4/28/26: Taxpayers To Pay For Ballroom, Congress Pushes Veteran Benefits For IDF, Hezbollah Drone Attacks, Ann Coulter On Trump And Iran

Krystal and Saagar discuss reactions to an attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, including a Republican push to fund Trump's private ballroom with taxpayer money. They cover proposals to extend US veteran benefits to Americans serving in the IDF, ongoing tensions in Lebanon, and feature guests analyzing Israeli politics and the Iran war's trajectory.

Push for Taxpayer-Funded White House Ballroom

Republicans, led by Lindsey Graham, are advancing a bill for $400 million in taxpayer funds to build Trump's proposed White House ballroom, citing security needs after the assassination attempt. Originally planned as privately funded, the project gained bipartisan Republican support, including from Rand Paul and Eric Schmitt, who tied it to Democratic rhetoric against ICE. Hosts criticize the timing amid high gas prices, inflation, and layoffs, arguing a competent Secret Service with barricades (costing $10-20k per event) would suffice. They oppose any private White House construction for lacking democratic oversight and note Clark Construction—Trump's ballroom choice—received a no-bid National Park Service contract inflated from $3.3 million to $17.4 million for Lafayette Park fountains, raising pay-to-play concerns. The ballroom could centralize control over events like the Correspondents' Dinner, previously held off-site.