Senate Democrats have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit a construction project for a new ballroom at the White House. This request follows reports indicating that the Trump administration is planning to spend at least $900 million on various White House construction efforts.
Key Facts
Senate Democrats requested a GAO audit of the White House ballroom project.
The audit request came after news reports revealed large spending plans by the Trump administration.
The reported spending on White House construction projects is at least $900 million.
The Washington Post published confidential contracts related to these projects.
The ballroom is part of significant upgrades being made to the White House.
The GAO is a government agency that reviews how public money is spent.
The request aims to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of funds.
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Capital One closed some bank accounts linked to President Donald Trump and his organization in 2021 due to concerns about money laundering. President Trump has filed a lawsuit against the bank, claiming the account closures were politically motivated after the January 6 Capitol riot.
Key Facts
Capital One closed certain accounts connected to President Trump and his organization in 2021.
The bank said the closures were due to concerns about money laundering.
Money laundering means hiding the origin of illegally obtained money.
President Trump sued Capital One, saying the closures were an act of political retaliation.
The lawsuit refers to events following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
An anti-money laundering expert, Ross Delston, has discussed the case publicly.
The legal battle is ongoing as both sides present their arguments.
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Luigi Mangione, accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in 2024, is reportedly discussing a plea deal for federal charges. This information comes from sources reporting to CBS News.
Key Facts
Luigi Mangione is accused of killing Brian Thompson in 2024.
Brian Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
Mangione faces federal charges related to this case.
He is currently in talks about a possible plea agreement.
CBS News reported these updates based on sources.
Caroline Polisi, a legal expert, provided additional details.
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A man named Nathan Brown killed his wife Kristen and their 7-year-old daughter Evie at a home daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, before shooting himself. Police are also investigating whether he killed a 78-year-old relative in a separate incident.
Key Facts
Nathan Brown, 41, stabbed his wife Kristen Brown and their daughter Evie in the family basement daycare.
Kristen Brown operated the daycare, Brown Bear Childcare, licensed since 2019 and compliant with state rules.
Nathan Brown fatally shot himself upstairs after the attack.
A father dropping off his children heard screams and called 911, saving six other children present.
Police suspect Nathan Brown also killed a 78-year-old female relative in Burnsville, 20 miles away.
Kristen Brown recently told daycare parents she was closing the daycare due to relationship problems with Nathan.
No history of police calls or reported issues at their home before the incident.
Investigations into the motive are ongoing.
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Marco Rubio, who holds several official jobs in President Trump’s administration, became popular online through “Rubio Realizing” memes showing his serious reactions to taking on more roles. For his 55th birthday, the White House gave him a framed collage of these memes, which have helped boost his image with voters.
Key Facts
Marco Rubio holds three official jobs and unofficially is known for being a viral meme star.
The “Rubio Realizing” memes show his serious expression when assigned new tasks in the Trump administration.
For Rubio’s 55th birthday on May 28, President Trump and White House staff gave him a gold-framed collage of 68 favorite memes.
The memes started from a photo taken during a tense Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky on February 28, 2025.
The memes have made Rubio appear more popular and serious to voters, according to political observers.
Rubio has said he does not plan to run for president in 2028 and will endorse Vice President Vance if he runs.
President Trump wants Vance to choose Rubio as his running mate, but no deep discussions about the race have happened yet.
Rubio has joked about wanting more government jobs and has said he initially disliked the meme photo but now finds the meme funny.
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President Donald Trump is moving forward with large construction and renovation projects in Washington, D.C. The cost for the White House-related projects is now estimated at $900 million, with taxpayers paying a large part, even though Trump earlier said private donors would pay most of the expenses.
Key Facts
President Trump is leading major building and renovation work in Washington.
The cost for these White House projects is about $900 million.
Taxpayers are funding a large portion of this money.
Trump previously promised that private donors would pay most costs.
The projects aim to reshape parts of Washington, D.C.
The report comes from White House correspondent Liz Landers.
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A U.S. appeals court dismissed a case that challenged President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. The court did not decide if the law was used correctly because the plaintiffs were already deported.
Key Facts
The case involved alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and the MS-13 gang.
These individuals were deported to El Salvador by the U.S. government.
