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Work begins on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House on Monday in Washington, D.C., before construction of a new ballroom. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption toggle caption Evan Vucci/AP WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Trump’s $250 million ballroom despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees such projects. Dramatic photos of the demolition work showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts…

Activism / October 20, 2025 Brewster’s rally drew more than 4,000 people for a rousing refutation of Donald Trump. Should the district’s GOP House Representative Mike Lawler, up for reelection in November, worry? Ad Policy Protesters at the No Kings rally in Brewster, New York. (Joan Walsh) Brewster, NY—I saw no Antifa. I did see AMPHIFA: a woman dressed as a frog waving a flag and a sign proclaiming “Amphibians Against Fascism.” I saw unicorns and more frogs, an older woman riding a blow-up horse, a bunch of kids fascinated by her horse, and a handsome immigrant Superman (a family-practice…

Federal enforcement officers stand guard near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 6. Ethan Swope/AP hide caption toggle caption Ethan Swope/AP A divided federal appeals court for the 9th Circuit on Monday overturned a temporary restraining order put in place by a federal judge in Portland — removing a legal impediment that was preventing the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. “After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority,'” the majority wrote in its decision. It’s unclear…

On October 18, more than 7 million people flooded the streets of America for the “No Kings!” protests, a follow-up to the actions over the summer decrying the authoritarianism and tyranny of the second Trump administration.The latest protests come at “a time when Trump and his accommodationists have attacked freedom of speech and freedom of the press; when they have sent masked men and armed troops into American cities; when they have threatened to jail political Democratic governors, mayors, and attorneys general; and when scholars of totalitarianism warn that American democracy is in peril,” wrote John Nichols, the executive editor…

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories The ceasefire in Gaza was tested this weekend when Israel launched an assault on the territory in response to an attack on its troops. The Israeli military said Sunday that “terrorists” attacked Israeli troops operating in the Rafah area resulting in two soldiers being killed. Hamas denied involvement in any attacks. Gaza officials say dozens were killed in the Israeli strikes. Both sides are accusing the other…

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, sits before a meeting with President Donald Trump, from right, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war following a lengthy White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump’s frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly in the nine months since he returned to office, but with his latest…

U.S. Capitol Police close an entrance to the Capitol as the federal government continued its shutdown on Oct. 9. Because of the shutdown, officers missed their first full paycheck Oct. 10. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Most of the effects of the ongoing government shutdown are far-removed from the halls of Congress. But the situation facing one group of federal employees who are working without pay is difficult for lawmakers to overlook: The Capitol Police officers who protect them every day. The officers missed their first full paycheck Oct. 10th. “They’re…

Dominion Voting Systems ballot-counting machines are lined up at a Torrance County warehouse during a testing of election equipment in Estancia, N.M., on Sept. 29, 2022. Andres Leighton/AP hide caption toggle caption Andres Leighton/AP When Scott Leiendecker announced he was buying Dominion Voting Systems — the elections technology company at the heart of countless 2020 election conspiracy theories — he teased a transformation. “As of today, Dominion is gone,” read the first line of a press release that seemed to many readers to lean into the unfounded rumors that have swirled around the company (and led to hundreds of millions…

Protesters march down Pennsylvania Avenue for Saturday’s “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images Demonstrators across the U.S. took to the streets on Saturday to protest the policies of President Trump. The overriding theme of the marches was the accusation that the president is behaving more like a monarch than an elected official. This is the second massive wave of protests organized by No Kings — a network of progressive organizations fighting against Trump’s agenda. Organizers projected a turnout in the millions across…

Roman Surovtsev and Samantha Surovtsev are seen in a photo from August 2024. Credit: Surovtsev family hide caption toggle caption Credit: Surovtsev family Samantha Surovtsev met her husband, Roman Surovtsev, in 2017 while jet skiing. When they started dating, Surovtsev was honest about his past. He told her that he had come from the former Soviet Union as a refugee at the age of four. And that when he was a teenager, his green card was revoked after pleading guilty to carjacking and burglary charges in California. He explained that after being released from prison, in 2014, he spent time…