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On Politics

Mon Mar 30 2026

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello readers, and welcome back to On Politics. Kathryn Palmer here. Hope you had a restful weekend! Let's dig into the top politics stories of the day so far.

Trump says military site 'under construction' beneath WH ballroom

President Donald Trump unveiled a new, subterranean facet of his White House ballroom: a "massive military complex" underneath it. The president lamented to reporters yesterday that it was supposed to remain secret, but legal challenges had unearthed the military project. He described it as "under construction." Trump's admission came as he unveiled architectural drawings of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which critics have said is out of scale to the rest of the building. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is fighting the ballroom in federal court, and details about the military aspect of the project were revealed during legal proceedings.

President Donald Trump told reporters the military sought the White House ballroom as a "shed" for a secret complex beneath it.

The White House / YouTube

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Trump threatens to bomb Iran's power, water infrastructure

Trump said today that the United States is engaged in "serious discussions" with Iranian officials on a deal to end the war, but threatened to bombard the country's power, oil and water infrastructure if negotiations fail. It's the latest warning from the White House as the president amps up his pressure campaign on Iran to accept his ceasefire plan, which hinges on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz to alleviate the growing energy crisis. In a social media post, Trump listed Iran's desalinization plants among his possible targets − infrastructure that experts say could constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. Over the weekend, thousands of additional U.S. troops arrived in the region amid a wave of airstrikes on Iran, and Gulf nation leaders met in Pakistan to begin talks to defuse regional tensions.

Supreme Court to hear birthright citizenship case

Who is an American? That's the fundamental question the Supreme Court will take up on April 1 when it debates Trump's ability to sharply restrict which children born in the United States are automatically citizens. The court's ruling is likely to land shortly before the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, adding to the significance of a case that was already a blockbuster. On his first day back in office, Trump directed federal agencies not to recognize the citizenship of babies born in the United States who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident, also known as a "green card" holder. It's that executive order that the highest court will weigh in on, after it was challenged by immigrants represented by The American Civil Liberties Union.

Thanks for reading! Scroll down for more stories. You can reach me at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr.