With crucially important midterms just around the corner, Donald Trump is laser-focused on his No. 1 priority: Giving Washington, D.C., a makeover.
For a guy obsessed with winning the Nobel Peace Prize, President Donald Trump seems notably uninterested in finding a way to end his war in Iran. Instead of winding down the months-long conflict, and thereby potentially lowering gas prices for Americans, the president is reportedly spending his time
shopping for marblefor his ballroom. And installing gold drapes in the East Room of the White House. Andconstructing a 250-foot triumphal archto transform the Washington D.C. skyline. And… you get the picture.
The president has been so fixated on his construction plans that he was perusing different types of marble just hours before ordering U.S. forces to raid then Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s compound in January,
theNew Yorkerreported. “He has certain marbles that he’s always interested in,” the owner of the store Trump was at told the magazine. “In the midst of all these geopolitical situations, he’s fully engaged.”
Trump is plowing forward with his plans despite legal challenges on almost every front. In fact, in at least some cases, his team almost appears to be banking on the painfully slow judicial process to forge ahead,
theNew York Timesreported. “Trump is going to get his ballroom — even if courts conclude it’s illegal,” Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked Media’s “Strict Scrutiny” podcast, said earlier this week.
**Is Trump trying to tank the midterms? **Presumably not. But sometimes, it can be hard to tell.
The president seems determined to drape himself in gold and be seen waltzing through his schmancy ballroom at a moment when most Americans view the cost of living as their
biggest barrier to a better life.
Trump’s lack of focus on bringing down costs is also putting members of his own party in a bind as they face an uphill battle to maintain control of Congress.
According to, many Republicans facing tough elections in November are distancing themselves from Trump amid concerns that his rising unpopularity could torpedo their campaigns.Politico
“Candidly, he would not be helpful here,” one senior Republican involved in a competitive House race told the outlet, despite Trump’s desire to jump into the GOP’s midterm campaign. “I do not believe they would send him without our OK. And if they did, we probably wouldn’t campaign with him.”
A spokesperson for the White House told the
Times: “President Trump is moving at lightning speed because we don’t have time to waste in our mission to make America greater than ever before.”
**Got that? **There’s no time to waste in making sure Trump gets his bling-bling party pad.
** The White House introduced a series of arcade-style games** on its official website late Thursday, including one, called “Build The Wall,” that instructs players to “protect the border from the coming horde.” Another game prompts players to patrol the border with Trump and detain and deport migrants. How heartless do you have to be to think this kind of thing is entertaining?
** Trump’s former labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer,** created a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” work environment at the Department of Labor, a federal watchdog found. Chavez-DeRemer was the third Trump Cabinet secretary to resign this term. She faced allegations of drinking on the job and having an inappropriate relationship with someone on her security detail. Only the best people!
** Diesel prices have hit their highest level since 2022** thanks to Trump’s war in Iran. The national average price of a gallon of diesel hit a whopping $5.85, surpassing its previous peak in 2022, which came after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
** The judge overseeing Lindsay Clancy’s case declared a mistrial Friday** after the jury, which had been deadlocked for days, failed to reach a verdict because of one holdout. The declaration capped a dramatic few hours in which Clancy’s legal team made an unsuccessful last-ditch effort to get a higher court to block Judge William Sullivan from declaring a mistrial. The mistrial means that prosecutors can retry the case, if they choose to.
** Trump plans to fly to Ireland next week on the $400 million jet gifted to him by the Qataris**, despite lingering concerns that the aircraft lacks critical security features. As for why Trump is flying to Ireland — he’s attending a golf tournament being held on one of his courses, though officials say he also plans to have some formal meetings and will reportedly meet with the Irish president and prime minister.
** Democrats lashed out at Senator John Fetterman (D-PA)** after the
** The U.S. military is reviewing whether a deadly strike** on an Iranian wedding was carried out by American forces who launched a series of intense attacks in southern Iran this week. The bomb killed at least five people and injured at least 67 others, according to an Iranian aid group.
A great big THANKS to the many of you who responded to our call-out yesterday to join Friends of the Pod! You are greatly appreciated!
** Meet Travan and Travis Jasper:** identical twins who are now co-directors of the emergency department at Chippenham’s Hospital in Virginia. The two brothers were born 37 seconds apart and wear different colored scrubs so patients and hospital staff can differentiate between them. “No matter how challenging the days are, life’s events, you can’t quit, because you got somebody else that wouldn’t quit and… would never quit on you,” Travis told the
Jack DowDell, a teenager with Down syndrome who had never been to a high school dance, mustered up the courage to ask his friend, Ava, to be his date to homecoming. DowDell was “a little nervous,” NBC reported, but he pulled it off with the support of his older brother and his best friends (one of whom went dressed as a Slurpee). “I would love to!” Ava squealed when she opened her front door and saw DowDell holding up a sign asking her to be his date. “I’m honored that I get to go with him and it’s just gonna be the best night ever,” she later told NBC in an interview.
** Elementary students at a school in Alabama surprised their classmate,** fourth grader DeVyn Coker, as she was on her way to the hospital to ring a bell celebrating the end of her cancer treatment. Coker was diagnosed with cancer when she was 7 years old, and her classmates sent her off in style — cheering, ringing bells, and yelling, “We love DeVyn!” — as she headed to the hospital to mark the milestone in her cancer journey.
