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Monroe County CTC health science students respond to mock tornado
Monroe County Career and Technical Center health science students collaborated with first responders April 30 through a mock disaster drill involving a tornado, giving them real-world experience for future careers.
'We need to respond to Liverpool women's health needs more easily'
Groups in Liverpool are trying to remedy the historical under-resourcing of women's healthcare.
Trump Rejects Iran’s Response to U.S. Proposal as Oil Prices Surge
Pezeshkian responded defiantly, saying Iran would “never bow down to the enemy” and would continue defending its national interests.
Early morning fire in Norfolk business under control, investigation underway
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Just before 6 a.m. Sunday, Norfolk Fire-Rescue responded to a commercial fire in the 1200 block of Military Highway after receiving multiple calls. Courtesy: Norfolk Fir…
Iran responds to U.S. peace proposal after clashes test ceasefire
Details were not immediately clear. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said he hoped the response would include a “serious offer for a ceasefire.”
Iran responds to US peace proposal, Iranian media reports. What we know
The Trump administration's framework proposed a pause in fighting while officials hammer out a permanent peace plan.
Iran Responds to Latest U.S. Plan to End War
The two countries have been discussing a 30-day extension to the cease-fire and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Readers respond: Put kids, not politics, first in education
Letters to the Editor can be submitted to letters@oregonian.com with full name and place of residence.
New York Jets Flight Connections 05/10/26
Happy Sunday, Jets fans, and Happy Mother’s Day! Below are your weekend Jets links. Jack Bell – Rookie Minicamp Notebook | Kenyon Sadiq on Jets’ Tight Ends: ‘Possibilities Are Endless’ Eric Allen – The ‘Insane’ NFL Reunion of Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. and D’Angelo Ponds Rich Cimini – Jets QB Klubnik unshaken by fall in […]
What to Do About the White House Correspondents Dinner After an Attack?
A gunman’s attack at the April dinner has spurred more debate than usual about one of Washington’s most dissected rituals.
Stefon Diggs responds to potentially playing for Commanders in 2026
What did Stefon Diggs say about potentially playing for the Commanders in 2026?
How Investors May Respond To Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSGE) Profit Squeeze And Kalshi Branding Deal
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. has reported its fiscal third-quarter 2026 results, with revenue rising to US$246.26 million while net income eased to US$5.11 million, and separately entered a multi-year partnership making Kalshi an Official Prediction Market Partner with naming rights to the sixth-floor Kalshi Concourse at Madison Square Garden. Despite higher expenses weighing on quarterly profit, management’s confidence in robust full-year growth and the Kalshi collaboration’s...
Business fire in Vilas county
Emergency responders found a pile of wood burning behind a building had spread fire to a business.
HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’: Kevin McKidd Responds to Arthur Weasley Speculation
A certain Instagram follow has fans thinking McKidd has been cast in a magical HBO project.
HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’: Kevin McKidd Responds to Arthur Weasley Speculation
A certain Instagram follow has fans thinking McKidd has been cast in a magical HBO project.
HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’: Kevin McKidd Responds to Arthur Weasley Speculation
A certain Instagram follow has fans thinking McKidd has been cast in a magical HBO project.
Black voters are ‘prepared to make noise’ after Republicans quickly pass ‘Jim Crow’ voting maps
Voting rights advocates are scrambling to respond to rapidly gerrymandered congressional maps that dilute Black political power
HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’: Kevin McKidd Responds to Arthur Weasley Speculation
A certain Instagram follow has fans thinking McKidd has been cast in a magical HBO project.
'Full House' star, Detroit native Dave Coulier shares health update after losing 45 pounds
The "Full House" and "Fuller House" star said he wanted to respond to fans who noticed he has been looking and sounding different of late, adding that his health is on the upswing.
Hantavirus misinformation runs rampant as the US is unequipped to respond to infectious disease health scare
But the US’s withdrawal from the WHO – and cuts to the country’s health system – stymie officials’ response
Lawyers for press dinner gunman seek to disqualify Pirro and Blanche from case citing their presence at event
The legal team of the man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last month has asked the court to disqualify top Department of Justice officials from being involved in his case, arguing there is a conflict of interest because they were present during the incident.
