Is Trump’s Ballroom About to Give Everyone at White House Asbestos?

Red flags have been raised over asbestos and other potential health and safety risks during President Trump’s demolition of the White House’s East Wing.

“Federal law requires comprehensive asbestos inspection, notification, and abatement before any demolition,” the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization wrote in a press release last week. “No publicly available information demonstrates that these statutory obligations have been fulfilled.”

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey described similar concerns in a letter Thursday to the firm carrying out the demolition, ACECO of Maryland.

“The demolition of a structure of the age and historic national significance of the East Wing demands the highest possible standards of care, not the lowest bid and a blind eye toward regulation,” Markey wrote, according to ABC News and The Washington Post. “Construction workers on the East Wing site, nearby office workers and tourists, and passersby could now be at heightened risk of developing lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma from the inhalation of demolition dust.”

There is no safe level of asbestos exposure, and the fibers can stay in the air for days.

White House officials have neither confirmed nor denied the presence of asbestos—which is very common in older structures like the White House—but have said that a “very extensive abatement and remediation assessment was followed, complying with all applicable federal standards.” They also say that “any hazardous material abatement was done in September.”

But ADAO President Linda Reinstein says she’s seen zero public information that would confirm that. “I am deeply concerned for White House staff and others working in or near the East Wing demolition site,” she said. “It remains unclear what measures have been taken to ensure the safe removal of deadly asbestos and other hazardous materials.”

The White House last underwent major reconstruction in the 1940s and 1950s, when asbestos use was at its highest.

A 33-year-old DOGE employee was tapped to run the U.S. Navy’s science and technology arm, though she appears to have no experience with the U.S. Navy, science, or technology, The Bulwark reported Thursday.

Dr. Rachel Riley was chosen to replace Rear Admiral Kurt Rothenhaus as chief of naval research, where he has served since 2023. The Office of Naval Research is responsible for disbursing billions of dollars in grants and contracts to benefit the Navy, and has historically been led by an active duty flag officer, according to USNI News.

Riley previously worked as a partner at McKinsey & Company, and completed a Ph.D. in social policy and an M.Sc. in contemporary Chinese from Oxford, according to her LinkedIn. She joined the ranks at DOGE and was assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services, where Politico reported she pushed for massive layoffs earlier this year.

A Navy spokesperson told USNI that Riley “brings deep acquisition, technology, and organizational expertise to the job, and we are pleased to welcome her to the team. We thank Rear Adm. Rothenhaus for his service as he is enroute to his next assignment. We do not have additional information to share at this time.”

Former naval aviator Senator Mark Kelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Bulwark that Riley was an unorthodox pick. “Usually the head of Naval Research is a very senior member of the military or the senior executive service with an extensive experience in technology, science, engineering,” he said. “That’s the kind of person we put in that job. So I think it’ll be important to see—and I don’t have a lot of information on this nominee’s background—but I do know it’s somebody rather junior who came from the world of DOGE.”

President Donald Trump has his own tenuous understanding of naval technology. Earlier this week, the president ranted about how he wanted to resume using steam catapults instead of electric catapults on aircraft carriers because he loves the way the steam looks pouring off the deck. Meanwhile, the maintenance on steam catapults is considered labor intensive and costly, compared to newer models.

Trump has previously claimed the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System doesn’t work, though there is no evidence that this is true. In January 2024, Trump baselessly claimed that magnets stop working when placed in water, and therefore were a stupid thing to put on a boat.

The United States will resume nuclear testing because everybody else is doing it, according to Donald Trump.

The president announced in a social media post Wednesday night that America would begin nuclear testing for the first time in 30 years in an effort to be on an “equal basis” with Russia and China. Neither of those countries appear to have conducted any nuclear weapons tests since the world’s nuclear-capable nations adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996.

“The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, though that appeared to be a lie. Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal of any nation, with 172 more warheads than the U.S., according to data from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN.

“This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice!” he wrote, though it was not clear how updating the arsenal had created more weapons.

“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump continued. “That process will begin immediately.”

The revised policy was shared mere minutes before Trump was scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the extended rationale came hours after.

“They seem to all be nuclear testing,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Thursday. “We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don’t do testing. We’ve halted it many years ago, but with others doing testing I think it’s appropriate that we do also.”

Trump did not clarify where or when the testing would take place.

Nuclear weapons experts argue that Trump’s gambit won’t play out well for America. Beth Sanner, former deputy director of national intelligence, told CNN Wednesday night that it was a “bad idea” that would only serve to give U.S. adversaries a chance to further test their capabilities.