The legal challenge questioned the use of the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit dismissed the case on August 13, 2026.
The dismissal happened because the plaintiffs had already been deported, so the court did not rule on the law’s application.
The Alien Enemies Act is an old law that allows the U.S. to remove foreign nationals considered a threat during wartime.
The case related to actions taken during President Trump’s administration.
The story is still developing with further updates expected.
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A journalist sued the Justice Department, saying it broke a transparency law about records on Jeffrey Epstein and related investigations. A judge heard the case, and the Justice Department has not yet met several legal requirements, including sharing a detailed list of document redactions and releasing all relevant materials linked to President Donald Trump.
Key Facts
Journalist Katie Phang sued the Justice Department for not following the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The law was signed by President Donald Trump in 2025 to make Epstein-related records public.
The Justice Department has not published a required redaction log explaining why parts of documents were hidden.
The department has not released some foreign-language documents or all records related to Trump.
Some FBI interview notes about Trump, which were given to attorneys in another case, were not publicly released.
The lawsuit describes the Justice Department’s response as delays and failure to comply with the law.
The U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan held a hearing on the case and appears aware of the department’s delays.
The case continues as Phang’s legal team plans to request court actions to enforce the law.
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The U.S. Justice Department has recently started efforts to take away the citizenship of 25 naturalized Americans. These people are accused of lying about their backgrounds and hiding serious crimes when they became citizens. This process is called denaturalization and has become a high priority for the Justice Department.
Key Facts
The Justice Department is targeting naturalized citizens who allegedly lied during their citizenship process.
25 individuals are currently facing denaturalization actions.
Denaturalization means removing a person’s citizenship.
The government accuses them of hiding serious crimes or past actions.
This approach is a recent and important focus for federal prosecutors.
The Justice Department sees denaturalization as a key law enforcement tool.
The effort aims to ensure that citizenship was obtained honestly and lawfully.
The cases reflect a shift in how immigration and citizenship issues are handled by the government.
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The Trump administration has ended a program started during President Biden’s time that aimed to speed up building power lines in several states. This program targeted areas like Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.
Key Facts
The program was designed to make power line construction faster.
It covered parts of six states: Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.
The Biden administration started this effort to improve energy infrastructure.
The Trump administration decided to cancel this program.
The goal was to support better and quicker electricity delivery.
The cancellation could affect future power line projects in these areas.
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The Trump administration decided to stop funding the Arctic Report Card, a research project that tracks changes in the rapidly warming Arctic region. This move is part of broader actions by the administration to reduce support for climate change science.
Key Facts
The Arctic Report Card gathers important scientific data on changes in the Arctic.
The Arctic is the fastest-warming area on Earth.
The Trump administration announced it will end funding for this report.
Ending funding will affect the ongoing collection of research on climate change impacts in the Arctic.
This action is part of a pattern of reducing support for climate science under President Trump's administration.
Twila Moon, a glaciologist, is the editor of the Arctic Report Card.
William Brangham discussed the issue with Twila Moon in a news segment.
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A leading Democrat in the House Energy and Commerce Committee is questioning major U.S. airlines about their use of artificial intelligence (AI) to set ticket prices. The concern is whether airlines use travelers’ personal data to decide which prices are shown to different customers.
Key Facts
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) is the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
He asked major U.S. airlines if they use AI to set ticket prices based on personal information from travelers.
The inquiry focuses on whether AI influences which fares are shown to different customers.
The goal is to understand if personal data affects the pricing people see when buying airline tickets.
The questions reflect concerns about fairness and transparency in how airlines use technology.
Airlines have not yet publicly detailed how they use AI in pricing decisions.
The committee is monitoring the potential for "surveillance pricing," where personal data could impact costs.
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The Kennedy Center board voted to put President Donald Trump's name back on the building after a judge had ordered its removal. The board also approved a two-year closure for renovations, despite legal challenges regarding the renaming of the cultural institution.
Key Facts
The Kennedy Center board decided to add "Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump" to the building's name.
This decision came two months after a judge ruled the name had been added without proper congressional approval.
The judge had ordered the removal of President Trump's name, which was taken down last month.
The board is mostly made up of allies of President Trump.
