Trump's White House ballroom blocked by federal appeals court

Finally, some good news on this Friday morning: A federal appeals court ruled today that Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project is unlawful because it lacks congressional approval. 

"Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the DC Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in its 2-1 ruling in the case brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in a lawsuit in December last year. 

"The National Trust has shown, compellingly, that Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House — the People’s House — to fit a particular President’s desires," the court explained, adding, "This holding has nothing at all to do with whether the proposed ballroom is desirable, or not, as a matter of policy. This ruling does not even necessarily mean that the Defendants may not ultimately construct the ballroom. What it do...