“Adversaries benefit more than we do,” Sanner told the network.

The dominoes have already started to topple: The Kremlin emphasized the terms of the nuclear armistice Thursday, warning that “if any country resumes nuclear testing Russia would follow suit,” reported the Associated Press.

The Trump administration’s mass deportation machine has skirted laws and challenged the American judicial system in the process. And at least one immigrant deported in that chaos happens to be a former Trump golf club employee, The New York Times reports.  

Alejandro Juarez, 39, was deported last month to Mexico without receiving a hearing in front of a judge, which immigrants are legally entitled to. Instead, after showing up to an appointment on September 15 at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Manhattan, he was detained, placed on the wrong plane, sent to Texas, and told to walk across the border to Mexico. 

Juarez, who lived with his wife and four children in Westchester County, New York, had previously worked as a server and food runner at the Trump National Golf Club Westchester for more than a decade. 

Soon after his deportation, ICE officials realized their error and scrambled to figure out his whereabouts, according to documents obtained by the Times. But initially, the agency told the publication that Juarez had not been deported and instead was detained for a 2022 DUI conviction. 

Juarez’s lawyer Anibal Romero was also left in the dark as he tried to track him down. He eventually received a phone call from his client, who told him, “I’m in Mexico.” When Romero showed up for Juarez’s September 25 immigration hearing without his client, he told the confused judge what happened, and an ICE lawyer in the court admitted that he didn’t know where Juarez was. 

ICE had to backtrack and admit what it had done, telling the Times that Juarez was “removed to Mexico early because he was put on the incorrect transport,” adding that the agency would bring him back into ICE custody while still working for his deportation. 

Meanwhile, Juarez’s family wonders if and when he’ll ever come home. His wife and three of his kids, ages 10, 12, and 16, are still in New York, with his 20-year-old son stationed in California with the Marines. 

“My 10- and 12-year-old children ask me on the phone: ‘When are you returning, Papi? We miss you. We can’t be without you,’” Juarez told the Times. 

Juarez is one of countless immigrants who are deported without due process, and sometimes even U.S. citizens are sent overseas by overzealous federal agents. Right now, all that stands in their way appear to be the courts, which are only able to slow things down. 

Even neocon Bill Kristol would rather have a democratic socialist for mayor of New York City than Andrew Cuomo.

In a Wednesday interview with Claremont College’s The Forum, Kristol, now The Bulwark’s editor at large, stated that the idea of “going back” to Cuomo, who previously served as New York attorney general and governor, would be “ridiculous.”

Kristol said he would probably vote for Mamdani in the general election if he lived in New York City, although he wouldn’t have thought to rank him in the primary. But the bulk of his ire was for Cuomo and the establishment.

“The idea of going back to Cuomo is just, I think, ridiculous. I think if it had been the first round, I would’ve voted for someone else and maybe wouldn’t have even ranked Mamdani, and would’ve had other people who were more centrist, liberal types,” he said.

“All these big shot, you know, finance types in New York, they couldn’t get behind anyone except for Andrew Cuomo. It’s really pathetic, in my opinion. So now they’re rallying to Cuomo with some of them, but I don’t have that much sympathy for that,” Kristol continued.

An ex-Republican like Kristol is, in theory, the exact kind of support that Cuomo would be looking for. The fact that he can’t get it from even the center right is an indictment of Cuomo’s lack of juice, energy, and integrity more than anything else. Kristol doesn’t even seem to like Mamdani all that much, but his disdain for Cuomo overrules that.

“New York is a huge city. [Mamdani is] not going to destroy it, I don’t think. He’s gonna set up five silly government-run grocery stores, I guess. I don’t think he even will do that [inaudible]. And so they’ll be fine,” Kristol said. “I do think the right’s reaction to Mamdani has been a little hysterical. He’s a very impressive politician. I don’t know that he’s going to be a very good mayor. He’s 33 years old, he’s never run anything. They’re good people who could work for him though, in New York. So, who knows? I don’t know.”

The interview has yet to be released in full.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is one of a handful of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members who are hiding out on military bases so they don’t have to be exposed to the public that hates them.

The Atlantic reported Thursday that Miller, his wife, and their two children have relocated out of their home north of Arlington, Virginia, to a U.S. military base after local activists embarked on a campaign to shame Miller for his role leading Trump’s fascistic crime and immigration crackdown.

