Frank Langford

Commissioner Phil Mendelson agreed the White House needs a ballroom, but opposed the plan.

I'm trying to be nice here.

It's just too large.

It's just too large.

In fact, the ballroom would be more than one and a half times larger than the White House residence.

A judge ruled last week that Trump has no authority to build the ballroom.

The administration is appealing.

Frank Langford, NPR News, Washington.

Scores of people took turns posing for photos on the gold-colored toilet seat.

The artwork is called Throne Fit for a King and critiques Trump's focus on things like White House decor versus the economy.

Tai Pilat is a chef in Northern Virginia.

At the same time, the administration has draped three federal buildings with giant banners featuring the president's face.

His name adorns the Kennedy Center and the U.S.

Institute of Peace.

The White House insists that, quote, President Trump is focused on saving our country, not garnering recognition.

Frank Lankford, NPR News, Washington.

Brightline Watch, which surveys more than 500 U.S.

scholars, finds that through tactics such as amassing executive power and attacking the media, Trump has pushed the U.S.

system to a point nearly midway between liberal democracy and dictatorship.

Dartmouth's Brendan Nyhan co-directs the survey.