are no negotiations thus far. We also discuss Trump’s elimination of federal support for children with disabilities; this is personal for her since she started her career as a special needs teacher.
Warren also comments on Trump’s $40 billion bailout of Argentina while American farmers lose their markets to Argentine competitors, the jobs data the White House won’t release before the Fed meets, and ICE’s escalating tactics. Warren describes Congressional Republicans as “a wholly owned subsidiary of Donald Trump.”
It’s short and worth your time. You can watch it at the top of this newsletter.
Also in today’s newsletter: Trump’s building a 90,000-square-foot ballroom for a thousand guests. The math — and the motives — don’t add up. American taxpayers fund a $20B bailout of Argentina while US agriculture suffers. There’s a new Hegseth rule at the Pentagon: Congress can oversee the military, it just can’t talk to it anymore. America’s shadow war expands to the Pacific. And for News That Doesn’t Suck, how whales and turtles came back from the brink.
Here Are Your Headlines
Winging It: The White House has turned the East Wing into a construction site, with an official now confirming the “entirety of the East Wing will be modernized” — i.e., demolished — as part of Trump’s sweeping renovation. In July he said these renovations would not “interfere” with the existing building. As you look at pictures of the East Wing being torn down, you may recall White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt similarly assuring reporters that “nothing will be torn down.” Central to the construction is a $300 million ballroom. (That figure was initially $200 million, then $250 million…) Some outlets have reported it will be a whopping 90,000 square feet, nearly twice the size of the White House itself. Trump claims the new ballroom will accommodate almost 1,000 guests, a figure that, like the cost, he has revised upwards multiple times since the plans were first announced. But the numbers don’t add up. The largest ballroom in Washington DC appears to be the Marriott Marquis. At 30,600 feet it accommodates 3,500 people. Trump’s renovation is three times that size for a ballroom meant to accommodate less than one-third the number of people. So what, exactly, will the rest of the space be used for? What is he building?
Renovating the Palace: As of Wednesday, the White House has reportedly still failed to submit plans for the new ballroom. (Trump waved around gold-filled renderings in the Oval Office today.) Officials insist they can demolish without approval. The White House is owned by the people of the United States and controlled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On Tuesday the Trust warned the demolition is “legally required” to undergo public review and urged the administration to stop.
Big Balls: There is no obvious need for a White House ballroom that seats 1,000. Most state dinners seat roughly 200 guests. We were able to identify only one state dinner that seated 1000 or more: the Carters hosted 1,340 guests for the signing of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty in 1976.
What’s being demolished: The East Wing has served as the First Ladies’ wing since 1902 and is ground zero for American soft power — the intimate dinners that forge alliances, the cultural programs that open markets, the relationship-building that turns rivals into partners. It’s where the US uses hospitality as statecraft. That typically doesn’t require seating for a small arena.
Murky Business: So, who’s actually paying the $300-billion-dollar fee? It’s unclear. Trump insists that no taxpayer money will be used. He claims some of the money will come from him, some from his lawsuits against major companies, and some from private donors. The White House has yet to release detailed information on who has actually donated, despite promising to do so. One of the firms responsible for the demolition, ACECO, appears to have removed its public website this week. How much each construction firm involved is being paid has not been disclosed. Coincidentally, Trump has reportedly demanded the DOJ pay him $230 million in compensation for its past investigations into him. The officials responsible for approving that were appointed by… Trump. He says he’ll give it to charity, but you’ll notice the figure is about how much the ballroom will cost.
Vanity Project: Trump has reportedly been pushing for a White House ballroom for at least 15 years. In 2010, he reportedly offered his ballroom-building services to then-President Obama’s adviser David Axelrod, telling him “I build the greatest ballrooms.” The Obama administration never followed up on the offer — and Trump appears to have never forgotten that.
Bottleneck: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered all Pentagon officials to obtain permission before communicating with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The Defense Department’s spokesperson argued this new policy would “improve accuracy and responsiveness” and “facilitate increased transparency.” Here’s your reminder that Congress has constitutional authority to oversee the military — including the power to raise and support armies, declare war, and appropriate defense funds — but that oversight requires access to Defense Department officials and information. We’ll leave you to determine how preventing officials from communicating with lawmakers will improve transparency.
Reporting Done Right (Wing): One week after Hegseth’s new orders — and after dozens of experienced reporters refused to sign the Pentagon’s new press policy, which threatened journalists who reported on information not approved for release — the Department of Defense has announced a “new media” press (if you want to call it that) corps who’ve agreed to the new rules. The “press” includes 60 people, including those from election denier Mike Lindell’s Lindell TV, Turning Point USA’s Frontlines, right-wing influencer Tim Pool’s Timcast, and “many independent journalists” who were not specified in the Pentagon memo. A Pentagon spokesperson said these new outlets and influencers “have created the formula to circumvent the lies of the mainstream media.… Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon.” In other words: They’ll follow the rules and report what the military wants them to report. That’s not journalism. It’s PR.
Your Thoughts: Both journalists and influencers clearly play important roles in society. We’d love to know what you think differentiates the two. Let us know in the comments.