A group called Arlington Neighbors United for Humanity have organized protests near the ghoulish politico’s home, posted wanted posters with his address alleging he’d committed “crimes against humanity,” and written messages on the sidewalk in front of his house in chalk warning that “Miller is preying on families.” Katie Miller lamented that the day after far-right activist Charlie Kirk was killed, a protester approached her outside her home. She claims the protester said, “I’m watching you.”

Now Miller and his family have reportedly joined a smattering of political appointees who have fled to the safety and seclusion of military facilities, where the public’s anger can’t reach them and their own insidious policy ideas can fester.

Another unnamed senior White House official had also relocated to a military base after Kirk’s assassination, The Atlantic reported. They were not named due to a specific foreign threat. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved into military housing typically reserved for the Coast Guard commandant on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, after the Daily Mail described the location of her Washington, D.C., apartment building. A top administration official told New York magazine last month that DHS had stalled confirming any high-ranking Coast Guard officials because it could threaten to remove her from her new digs.

Both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live on “Generals’ Row” at Fort McNair, where Hegseth’s home was expected to undergo more than $137,000 in renovations before he moved in. 

These Trump officials’ removal to military bases risks deepening their cultural and political division from the Americans they serve. It puts a strain on military resources, while also emphasizing the military’s growing role in the Trump administration. 

“In a robust democracy, what you want is the military to be for the defense of the country as a whole and not just one party,” Adria Lawrence, an associate professor of international studies and political science at John Hopkins University, told The Atlantic.  

Meanwhile, Trump has stripped security details from his political opponents. It’s worth noting that the only politicians who have been assassinated in the last year were Democrats. 

The Trump administration is keeping Congress in the dark on its Caribbean boat bombings—and it’s angering people on both sides of the aisle.

The United States has committed 14 known strikes on small boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean over the last two months, killing at least 61 people.

But not all lawmakers are being treated equally when it comes to accessing information regarding the attacks. On Wednesday, it became abundantly clear that Democrats had been shut out of a Senate briefing on the extrajudicial killings, sending lawmakers on both sides of the aisle into a frenzy.

In an interview with CNN’s Eric Burnett Wednesday, Republican Representative Mike Turner emphasized that Congress had not “received the information that it needs to.”

“I do think that there are serious concerns as to both the legal construct as to what the administration is doing, and there needs to be more information that’s provided to Congress,” Turner said. “And I think both the logistics and the intelligence information needs to be shared more, more broadly.”

Turner, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, revealed that no one in Congress had received a “full presentation” of the scope of and plan for future boat strikes.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a venomous statement Wednesday arguing that the partisan information gap was “indefensible” and a “slap in the face” to Congress’s war powers responsibilities.

“Shutting Democrats out of a briefing on U.S. military strikes and withholding the legal justification for those strikes from half the Senate is indefensible and dangerous,” Warner posted on X. “Decisions about the use of American military force are not campaign strategy sessions, and they are not the private property of one political party. For any administration to treat them that way erodes our national security and flies in the face of Congress’ constitutional obligation to oversee matters of war and peace.”

Warner then underscored previous commitments by State Secretary Marco Rubio, who Warner said had “personally promised” a face-to-face meeting on Capitol Hill regarding the details and alleged justification for the attack.

The White House has insisted the violence is justified, broadly accusing the boats of trafficking narcotics to the U.S. from Venezuela and Colombia. U.S. lawmakers have been more than skeptical, though—particularly since several of the boats were thousands of miles away in international waters, and since the attacks were conducted without prior investigations or interdiction.

Trump has blamed the attacks on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who has remained atop the country’s government despite Trump’s forceful attempts in 2019 to install then-opposition leader Juan Guaido.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced it would deploy the world’s largest warship—the USS Gerald R. Ford—to Latin America in an effort to ramp up the military firepower available for fighting the small watercraft.

But the escalation has only further strained America’s relationship with its Latin American neighbors. In an address to his country late last week, Maduro accused the U.S. of seeking “a new eternal war.”

“They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war,” he said.

That infamous Signal chat keeps coming back to haunt the Trump administration.

On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz was interrupted in the middle of a speech before a U.N. General Assembly vote on whether to condemn U.S. economic restrictions on Cuba.

“Mr. Waltz, this is the United Nations General Assembly,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said, cutting off Waltz. “It is not a Signal chat. Nor is it the House of Representatives,” he added, also calling Waltz’s remarks “uncivilized, crude and gross.”

Waltz was not happy.

“I am well aware of the location in which we are speaking,” the ambassador responded. “And this is also not a Communist illegitimate legislature in Havana.”

