Trump White House East Wing ballroom project got $22M boost from YouTube legal settlement … Tech giant Alphabet is contributing $22 million to help build the White House ballroom under a legal settlement reached with President Donald Trump last month over his being banned …

North Carolina lawmakers pass new map designed to give GOP an extra House seat  —  North Carolina becomes the third state where Republicans have heeded Trump's call and approved new district lines ahead of the next year's midterms.  —  North Carolina's Republican-controlled Legislature passed …

U.S. strikes 8th alleged drug vessel, this time on the Pacific side  —  The U.S. struck another alleged drug vessel Tuesday night, this time on the Pacific side of South America, according to two U.S. officials.  —  In what is the eighth known U.S. attack on a boat since Sept. 2, two to three individuals aboard the vessel were killed.

Trump Has Withdrawn a Record Number of Nominees This Year  —  In the first week of the second Trump administration, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was confirmed despite allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was approved …

Health insurance sticker shock begins as shutdown battle over subsidies rages  —  Many states have shown rising premiums ahead of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans.  Congress is deadlocked over extending covid-era subsidies that bring costs down.

My Bosses Were Afraid of Crossing Trump.  So, I Quit. … The censorship you never hear about may be the worst, or at least the most insidious.  Thankfully, many journalists are speaking out at a crucial moment for the press. … And there have been several other examples just in recent days …

Sen. Jeff Merkley warns ‘tyranny has arrived’ in marathon floor speech protesting Trump  —  The Oregon Democrat was still speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday morning after delivering remarks for more than 16 hours.  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is still speaking …

Bigots in the tent  —  What did you think winning meant? vibes? papers? essays? losers.  —  Read →  —  Top first  —  Longestaffe  —  4h  —  I hope the people who are always attacking you (Matt) from the left will read this piece in good faith: attentively, all the way through, registering the arguments on their merits.

Why So Many Racist Group Chats?  —  From the chats to the policy proposals, no one's hiding that the goal is a whiter America.  —  Choose your preferred player:  — Apple Podcasts  — Spotify  — Amazon Music  — TuneIn  — Pocket Casts  — RSS Feed  —  Get Your Slate Plus Podcast

Michael Wolff Launches Bombshell Lawsuit Against Melania Trump Over Epstein  —  SLAPP BACK!  —  Michael Wolff is launching an unprecedented legal case against the First Lady.  —  The best-selling author Michael Wolff is suing Melania Trump in an unprecedented court case—after she threatened to sue him for $1 billion.

State Navigate Poll Shows Spanberger with 13-Point Lead in Virginia Governor Race  —  “The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.”  - Ticket-Splitting Voters, apparently  —  Abigail Spanberger has reached a new zenith in the race for Virginia Governor.

Average cost of a family health insurance plan now nearly $27,000  —  The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance rose for the third year in a row in 2025, approaching an average of almost $27,000 for a family plan, according to an annual survey from KFF released Wednesday.

Trump Is Screwing His Voters So Badly That It Shocked This MAGA Farmer  —  Not long after President Trump floated a $20 billion bailout for Argentina, he proposed importing beef from Argentina to bring prices down in the United States.  This angered American beef producers and sparked a backlash from farm-state Republicans.

Homeland Security Won't Stop Lying About Who Immigration Enforcers Are Arresting  —  In case after case, Homeland Security's Public Affairs Office releases incorrect information about arrests carried out by federal immigration officers.  —  If you've spent any time reading the Department …

Trump's multi-million request puts DOJ integrity to the test, legal scholars say  —  Legal scholars told Axios that if the Justice Department hands President Trump the millions in damages he requested in past administrative claims, it would present an egregious breach of ethical safeguards.

Arts & Sciences Dean says WashU will not sign Trump's higher ed compact as-is  —  Dean of WashU's College of Arts & Sciences, Feng Sheng Hu, told faculty at a meeting on Tuesday that Chancellor Andrew D. Martin does not plan to sign the Trump administration's compact for higher education in its current form …

The Real Lesson of the Shutdown: We Need Term Limits  —  A government shutdown grips Washington, leaving Americans frustrated once again with partisan squabbling.  The endless stalemates and inability to find common ground are reflective of a deeper problem: The House and the Senate are dominated …

Most Americans say U.S. on wrong track on economy, immigration and more: poll  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction, fueled by dissatisfaction with President Trump's impact on the economy, immigration, race relations and the nation's global standing …

Federal Agents Stage Raid on Canal Street in New York City  —  Dozens of federal officers descended on the sidewalks of Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, detaining several people and drawing protests.  —  More than 50 federal agents fanned out in the heart of Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon …

Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time - regardless of language or territory  —  An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC  —  New research coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union …

Maine Senate candidate Platner says tattoo recognized as Nazi symbol has been covered  —  Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.  Share  —  His U.S. Senate campaign under fire, Maine Democrat Graham Platner said Wednesday that a tattoo …

Statement in Response to the Proposed Construction of the White House Ballroom … Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sent a letter to the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service, and the Commission of Fine Arts regarding proposed construction of the White House ballroom.