Helldivers 2 devs respond to criticism with Q&A after recent Steam reviews tank to ‘Mostly Negative’
Helldivers 2 players have criticized Arrowhead Game Studios for some time. An official response from the devs promises many improvements.
Catholic health centers respond to massive measles outbreak in Bangladesh
Caritas Bangladesh and church-run health centers are building infection prevention awareness while the country grapples with a deadly outbreak of measles that has left more than 330 children dead since mid-March.
Stefon Diggs responds to Washington DE about playing for Commanders
Stefon Diggs responds to Charles Omenihu about potentially playing for the Commanders in 2026.
‘Coaches can change everything’: NC bill would require mental health training for coaches
North Carolina lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require some youth sports coaches to complete mental health training to recognize warning signs, respond to student crises and connect athletes with care.
NBA playoff winners and losers: Knicks overwhelm 76ers in crunch time, Spurs bounce back emphatically
The 76ers were doomed by a cold fourth quarter, while the Spurs responded to their Game 1 loss in blowout fashion
Spurs respond to Game 1 loss with beatdown of Timberwolves in Game 2
Victor Wembanyama and co. didn't play around in Game 2.
KU Health System to end PICU services by end of June; health system leaders respond to parents' concerns
The University of Kansas Health System will be shutting down its pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) services by the end of June 2026.
Jameis Winston joins Fox Sports as World Cup correspondent
Fox Sports and Jameis Winston announced on May 6 that the NFL quarterback will work as a correspondent for the network's 2026 World Cup coverage.
Scientists accidentally discover DNA that breaks the rules of life
A routine experiment with a new single-cell DNA sequencing method turned into a surprising scientific twist when researchers stumbled upon a bizarre genetic code in a microscopic pond organism. Instead of following the near-universal “rules” of life, this newly identified protist rewrites how genes signal their end. This unexpected discovery challenges long-held assumptions about how genetic translation works and hints that nature may be far more flexible—and mysterious—than scientists realized.
Getting Past the Heartbreak—The Week in Green
Responding the right way to a crushing loss
How science is taking tripping mainstream
President Trump recently signed an order to speed up the evaluation of psychedelics to treat the brain. That’s coming after decades of strict prohibition on psychedelic drug use dating back to President Nixon. So how did we go from that to a psychedelic renaissance? A look into a key institution in the world of psychedelic research may give us some clues. This episode, NPR’s brain correspondent Jon Hamilton shares insight from a recent trip. (No pun intended.) Want more psychedelic content? Catch our episode on ketamine therapy here, or learn why some scientists want to take the trip out of psychedelics here. Have other questions about psychedelics and the brain? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!
Columbus voters approve measure to change how first responders respond to mental health emergencies
Former NSF leaders and its board urge Senate to restore agency’s ...
Thirteen former heads of National Science Foundation and its advisory body respond to Trump administration's abrupt dismissal of the agency's entire board
See how federal workers respond to Elon Musk's '5 things' emails
Nonprofit Citizens for Constitutional Integrity released the first batch of emails from federal workers responding to Elon Musk's DOGE directive.
Jaylen Brown Claps Back At Haters Amid Overwhelming Backlash
Brown responded to all the hate he's been getting recently.
Republicans propose $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to secure Trump ballroom
The president said repeatedly that the White House ballroom would be privately funded but has raised security concerns, particularly in light of the correspondent's dinner shooting.
Senate Republicans look to fund $1 billion in security upgrades for Trump's ballroom
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have added $1 billion in White House security upgrades to legislation that would fund immigration enforcement agencies, a proposed boost for President Donald Trump’s ballroom project after a man was charged with trying to assassinate him at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last week. The GOP bill released late Monday would designate the money for the U.S. Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project,
Valve responds to Steam Controller stock shortages, promises more
Close that eBay tab (for now)
Adam Mockler responds to panelist who calls him ‘ungrateful’ to US service members
Which pond do Ducks swim best in?
The Anaheim Ducks beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in their first round NHL playoff series. Where should fans watch the second round series?
Dustin Diamond's father responds to late son's allegation he stole his money: 'Throwing me under the bus'
Mark Diamond, the father of late 'Saved by the Bell' star Dustin Diamond, is clearing up allegations shared years ago by his son that he pocketed or spent most of Dustin's money while he worked as a child star.