Mixed Messages: Treasury Secretary Bessent just announced striking new sanctions against two major Russian oil companies because of “Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.” And according to the Wall Street Journal, the US has lifted a restriction on Ukraine’s use of certain long-range missiles. This follows NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s last-minute visit to Washington today, an attempt to convince Trump (once again) to support Ukraine. But Trump denied the WSJ report, calling it “FAKE NEWS” and insisting “the US has nothing to do with those missiles … or what Ukraine does with them.” His flip-flopping on Ukraine has made it increasingly difficult to discern US policy. After a long phone call with Putin last week, Trump reportedly refused to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles and switched back to his earlier suggestion that Ukraine cede much of its territory to Russia. But after Russian officials made it clear they weren’t interested in a peace deal, he cancelled a planned in-person meeting with Putin, complaining he doesn’t “want to have a wasted meeting.” This indecisiveness, if you can call it that, isn’t new; in August, it led one Australian journalist to say that Trump is “like a soft cushion — he bears the impression of the last person that sat on him.” While all this was going on, Russia launched an intense barrage of drone and missile strikes, damaging multiple buildings (including a kindergarten) and killing at least seven people, including two children.
Argentina First: American cattle ranchers and soybean farmers are watching their livelihoods collapse as the Trump administration sends $20 billion to prop up Argentina’s economy — and just 30% of Trump voters approve. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed Tuesday the US has signed a $20 billion “economic stabilization” deal with Argentina, timed to boost the country’s Trump-loving, libertarian president, Javier Milei, ahead of a critical election. The White House insists this isn’t a bailout (even though it’s $20 billion in taxpayer dollars and possibly another $20 billion private investment, backed up by promises the taxpayers will bail out any investor losses. Privatizing the gains, socializing the losses.) The Trump administration argues it’s necessary support for a politician who’s “worked hard to reverse previous irresponsible economic policies.” Obviously, not that successfully. (Critics describe Milei’s agenda as ruthless privatization and brutal austerity that’s left millions struggling and pushed one-third of the population into poverty.) “We know the reason” Trump is helping Argentina, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told me. “It’s Donald Trump using your tax dollars to advance Donald Trump’s own personal interests.”
The Fallout: The deal couldn’t come at a worse time for American producers already reeling from Trump’s trade war with China. In September China imported no US soybeans for the first time in years. Argentina immediately jumped on the opening by removing export tariffs and undercutting US prices. China, which usually accounts for half of all US soybean sales, is now buying from Argentina instead. US beef farmers face a similar crisis, with China turning to Australian producers. Now Trump is proposing to buy beef from Argentine farmers to lower record-high domestic prices and further shore up Milei’s government. One Trump-supporting cattle farmer slammed the plan as “an absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher.” (Worth noting: Trump’s own Agriculture Secretary claims Argentina is dealing with “a foot and mouth disease issue.” Ew.) The president of the Iowa Farmers Union put it bluntly: “At a time when we should be finding ways to help American farmers deal with this chaotic trade policy, it’s extremely disappointing to see us bailing out Argentina and Argentina farmers in the process.” Bessent tried to frame the deal as part of the administration’s efforts to “Make America Safe Again” — but polling suggests that even Trump voters aren’t buying it. Just 30% of Trump voters approve of the extraordinary assistance being provided to Argentina, while 48% disapprove. “Trump, having just taken a dump on American farmers, is now playing with the idea of taking a dump on American ranchers,” Sen. Warren told me. “All so Donald Trump can use … American taxpayer dollars just to fund his buddy who sucks up to him on a regular basis.” See more in our interview at the top of this newsletter.
Glass Ceiling: Lawmakers in Japan have elected the country’s first female prime minister. Sanae Takaichi is a hardline conservative who secured the position by forming an alliance with a far-right party. As such, critics warn she’s unlikely to further Japan’s poor progress on gender equality. The World Economic Forum ranked Japan 118th out of 148 countries in its 2025 Global Gender Gap Report; women remain seriously underrepresented in business and politics.
Marathon Speech: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) spoke on the Senate floor for 22.5 hours since Tuesday afternoon to protest the Trump administration’s policies and ongoing government shutdown. “Trump’s plan,” Merkley said, “is to replace government by and for the people with government by and for the powerful.”
Shadow War: The US military has destroyed yet another boat that it claimed, without concrete evidence, was trafficking drugs — but this time, the boat was in the Pacific, off the coast of Colombia. The strike killed two people. Defense Secretary Hegseth said that “just as al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people … there will be no refuge or forgiveness.” The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that the CIA is reportedly providing the majority of the intelligence used to coordinate these lethal strikes, meaning the evidence used will probably stay secret.
Below we cover: Trump nominee admits he has a “Nazi streak” and thousands of racist text messages from Young Republicans exposed; NYC’s mayoral candidates head into their final debate; why Gov. Gavin Newsom is deploying the National Guard; how millions relying on food benefits could go hungry by the end of the month; and News That Doesn’t Suck about the fate of two beloved and iconic ocean-faring creatures. To keep reading, please subscribe. Your subscriptions make our work possible.
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