WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off the coast of Venezuela since this summer, when the Trump administration first began to shift assets to the region as part of its so-called war against narcoterrorism.

The construction is part of President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom on the eastern side of the White House.

The government shutdown is now the second-longest funding lapse in modern history, stretching into Day 22 on Wednesday. Follow live updates here.

President Trump’s team is trolling Democrats harder than ever during the shutdown. It's a page stolen from his campaign and his own online habits.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky tried to get the last laugh after getting left out of a White House reception for Republican senators.

Now, a portion of the East Wing has been demolished by heavy machinery brought in to start on the proposed ballroom. The backhoe ripped through the structure in which, according to the Washington Post, the "sounds of construction were audible on the White House campus."

The new White House Bluesky account began with a trolling start as it shared a 50-second video compilation of President Donald Trump as its first post last week on the liberal alternative to X.

It was the fifth school in a matter of days to refuse an offer of preferential funding treatment from the government, even as the White House has threatened schools that do not sign up.