Capcom Responds to Resident Evil Requiem DLSS 5 Backlash: "We Got the Design Right"
When NVIDIA first revealed DLSS 5 and its neural rendering, a lot of the online backlash that was leveled at the feature centered around Capcom's Resident Evil character, Grace, and how DLSS 5 changed her facial features. Now, in a recent interview with Eurogamer, Koshi Nakanishi and Masato Kumzawa,...
🚨Official: América reveal Borja and Cáceres injury updates
Injuries are hitting the nest again, as América suffered two major losses in the first-leg match against Pumas, corresponding to the quarterfinals of the Clausura 2026.Christian Borja and Sebastián ...
Scientists discover a universal law across every form of life on Earth, severely challenging evolution theory
Study reveals a Universal Thermal Performance Curve, UTPC, predicting how all life responds to heat, challenging evolution theory.
Dolly Parton cancels Las Vegas residency and gives health update
“The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments and I’m improving every day,” the 80-year-old star said.
Country music legend cancels concerts, admits feeling ‘swimmy headed’
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said she's responding well to medicine and treatment.
Dolly Parton Cancels Las Vegas Residency Due to Health, Shares Update
"I'm responding really well to meds and treatments, and I'm improving everyday," the Grammy winner said, while noting that "it's gonna take me a little while before I'm up to stage-performance level."
Dolly Parton gives health update: ‘Good news and a little bad news’
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Dolly Parton gave a health update Monday afternoon sharing “good news and a little bad news.” Parton said she was responding well to medicine and treatments an…
Central Europe is a laboratory for political trends
Letter: Dr Sean Hanley responds to an editorial on the collapse of social democratic parties as rightwing nationalism flourishes
Supreme Court temporarily restores access to abortion pill mifepristone through telehealth, mail and pharmacies
The court's order will remain in effect for another week while both sides respond and the court more fully considers the issue.
Supreme Court temporarily restores ability to receive abortion drug mifepristone by mail
The Supreme Court temporarily restored telehealth and mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone on Monday, responding to an emergency appeal that warned of potential chaos for patients who had appointments to access the drug.
Hearing for suspect in White House correspondents’ dinner shooting scheduled for today
Cole Allen remains in custody after being charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump
Global webinar – From evidence to essential services: embedding harm reduction in national health systems
Harm reduction services remain underfunded, fragmented, and often outside mainstream health systems, despite being an evidence-based, rights-based, and cost-effective approach, essential for achieving global HIV, hepatitis, and universal health coverage goals. This webinar will present WHO guidance and effective harm reduction approaches and respond to growing demand for practical dialogue on how to translate evidence into scalable national service models.
Borderlands Studio Head Responds After Fans Rip Him For "AI Slop" Selfie
"The idea of an AI even having an identity is nonsense."
University responds after fire destroys lab hub at USF's Marine Science College
Man arrested at Trump's Miami golf club for disorderly conduct, Secret Service says
The incident occurred one week after shots were fired during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., and Mr. Trump was rushed off the dais.
Colorado Democrats scramble to fund health care subsidies after loss of federal benefits
Colorado Democrats are struggling to devise a long-term plan to respond to higher health insurance costs after Republicans in Congress allowed federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year. Individuals and families who...
Colorado Democrats scramble to fund health care subsidies after loss of federal benefits
Colorado Democrats are struggling to devise a long-term plan to respond to higher health insurance costs after Republicans in Congress allowed federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year. Individuals and families who...
Bennington police investigate armed robbery of Park Street business
BENNINGTON — On Sunday at about 10:45 a.m., the Bennington Police Department responded to Beshara’s 99 Cents & Up, at 119 Park St., following a report of an armed robbery.
I stopped using Google Maps on Android Auto and switched to an app that actually works
Google Maps isn't the only fish in the pond.
Politics Now: May 2, 2026
This week on Politics Now with host John Langeler: Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen reacts to being at the White House Correspondents Dinner assassination attempt. SNAP food benefits restrictions kick in…
Lightning may have sparked fire destroying top US marine science lab, officials say
About 200 firefighters responded to devastating blaze at University of South Florida’s lab on Saturday
Michigan senate candidate defends her deleted posts after CNN report: ‘People are desperate for authenticity’
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a candidate in the state’s competitive Democratic senate primary, made the case for her “authenticity” while responding to criticism she’s facing after an investigation by CNN’s KFile revealed she deleted old social media posts criticizing the rural Midwest and praising California.
