The Ballroom Distraction
4/28/20269 min
April 26, 2026
The Department of Justice demands that the National Trust for Historic Preservation drop its lawsuit against Trump’s White House ballroom, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate claims that the shooting at the WHCA dinner proves the need for the ballroom, The administration has awarded a $17.4 million no bid contract for the repair of two fountains, Public money will pay for the fountain repairs, By May 1st, a deadline determined by the War Powers Act, Congress must either authorize the Iran War or let Trump continue the war without congressional approval, Trump has claimed the War Powers Act is unconstitutional, The idea that the president can act without authority from Congress demolishes a fundamental principle of our democracy.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsHeather Cox Richardson· Host0:00
[outro music] April 26th, 2026. Today, Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Department of Justice Civil Division wrote to the lawyer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, demanding that the organization drop its lawsuit against Trump's planned ballroom on the site where the East Wing of the White House used to be. The letter claimed that there was another attempt on President Trump's life last night at the Washington Hilton, where Secret Service agents apprehended a man carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives on the floor above the room where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was taking place. The man, whom police have identified as Cole Thomas Allen, thirty-one, of California, sprinted through a magnetometer before authorities stopped him. Shots were fired, although it remains unclear who fired them. A Secret Service agent wearing a bulletproof vest was shot, but has been released from the hospital. According to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Janine Pirro, the government is charging Cole with two counts of using a firearm and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. Shumate said last night's incident proves yet again that the White House ballroom is essential for the safety and security