White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump's ballroom  —  The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn't ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.  —  Just now  —  Demolition crews have begun tearing down part of the White House …

Trump nominee says MLK Jr. holiday belongs in ‘hell’ and that he has ‘Nazi streak,’ according to texts … Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump's embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, told a group of fellow Republicans in a text chain the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be …

Pardoned Capitol rioter charged with threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries at NYC event this week  —  A pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested last weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.  —  Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan …

“Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here.”  —  My Signal exchange with the interim U.S. attorney about the Letitia James grand jury.  —  annabower.bsky.social  —  Meet The Authors … It was 1:20 p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 11.  I was lounging in my pajamas, idly scrolling through Netflix …

Trump's hope for quick second summit with Putin may be stalled as pre-meeting tabled for now  —  President Donald Trump's hopes for a quick meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin may be stalled after sources familiar with the matter told CNN that an expected pre-meeting between …

Republicans aren't negotiating an Obamacare extension yet.  But they're getting ready. … The expiring health insurance subsidies are at the heart of Democrats' shutdown demands, and extending them will require a bipartisan deal to get them enacted in Congress.

Ecuador says it has no evidence that survivor of US strike in Caribbean committed any crime … AP requested comment from the Attorney General's Office, but did not immediately receive a response.  —  The man was repatriated by the United States over the weekend following a U.S. military attack …

Vance Heads to Israel as U.S. Tries to Shore Up Gaza Truce  —  With the cease-fire deal under strain, Vice President JD Vance is set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders.  —  Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Tuesday morning for meetings …

Live updates: Senate Republicans gathering at White House as shutdown effects worsen  —  Add AP News to Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.  Share  —  As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House …

ICE's ‘Athletically Allergic’ Recruits  —  President Donald Trump's plan to double the size of the ICE workforce has met a foe more powerful than any activist group.  It is decimating new recruits at the agency's training academy in Georgia.  It is the ICE personal-fitness test.

Steve Bannon and the Murderers and Hitmen Who Became His ‘Besties’  —  The adult-education program at Federal Correctional Institution Danbury needed a civics teacher.  Conveniently, a new prisoner with a history of intimate involvement in American politics—inmate No. 05635-509—needed a work assignment.

U.S. Banks Are Hunting for Collateral to Back $20 Billion Argentina Bailout  —  Banks are looking for assets or guarantees from the U.S. that would back a private-sector loan to support Argentine President Javier Milei  —  A group of banks including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America …

Comey Moves To Dismiss  —  You have choices about where you get your news and analysis.  I'm grateful you've chosen to read Civil Discourse.  If you value clear, independent insight into the law and our democracy, I hope you'll consider a paid subscription.  Your support makes the newsletter possible.

MAGA's cancellation spree  —  MAGA is on a cancellation spree, targeting marquee entertainment and tech companies with boycotts over comments or content the right deems inappropriate or offensive. … Its ability to impose societal penalties on companies it views as pushing that drift will show how much heft the right's campaign has.

Maine's Platner says the worst is behind him … Platner responded to questions about some of the controversial comments he made prior to running for office, including 2013 posts in which he downplayed the problem of sexual assault in the military.  —  “I didn't know what I was talking about,” he said.

Donald Trump Has Lost Touch With Reality  —  And it's getting worse.  When will we acknowledge the obvious?  —  The other day I learned a new term: “AI sycophancy,” also sometimes called “chatbot sycophancy.”  —  I already knew about the phenomenon, having read stories …

A rickety dictatorship  —  Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  ✊ Subscribe to PN ✊  —  Donald Trump is vying to become a dictator just as the cracks in his rickety regime, and the grave deterioration of his own mind, are showing.

Enraged Democratic candidates turn on their own leaders  —  Democratic congressional candidates nationwide, feeding off voter fury, are raging against their leadership and vowing ruthlessness against their own establishment.  — “I am not a ‘when they go low, we go high’ [person].

More Than 100 Cases of Measles Reported in Utah and Arizona  —  In the hardest-hit counties, childhood vaccination rates steeply declined during the pandemic.  —  Just as one large measles outbreak peters out in the United States, another outbreak of the virus has taken off along the border of Utah and Arizona.

Trump's Venezuela operation expands in the dark  —  The U.S. military has killed at least 32 people in seven strikes off the coast of Venezuela without telling Congress or the American people who was killed, or on what evidence. … - “Officially, our position is we're there to stop narco-terrorists.

How Trump Is Using Fake Imagery to Attack Enemies and Rouse Supporters  —  The era of A.I. propaganda is here — and President Trump is an enthusiastic participant.  —  After nationwide protests this weekend against Mr. Trump's administration, the president posted an A.I.-generated video …