‘All INdiana Politics’
On Sunday's edition of "All INdiana Politics," U.S. Rep. André Carson discussed the potential impact of a recent Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, as well as a shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner. News 8's Garrett Bergquist and the two members of the "All INdiana Politics" team provided an overview of the upcoming state Senate primary races in Tuesday's election.
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field ‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field A field that once seemed like a direct path to stable, lucrative work is becoming less certain under AI, students and faculty told Spectator. By Ria Vasishtha and Arjun Menon May 3, 2026 Shanying Liu / Deputy Illustrations Editor Asia Genawi, SEAS ’29, first encountered artificial intelligence during her sophomore year at her high school in Indiana. Back in 2023, policies on AI varied widely—even within the same district—and some schools had no guidance at all. As Genawi began to see the effects of AI trickle into her classroom, she turned to guidance from her home state’s Department of Education, which she said she found “outdated and inaccessible.” Genawi spent the rest of her high school career dedicated to the issue, including writing a 15-page memo exploring varying AI policies across Indiana schools, which she sent to every Indiana state senator and representative whose contact information she was able to find. She later helped draft a bill that would have required public high schools to establish and share their own AI policies with students in an accessible format. But with so many other bills already awaiting referral, hers never made it to committee. When Genawi arrived at Columbia to study computer science, she found that the gaps she had spent years trying to address in Indiana had followed her there. Many students and professors were also grappling with what AI meant for the field. Across Columbia’s undergraduate schools, computer science has become the most popular major—accounting for around 11 percent of degrees awarded in Columbia College, 32 percent in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and 12 percent in the School of General Studies in 2024. While the number of computer science majors in SEAS grew from 166 to 173 during the 2024-25 academic year, the total number across the three schools fell around 4.5 percent from 393 to 375, driven by declines at Columbia College and General Studies. At Barnard, it has grown to become the second most popular major as of 2025, up from third the year prior. The number of degrees awarded have grown fivefold since 2016. Faculty members and students in the department told Spectator that the surge in the major’s popularity has been driven in large part by its apparent promise of a secure, well-paid career path. However, they noted that the recent rise of generative AI has compromised the sense of stability that once defined the field, even as interest in technical skills among students persists. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2024, out of 74 majors tracked, computer science had the fifth highest unemployment rate among majors at 7 percent, while computer engineering had the second highest at 7.8 percent. “Anecdotally, people are moving away from CS as a major,” Daniel Bauer, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, said. “They’re still taking some of our classes, right, because they think they need that, but they’re instead majoring in other things.” Bauer described a field that had shifted from what he called a “nerdy outlier discipline” to one that “everyone needs,” a sign that technical skills have become a baseline expectation across industries with the emergence of AI. “A lot of people thought, ‘Oh, it’s a guaranteed path to a stable income. You get a six-figure job right out of your undergrad,’” Bauer said. Now, companies may see AI as a way to reduce demand for entry-level programmers, especially in what he calls “code monkey jobs,” roles where a large number of employees are “just writing out code nine-to-five.” Chris Murphy, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, described the current moment as the convergence of two forces: the downturn of the job market and generative AI coming onto the scene. “Things kind of started to really pick up in 2014, 16,” he said, recalling the years after the weaker 2010 market. Murphy added that this was also a period where “students were getting more experience outside of class than they were inside of class” through internships, jobs, and side projects. Murphy suggested that the earlier momentum helped make computer science feel like both an academic program and a reliable pathway into work. That feeling is harder to sustain now as the industry reconfigures, which is a shift that students are seeing firsthand. Rebecca Yu, SEAS ’27, said that during a recent internship in Big Tech, she saw that “every single tech company was racing to integrate” large language models. She added that her manager said her intern class was the first to complete their assigned projects, which she attributed to the increased efficiency that comes with AI. Frank Liu, SEAS ’29, said that with AI lowering the