The Supreme Court issued a ruling yesterday allowing President Trump to move forward with the construction of a new ballroom at the former East Wing of the White House. The decision effectively removes the requirement for congressional approval for the project. While the ruling permits the construction to proceed, the high court did not issue a determination on the legality of demolishing the East Wing or building the ballroom itself. Instead, the justices concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation did not have the necessary standing to bring the lawsuit, noting that the organization likely had not suffered any concrete injury. The project is expected to cost taxpayers at least $300 million, despite previous assertions from President Trump that the work would not be funded by taxpayers. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's three liberal justices in dissenting from the decision.
In other government developments, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned his position after serving for 18 months. Driscoll, who was 38 when he took the post last year, held the distinction of being the youngest person to ever serve as the Army's top civilian leader. His departure follows a period of increasing friction between himself and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has recently dismissed a significant number of senior military officers, opting to replace them with individuals perceived as being more aligned with his own leadership objectives.
Separately, finance ministers from the world's leading economies have gathered in North Carolina for the G-20 summit. The meetings, which mark the first time the U.S. has hosted the event in over 15 years, are focused on identifying strategies to stimulate faster global economic growth. Officials are also slated to discuss increasing economic pressure on Iran.
Concerns have also been raised regarding the upcoming midterm elections following a new whistleblower report. The report warns that the U.S. Postal Service may "derail" the election by rushing the implementation of "untested" technology, a move linked to President Trump’s efforts to limit mail-in voting. For months, the USPS has been developing an online portal intended for state election officials to upload ballot envelope barcodes and the names of absentee voters. The whistleblower alleges that the system has not undergone adequate testing. If the courts permit the USPS to move forward with the launch, the report suggests that technical failures within the portal could result in eligible voters failing to receive their mail-in ballots, or experiencing significant delays in receiving them.
In other news, the public is encouraged to practice "body image flexibility" to cope with negative feelings about appearance in a world dominated by filtered photos and weight loss trends. This approach focuses on how individuals respond to negative thoughts rather than requiring them to love their bodies. Additionally, the journalism community is mourning the loss of photojournalist Slava "Sal" Veder, who died on August 22 at age 99. Veder was best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph "Burst of Joy," which captured a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel reuniting with his family after five years in a Vietnam prisoner-of-war camp. His career at the Associated Press spanned three decades and included documentation of major political events, such as the election of Dianne Feinstein as San Francisco mayor and the murder conspiracy trial of activist Angela Davis. Finally, the inaugural Fat Marmot Week concluded on August 30, 2026.
President Trump displays a rendering of his proposed White House ballroom in October 2025. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption
Released prisoner of war Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm is greeted by his family at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif., as he returns home from the Vietnam War, March 17, 1973. Sal Veder/AP hide caption