A federal judge had blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations, but the board voted to proceed with it.
President Trump appointed himself as a trustee and chairman of the Kennedy Center board in February 2025.
Congress has designated the Kennedy Center as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy, which restricts renaming efforts.
The White House said the Kennedy Center is improving under President Trump's leadership.
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Senate Democrats are asking for information about the living and working conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Navy ship has been on an extended deployment since November 21, 2025, leading to concerns about how long the crew members have to stay at sea and what conditions they face on board.
Key Facts
The USS Abraham Lincoln is a Navy ship deployed since November 21, 2025.
Its deployment period has been extended multiple times, now lasting about 9 months.
Senate Democrats are seeking answers about the conditions for crew members on the ship.
Concerns focus on how the long deployment affects the crew’s wellbeing.
The information was reported by CBS News correspondents Major Garrett and Charlie D’Agata.
The situation has gained attention due to the unusually long time the crew remains away from home.
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In the U.S., wait times for surgery in six common types of cancer have grown longer over the past decade. A study found delays increased steadily from 2012 to 2023, which can lead to worse health results and more stress for patients.
Key Facts
The study looked at over 2.7 million cancer patients diagnosed between 2012 and 2023.
Cancer types studied included breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal cancers.
Wait times for surgery increased for all six cancers; for example, breast cancer waits rose from 34 to 45 days.
More patients experienced long waits of over 30 and even 60 days.
Increased wait times happened as healthcare systems centralized cancer care into large, specialized centers.
Patients who were uninsured, on Medicaid, Black, lower-income, or lived far from treatment centers faced longer waits more often.
Researchers suggest expanding patient capacity and improving scheduling at big centers to reduce delays.
They recommend only referring complex cases to high-volume centers to avoid unnecessary delays for simpler surgeries.
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An artist and teacher in Washington, D.C., named Blu Murphy is using her art to help her students appreciate themselves and their neighborhoods. Her work also addresses the ongoing impact of redlining, a historical practice that caused unfair treatment of certain communities.
Key Facts
Blu Murphy is both an artist and a teacher in Washington, D.C.
She focuses on encouraging students to view themselves and their communities as valuable art.
Her work highlights the lasting effects of redlining, a process that historically segregated neighborhoods.
Redlining has caused long-term disadvantages for many communities.
The story was covered by Shane Mukasa from PBS News Student Reporting Labs.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from her position. Political analysts are already considering several possible candidates to replace her as the main spokesperson for President Trump’s administration.
Key Facts
Karoline Leavitt, the current White House press secretary, is leaving her role.
The press secretary acts as the main spokesperson for the President and the White House.
President Trump had four different press secretaries during his first term.
The position is highly visible and important in communicating with the media and public.
Speculation is ongoing about who will be chosen as the next press secretary.
No official announcement has been made yet about Leavitt’s successor.
The transition is happening during President Trump’s current term, after his 2024 election victory.
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The University of Michigan will not give letter grades to some first-semester freshmen starting next year. This decision has led to discussions about how useful and important grades are for students.
Key Facts
The University of Michigan is changing its grading policy for some new students.
First-semester freshmen will be affected by this change.
Instead of letter grades (like A, B, C), other ways of showing progress may be used.
The change starts next year.
People are debating whether grades help or hurt students’ learning.
Abbie Everett from KnowledgeWorks talked about this topic on CBS News.
The goal is to support students as they adjust to college.
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Senator Elizabeth Warren asked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if the government’s handling of a food poisoning outbreak was affected by donations from a lettuce supplier connected to groups supporting President Trump. Warren raised concerns about whether these ties influenced the response to the illness caused by cyclosporiasis, a parasite-linked infection.
Key Facts
Senator Elizabeth Warren represents Massachusetts and is in the U.S. Senate.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Trump’s administration.
There was an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a disease caused by a tiny parasite found in contaminated food.
Warren sent a letter to Kennedy questioning if the government’s response to the outbreak was handled properly.
She asked if donations from a major lettuce supplier to groups connected to President Trump influenced the response.
Warren described the government’s handling of the outbreak as “botched,” meaning poorly managed.
The investigation focuses on possible political or financial influence affecting public health decisions.
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