barrier to coding, companies now expect everyone to write code. “A lot of companies outright say if you’re not using coding in your job, you might get fired for not being productive enough,” Liu said. Yu similarly expressed that students increasingly have to accept AI being a part of industry workflow, adding that many also “make use of it to maximize their productivity.” Richard Li, CC ’28, described a “franticness” among his peers as the pace of change accelerates. He explained how “some new tool” is released regularly, noting that tools rise and fall in prominence within weeks. He has come to believe that he doesn’t need to “match that speed all the time” and keep up with every development. Li has learned that AI tools allow him to “take a breath” and “get back into the loop much easier than before” when he needs to. While some companies specifically target Columbia when hiring, sending representatives to campus career fairs and recruiting large numbers from Columbia, a computer science degree cannot be treated as a static credential, Yu described. “You can’t just get your degree and stop learning after that. You have to always be learning,” Yu said. “That is something you basically have to expect for your job.” AI has not only affected students’ decisions to major in computer science, but also reshaped how the subject is taught. Across departments, faculty members no longer treat work done outside the classroom as a reliable measure of understanding, shifting instead toward in-person exams, quizzes, and attendance checks. While homework once made up as much as 60 to 70 percent of a student’s grade in computer science classes, Murphy said that breakdown has since flipped, with exams and quizzes now accounting for the majority. “The assumption—especially among pessimists—is that they’re using it to do their homework,” Murphy said. “They take the homework assignment. They put it into generative AI. Out comes the solution. Submit solution. The end.” Murphy said that faculty members ranged in their responses from fully prohibiting AI use to actively teaching students how to effectively work with AI. He said he shifted his approach this year after his teaching assistants called his belief that students weren’t using the technology “naïve,” and now permits students to use AI on assignments. His surveys of students in his introductory classes have told a more complicated story than the one so-called pessimists offer: Around 60 to 70 percent of students who reported using AI said they used it to have concepts explained to them, to clarify assignment instructions, to generate test cases, or to create practice questions. “Those are all ways that you might have had a tutor in the past to do that, and now you have this AI essentially as your tutor,” he said. Bauer has taken a different approach, teaching students how to use AI productively without sacrificing the core principles of the discipline. “People who are trained to actually use AI tools productively, while being in charge of designing the overall project, will be very much in demand in the next couple of years,” he said. Over the past year, a working group of computer science faculty has been redesigning the introductory and intermediate programming sequence to integrate generative AI as both a subject and a tool, representatives from SEAS wrote in a statement to Spectator. The effort is “coordinated” across the department, “not course-by-course,” with a systematic assessment of how AI integration is affecting student outcomes underway to shape the next round of changes. The goal, the department explained, is for students to be able to “read, verify, and reason about code, whether they or a model wrote it.” Tony Dear, senior lecturer in the computer science department, is piloting individualized AI feedback in a discrete mathematics course, while a machine learning course is also testing a Socratic AI dialogue system designed to “guide inquiry rather than supply answers,” the statement reads. Beyond individual courses, SEAS funded seven cross-departmental faculty projects in generative AI this past academic year, spanning biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and computer science, according to the statement. This phenomenon extends beyond the computer science department. SEAS’ new AI minor, which it announced in November 2025, reflects the University’s attempt to adapt. The minor is specifically designed for noncomputer science majors and aims to provide “essential AI knowledge” while emphasizing practical and responsible use across disciplines, according to the SEAS website. At the center of the minor is AI in Context, a course taught by a team of faculty from the departments of computer science, applied mathematics, philosophy, music, literature, and the Writing Center, the representatives told Spectator. Bauer described it as targeted at students who want to bring AI into fields like economics or biology, rather than as a path into software engineering itself. At the graduate level, SEAS announced a new Master of Science in artificial intelligence in February, with the inaugural cohort starting in the fall. While recognizing how AI has helped them navigate coursework, students also described its rise as isolating, even