News From Around the Web
#1 New Satellite Image Shows White House Wing Demolished as Part of Trump Ballroom Plan - Jake Horton for BBC, Protect Kamala Harris/MAGA Mike, Chuck Schumer/Tom, Sara Rose, Gain of Fauci, and Geiger Capital on X
BBC Verify has seen new satellite images that show the East Wing of the White House has now been completely demolished. Pictures emerged on Monday showing construction crews tearing down the facade as part of US President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to build a ballroom, which he says will cost some $300m (£225m). The latest images - taken yesterday - show the entire structure of the East Wing, as well as the hallway and colonnade connecting it to the presidential residence at the White House, have been flattened...
#2 Trump’s ‘Friend’ Donates $130M to Pay Troops Amid Govt Shutdown - Shuvrajit Das Biswas for Hindustan Times, Sarah Adams, Derrick Evans, Teslaconomics, Reddit Lies/Nick Sortor, and Bilbo Baggins on X
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that an anonymous donor had given the federal government $130 million to cover the shortfall in military troop pay amid the ongoing government shutdown. “He called us the other day and said, ‘I'd like to contribute to any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown. I’d like to contribute, personally, contribute any shortfall you have with the military, because I love the military and I love the country. Any shortfall, if there’s a shortfall, I’ll contribute it,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting...
#3 Blue State, California, Issued 62,000 CDLs to Illegal Immigrants, Federal Audit Finds - Fox News Video, Libs of TikTok, James Woods/End Wokeness, Sukant Khurana, Ph.D., AU Hoop Junkie/Gavin Newsom, and therealstateofamerica on X
A Department of Transportation audit revealed that California issued approximately 62,000 commercial driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants and individuals without legal status, violating federal requirements due to state sanctuary policies that blocked immigration checks. The findings follow two fatal crashes involving such drivers: Jashanpreet Singh in California, who caused a deadly pileup while under the influence of methamphetamine, and Harjinder Singh in Florida, who triggered a multi-vehicle collision after repeatedly failing CDL tests. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced nationwide revocations of invalid licenses, while Florida sued California and Washington for enabling these practices amid concerns over road safety and English proficiency.#4 DOJ Tells California Officials to Back Off ‘Apparent Criminal Conspiracy’ to Arrest ICE Agents: ‘Stand Down or Face Prosecution’ - Victor Nava for New York Post, Jesse Watters, Todd Blanche, Governor Gavin Newsom, ALX, and Mario Nawfal on X
The Justice Department on Thursday warned California officials, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), against engaging in an “apparent criminal conspiracy” to arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued the letter to Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Attorney General Rob Bonta, and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins after the former House speaker suggested on Wednesday that local police could arrest ICE agents if they violate state laws while carrying out immigration enforcement operations. “Rather than supporting and working with federal law enforcement professionals, California politicians, including U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, have instead called for state and local law enforcement officials to ‘arrest’ federal agents and officers for enforcing federal laws enacted by the U.S. Congress, including federal immigration laws,” Blanche wrote in his missive...
#5 Trump to Quadruple Argentine Beef Imports While US Ranchers Fume - Reuters, LiveTube Alerts, pat barrett, Raymond Chan, and Norfolk Daily News on X
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is quadrupling the country's low-tariff imports of Argentine beef in his attempt to lower grocery store beef prices, a White House official said on Thursday, evoking fury from the nation's cattle ranchers. Raising the tariff rate quota on Argentine beef to 80,000 metric tons will let the country ship more of its beef to the U.S. at a lower rate of duty. U.S. beef prices have set records due to tight cattle supplies and strong consumer demand...#6 As Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats Grow, so Do Questions About Their Legality and Goal - Franco Ordoñez and Ryan Lucas, Tom, My Name is TricksR4Kids!, CLH, John Sullivan, Seattletoday, and First News on X
The U.S. military carried out two more strikes on alleged drug boats this week. The attacks were not in the Caribbean Sea but in the eastern Pacific Ocean, signaling an expansion of the Trump administration's campaign against drug trafficking from South America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a video on X of a blue speedboat skipping along the ocean waters before being hit and then bursting into flames. "Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people," Hegseth wrote in the Wednesday message. "There will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice."
#7 Trail Blazers Coach Billups, Miami’s Rozier Among Over 30 Arrested in Two Federal Gambling-Related Investigations - NBC News, Fox Sports 95.9 Four Rivers, ABC 17 News, WOWK 13 News, and WMTV 15 News on X
Federal prosecutors said today that more than 30 people had been indicted in two illegal gambling-related cases. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA player Damon Jones were among those arrested and accused of being involved in one of the schemes. The Lucchese, Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese Mafia families were alleged to be involved in backing rigged poker games to scam victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, officials announced. Three of the more than 30 defendants are accused of being involved in both the sports betting scheme and the fraudulent gambling scheme, said Christopher Raia, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office...
#8 Trump Terminates Trade Talks With Canada After Ronald Reagan Ad - Kanishka Singh for Reuters/USA Today, Mario Nawfal, Libs of TikTok/Donald J. Trump, Gunther Eagleman (community note), Marc Nixon, and Joe on X
President Donald Trump said on Oct. 23 that all trade talks with Canada were terminated following what he called a fraudulent advertisement in which former President Ronald Reagan spoke negatively about tariffs. "Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said earlier this week that the ad with anti-tariff messaging had caught Trump's attention. The ad showed Reagan, a Republican, criticizing tariffs on foreign goods while saying they caused job losses and trade wars...
#9 The Swedish Prescription: Welcome to the First Country in the World Prescribed by Doctors - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire, UncoverDC,
Debashis Puzae, Habitat.it, Interesting Engineering, and Biohack Yourself Media on X
Is Sweden onto something? What if the most promising prescription for burnout, anxiety, or simply a life out of sync wasn’t a side-effect-laden pill from Big Pharma or staring at an app on a device, but instead a place? That’s precisely what Sweden is offering: itself. No, it’s not offering itself as a gimmick, but as a genuine, science-backed approach to wellness. “The Swedish Prescription” campaign flips the script by asking a simple question. What if doctors could prescribe a country? And why not? Sweden consistently ranks as one of the happiest, healthiest, and most balanced nations on Earth. It’s a country that doesn’t just talk about wellbeing—it lives it, breathes it, and builds its culture around it. Indeed, Sweden didn’t buy into the lockdown propaganda of the pandemic. Instead, it followed its own path, avoiding strict lockdowns, which allowed schools, shops, and restaurants to remain open. And guess what? During the pandemic, Sweden experienced some of the lowest rates of excess deaths in Europe...