Waltz attacked the Cuban government as “illegitimate and brutal,” claiming that he was correcting “the fake news, the misinformation, and this false reality the regime seeks to create year after year with this vote.”

Ultimately, Waltz’s tough talk swayed few, if any, countries, as the U.N. General Assembly voted 165–7, with 12 abstentions, Wednesday to condemn the American economic embargo against Cuba, the thirty-third year in a row it has done so. The resolution is symbolic and carries no legal weight, but reflects global opinion.

The whole reason Waltz is the U.N. ambassador is because, while previously serving as national security adviser, he set up a Signal chat where secret military plans were discussed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and other top government officials and then mistakenly added The Atlantic’s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg. Waltz was removed from his position and instead nominated to the U.N. post, a job that requires diplomatic savvy, which he seems to be lacking.

In a massive rollback for LGBTQ rights, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that judges have the right to refuse to officiate gay weddings if they have a “sincerely held religious belief.”

This rule change came last week in a comment added to the state’s judicial code. “It is not a violation of these canons for a judge to publicly refrain from performing a wedding ceremony based upon a sincerely held religious belief,” the new rule reads.

This move essentially nullifies Canon 4 of the Texas judicial code, which blocked judges from doing things that would “cast doubt on their ability to act impartially or interfere with the proper performance of judicial duties”—like officiating weddings of straight couples but not gay ones. (In Texas, judges are not required to officiate weddings at all.)

In 2019, Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley was accused of violating the judicial code when she was given a public warning for refusing to officiate gay weddings. Hensley stopped doing all wedding officiating when the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, but promptly started discriminating again when she returned to straight-only weddings the following year, refusing any same-sex couples who came to her. Hensley sued over the public warning she later received, but now, she’s been temporarily vindicated.

“Now going forward, every judge in Texas will enjoy the freedom Judge Hensley has fought so hard for in her case,” Hiram Sasser of the conservative First Liberty Institute said. “As for her case specifically, this amendment melts away the reasons the Commission relied on to punish Judge Hensley.”

“Judge Hensley treated them respectfully,” Texas Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock wrote, of the same-sex couples she refused. “They got married nearby. They went about their lives. Judge Hensley went back to work, her Christian conscience clean, her knees bent only to her God. Sounds like a win-win.”

Not everyone agrees.

“One of the claims that I think will be made in response to litigation that is likely is that, ‘Well, there are other people who can perform the wedding ceremony, so you can’t insist that a particular judge do it,’” law professor Jason Mazzone said. “But that, of course, is not how equal protection works, and it’s not how we expect government officials to operate.”

That one sentence at the bottom of the Texas judicial code is effective immediately, and may even have an impact on the right’s efforts to overturn gay marriage protections in the United States, adding the right to love to the list of quickly eroding liberties currently under attack.

Amid the crumbling relations with Russia and China, President Donald Trump is pushing for the United States to resume nuclear weapons testing.

As the president returned to the United States from his trip to Asia, he took to Truth Social to make an explosive announcement. “Because of other countries testing programs [sic], I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump wrote Wednesday night. “That process will begin immediately.”

The president also claimed that the United States “has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” thanks to his efforts during his first term, followed by Russia and then China as a “distant third.” However, in 2025, the Federation of American Scientists found that Russia possessed more nuclear warheads than any other country.

Trump’s tremendous step backwards away from nuclear disarmament comes amid strained relations with both Russia and China, as well as a North Korean missile test on Tuesday.

After a falling out with Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin has resumed saber-rattling amid stalled peace negotiations with Ukraine. Russia tested the world’s first nuclear-powered missile on Saturday, and on Tuesday, it tested an underwater superweapon designed to trigger tsunamis. Trump warned Russia Monday that the U.S. was “not playing games” and had a nuclear submarine stationed offshore.

China has honored the moratorium on nuclear testing established in the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which Russia and the U.S. both signed. (The U.S. never ratified the treaty, and Russia later rescinded its ratification.) Still, China is reportedly rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. Tense trade negotiations sparked by Trump’s sweeping tariffs have strained relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but Trump claimed Thursday the two leaders had had a productive meeting.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom Trump tried and failed to connect with during his tour in Asia, also tested strategic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons this week. North Korea is the only country in the world to conduct live nuclear weapons tests since the 1990s.

Nuclear weapons testing made an appearance in Project 2025, the authoritarian playbook for the second Trump administration. The plan called for the U.S. to “reject ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and indicate a willingness to conduct nuclear tests in response to adversary nuclear developments if necessary.”