among members of the Application Development Initiative, one of Columbia’s largest computer science clubs. “As people start to ask AI for questions that they would normally ask students and members, it starts to isolate people” Li said. Alexa Kafka, BC ’27, echoed Li’s sentiment, pointing out that computer science has always been a collaborative discipline with code reviews and pull requests, even as AI makes independent work easier. Despite this, Kafka noted that she hasn’t been to office hours “in at least a year.” Bauer added that faculty are exploring long-term solutions to the assessment problem. “One of the things that we’re trying to do at the department or school level is to maybe move towards computerized testing facilities,” Bauer said, referring to ideas in the department to revitalize computer labs as an alternative to pen-and-paper exams. “We have to accept that this is the reality, for better or worse.” But more exams, students say, does not mean better learning, nor does it reflect how computer science is actually done. “Code is so variable and can be approached in so many directions, there’s never just going to be one correct answer. There can be multiple optimal solutions,” Kafka said. Students also expressed concern that the shift toward exam-heavy grading pulls focus away from the applied, project-based work that better reflects both discipline and industry expectations. ADI has tried to respond more quickly than the curriculum can. Through a vibe coding workshop this past semester, club members said they wanted to help students understand not just that AI exists, but how to use it deliberately. “Vibe coding” refers to the practice of prompting AI to write code for a task or project, and has become widespread enough that ADI felt the gap in formal instruction was worth addressing, according to Sophia Huang, BC ’29. The workshop introduced students to the concept of context engineering, which Shaina Sahu, SEAS ’27, described as not just writing a prompt, but optimizing “the rest of the relevant information that you would feed into the model.” Without that, students said that AI-generated code can fail at scale or introduce difficult-to-detect bugs. Genawi said the shift toward AI has changed what it means to be good at computer science. “I think the shift has kind of gone towards what can you create and what can you do, instead of, what do you know,” she said. Indeed, during ADI DevFest, its annual hackathon, Li said more teams are trying to complete their projects than in years past. While sign-ups have historically outpaced submissions, Li said this is beginning to change because teams “have a tool that completes the vision for them.” While many students see AI as an equalizer that lowers the barrier to entry for coding and technical work, Murphy said it also creates new equity concerns inside the classroom around who can afford stronger tools and who already knows how to use them. “The equity issues I worry about are students who have access to paid versions of things versus free versions of things,” he said. Although popular AI models like ChatGPT and Claude have free versions available, both have paid models that can reach over $100 per month, which output different qualities of code. Murphy also pointed to differences in prior exposure to AI literacy itself. “Students who go to high schools or K-12 education, where they’re taught AI literacy, prompt engineering, context engineering, they understand how to do this, as opposed to students who go to schools who don’t teach that,” he said. “Then they come in, and then they’re somehow expected to know how to use these tools.” For Genawi, those disparities begin long before students arrive on campus. “It’s very interesting to consider how lucky you were geographically,” she said. “To be born where you were is influencing your ability to get access to these spaces.” Students like Yu, though broadly apprehensive about the future of computer science, are not without hope. “I’m optimistic, because I think if you’re truly passionate about CS, there will definitely be a place in the field to do something you want to do,” she said. Senior Staff Writer Ria Vasishtha can be contacted at ria.vasishtha@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Staff Writer Arjun Menon can be contacted at arjun.menon@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter and like Spectator on Facebook. Produced with Spectate by Emily Ta
State redistricting battles intensify following U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Voting Rights Act
A Supreme Court decision striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana has amplified an already intense national redistricting battle. Here’s a look at how some states are responding.
Troop withdrawal announcement adds to friction between Europe and Trump
The German defense minister has responded to the U.S. plan to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, emphasizing the mutual benefits of the U.S. military presence in Europe.
Perspective: What’s driving political violence, and what will quell it
The violence at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last Saturday underscores how dangerous this political moment is in the United States.
The politics of Trump's ballroom
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — President Trump was about a half-hour into his second speech of the day, musing about the danger he faced last week at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “Saturday night, it was good for one thing. People are loving my ballroom now,” Trump told a crowd last night. “That’s the only thing. They love my ballroom.” Ever since he was hustled off stage at the Washington Hilton last week, after an attempted shooter breached the dinner’s security perimeter and sent guests diving to the floor, the president has argued that the incident is proof for why his White House ballroom is needed. Only his planned $400 million, 90,000-square-foot project, Trump has reasoned, can keep a president truly safe at major events. It’s true that a bunch of GOP lawmakers have jumped on board with new legislation and words of support for Trump’s project. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. Rand Paul and other prominent Republicans went on TV to talk about the need for a ballroom. But as we reported at The Washington Post this week, “people” aren’t really changing their minds on Trump’s ballroom. A new Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that most Americans still oppose the ballroom project: 56 percent against it versus 28 percent in favor. The numbers are the same as a poll from last year, the Post’s polling whiz Scott Clement found. Other new polls have found similar margins, too. “I’m just not a giant fan, especially of extravagance,” one independent voter told me. “I mean, in the era we’re in right now, given how much people are struggling, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to spend $400 million on a ballroom.” How we got here The Washington Post has followed Trump’s ballroom project very closely. (My colleague Jonathan Edwards may have written the most total words of any reporter about the project; I may be second.) The project exploded as a national issue after Trump tore down the White House’s East Wing after initially promising not to touch it.1 Historic preservationists sued, and about a month ago, a federal judge ordered a halt to ballroom construction.2 The only way the ballroom could proceed, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled, was if Congress explicitly authorized Trump’s plans. (An appeals court has stayed Leon’s order for now.) The judge’s ruling raised an obvious question: would Congress authorize the project? Keep in mind, “authorization” doesn’t mean that Congress needs to necessarily fund the planned $400 million project; they could just sign off on the private donations that Trump has solicited to pay for the ballroom.3 But GOP lawmakers really didn’t want to talk about the ballroom, we reported at The Post just a few weeks ago. One major reason was the ballroom’s bad polling — not a small detail with many of their own midterm elections looming. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident, and Trump’s advocacy, may have changed the political conversation around the ballroom. As this week’s polling shows, it doesn’t seem to have affected the fundamental questions surrounding the project. To put it another way, voters still say that cost-of-living concerns are top-of-mind heading into the midterms. Some Republican and independent voters have told me that they see the ballroom as a vanity project that will help Trump but do nothing for their own lives. It might not help Republicans that Trump has dismissed some of the cost-of-living concerns. He’s described “affordability” as a buzzword manufactured by Democrats whose policies helped cause inflation. “They’ve got one good line of bullshit,” Trump said in his first speech yesterday, delivered at a Florida retirement community known as The Villages. Thanks for reading Dan Diamond's newsletter! Subscribe for free to stay up-to-date on my work. Subscribe Speaking of Trump’s speeches… I’m down in Florida because it’s my “duty week” as a White House reporter — basically, I follow the president wherever he goes. (And then hand the baton off to one of my Washington Post colleagues next week.) As part of my duty week, I’ve spent a few days covering the White House’s reaction to Saturday’s attempted shooting, including officials’ review of the security protocols to protect the president. Trump was restrained in the wake of the incident, addressing the nation from the White House briefing room about the need for peaceful dialogue and trying to lower the temperature. But he’s clearly been itching to get back out of the White House, and I was curious to hear how his Florida speeches would go. And — to my ears — it was an unburdened Trump. Not the one we saw Saturday night in the White House briefing room, but the one we witnessed on the campaign trail in 2024. Loose, dropping profanities, mocking everyone, including members of his team. “We have a man here who knows more about Medicaid, Medicare, medical crap than any human being. Where’s Dr. Oz? Where the hell are you, stand up,” Trump said, referring to Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “It’s the most boring trip I’ve ever made. He’s telling me about Medicare, Medicaid. All I want to do is take care of you, I don’t care. I said, ‘You work out the details.’” I wrote up the speech, as Trump headed to West Palm Beach to deliver more remarks a few hours later. The White House didn’t like my story. Their rapid-response team called it the work of a “total loser”4 and “a miserable TDS-ridden moron.” You can be the judge of whether it’s a fair story or the product of someone afflicted with “TDS.” (The White House’s shorthand for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”) I’ve pasted the story below with a gift link, meaning that you don’t need to be a Washington Post subscriber to read it. It might prompt you for an email address, though. Meanwhile, I’ll be down in Florida for the rest of the weekend, covering the president. It’s TBD whether those stories will be deemed TDS-afflicted, too. 1 Jonathan details the past six months of ballroom fallout, reactions and the implications for executive authority here. I also had a great time talking about Trump’s ballroom and other projects with Australia’s ABC News Daily on a podcast this week. 2 The judge allowed underground construction and national security-related work to continue. But that hasn’t been enough for Trump, who says the ballroom itself is essential for his protection. 3 The ballroom donors include companies like Palantir, Google and Amazon. For transparency, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, where I work. No one has ever interfered with our team’s coverage of the ballroom or our mentions of Amazon or Bezos, and if that changed, I’d speak out. 4 To be fair, I’ve spent the morning working on stories and writing this Substack post rather than enjoying the beautiful Florida weather. So they may be onto something about who’s winning and who’s losing.
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